Some brief thoughts on John Fields

With the departure of Jordan Crawford to the NBA and Brian Walsh to transfer, the Xavier men’s basketball team has found itself with an open scholarship for the 2010-11 season.
XU head coach Chris Mack will likely fill the spot with a one-year transfer (made eligible by their graduation this spring). The two top choices at the moment appear to be 6-ffot-6 wing Eniel Polynice from Ole Miss and 6-foot-9 center John Fields from UNC-Wilmington.
After talking with writers and observers in the Wilmington area, here are a few quick takes on Fields:

-Fields likely wanted out of the program because it has become a ghost town after coach Benny Moss was fired at the end of January—right in the middle of the CAA season. After Moss was fired the team went into a tailspin, none more so than Fields, who came to Wilmington from East Carolina to play for Moss. With new coach Buzz Petterson charged with a group that will likely sit in the cellar of the CAA, Fields wanted the added exposure and success that a larger program could offer for a senior season.

-Fields is not a polished offensive presence, and often struggles with double teams—another reason to abandon the UNCW system that would have revolved around battling double teams every night. His offensive range is limited to about six feet, and most of his points are energy points, scored in transition or on offensive rebounds.

-Fields is an excellent weakside defender and rebounder, even against some of the bigger competition on UNCW’s schedule—Richmond, Wake Forest, Old Dominion, South Florida. In an inspired game following Moss’ dismissal in January, Fields corralled 21 rebounds, dedicating the game to his coach.

-For a major program of Xavier or Tennessee’s caliber, Fields would likely be a guy to play 15-20 minutes per game off the bench, providing energy in transition and a defensive presence.

-While this move takes Fields to his third school, there are not really any spotty personal issues on his resume. He has just been unfortunate enough to stumble into some situations that did not suit him.

-Moss ran a number of set plays during his tenure at UNCW, requiring players to utilize a high basketball IQ. Fields picked up the system reasonably upon his entry from ECU. On the defensive side, while Fields’ shot blocking ability often lends him to roam on the weakside, he was able within the system enough to remain on the floor.