I've been very high on Clemson's Ricky Lewis since seeing him play a couple of games last year. I've even mentioned him as a dark horse for the 2006 squad. However after watching the Wake vs Clemson game I wasn't nearly as impressed. He didn't have a bad game, He just didn't stand head and shoulders above the pack. Was he flat or did having Onewyu on the field with him make the difference? It just seemed like he was more involved in the attack playing with Guch. Is his upside as high as I think it is and/or is his skill set better suited to midfield play?
a very interesting set of questions nc and ones my daughter and i have discussed several times. i think ricky is trying to do too much, trying to mark and fill space at the same time. last year he only had to mark. i've been trying to decide if trevor has asked him to do more or if he's decided it for himself. but the noticable lack of size all over the field may be the key point. not only did gooch leave but fuller, who is well over 6 feet graduated to mls. westfield finishes like crazy but otherwise seldom touches the ball. oskar, hilgenbrinck, cutler, fabio, ryne nobody wins a ball in the air and that leaves ricky, who still outjumps players three inches taller but not without taking himself out of position. i think lewis' intensity, speed, skills are better than ever but he isn't as comfortable on the field as a year ago, and for good reason.
Anytime you go from being a member of the supporting cast to a leading (or leadership) role, there is a period of adjustment. Based on his expereince and his ability, Lewis is now being called upon to do more and is likely trying to lead by example through effort and hustle rather than sitting back and letting the game come to him. While Clemson has squandered a couple of leads in games lately, the defense is still having a solid year and the team is in the Top 5 and has only lost once despite playing a pretty challenging schedule. So, it's not like his intensity is hurting the team. As for Ricky's future, I'm not sure about 2006, though it's by no means impossible. But, he's got a very bright pro future and is a strong candidate for the 2004 Olympic team. If Lewis turns pro after this year, and I think he should, he'll be a definite first round pick and, depending on a team's needs, could go in the top 5. He's a stud athlete with great speed and good ups, nice size, decent passer and reads the game well. Plus, he can play left or right back and, in a pinch, in the middle and what team wouldn't like a player like that? I'll see Clemson play this weekend against Maryland and I'll give a first-hand report of how Lewis does.
I would say that Ricky, or Eric to some ACC announcers, is a lock for the 2004 Olympic Team. I also believe Doug Warren is a lock. Ricky has shined at times this year. He didn't look great vs. Wake Forest, but that's just one game. Every player is entitled to a bad one every now and then. I don't think Trevor has placed any extra responsibilty on Ricky. More than likely, he has placed it on himself to try and fill the void that Goochi left. Ricky is pretty good in the air, but he's not the only one on the team. I believe someone stated above that Ricky was the only one winning head balls. Let's not forget about Nick Rivera and Brett Brannan. Another opinion of Ricky is that he is trying to live up to the hype he recieves on the message boards. I know for a fact that players do read the stuff we type. Every post I've seen on this board has praised him. Now, when he doesn't play perferct, he's criticized. My suggestion for NCGUY is to attend more Clemson soccer games to see the real Ricky Lewis!
NCGUY: "Was he flat or did having Onewyu on the field with him make the difference? It just seemed like he was more involved in the attack playing with Guch." My knowledge tells me that Ricky played more defense when Goochi was with the team. Goochi was the one who pushed up more, and scored some incredible goals by doing so. This being said, I think Ricky is trying to do the same thing that Goochi did last year.
I don't you can make a judgement on one game, b/c I think the game you saw was a little different than most. From watching Clemson over the past few years, one thing that I've noticed is how they like to push there outside backs forward into attack. Gooch did this last year and Ricky has also done it at times. The thing I noticed at the Wake game was that Clemson didn't send their outside backs forwards as much, and that probably had to do with the 5 midfielders that Wake used. I didn't think Ricky played bad. Where was Jeremiah White the whole game? Somehow the Wake scorekeepers came up with 17 shots, but by no means is that anywhere close to being accurate. I think they counted the kickoff as a shot...Anyway, the point is that Ricky makes a lot of things easy and makes difficult plays look easy. He also makes takes a lot of pressure off the people around him. I'm not sure what people are looking for. Could he play in the midfield? Sure. Does he have all the tools for a long pro career, national team, etc. Bet on it...
I didn't say he played bad. He just didn't stand out to me the way he did last year. I was looking for some feedback on why. I got it, thanks. I still believe Eric ( who's Eric? That's for you CU ) has a huge future and look forward to watching him for many years. I'll try to make it to some more games and hopefully will make at to the Tourney since I won't be going to Charleston.
Re: Re: Ricky Lewis If I'm not mistaken here, Jeremiah White was definately present during the Wake Forest Match. Did he, or did he not score the first goal for the Deacons?
Re: Re: Re: Ricky Lewis You are right. My point was that he disappeared for long stretches in the match. He is one of their "studs" up top, and other than that goal, really didn't do very much IMO. Why do you think he disappeared so much? Who do you think spent a lot of time marking him? BTW, it was a good finish, but you gotta give the credit to Moose, he did the work...
My mistake. I thought you meant that he did absolutely nothing. Ricky did mark him, and shut him down, except for his lone goal. Moose is a beast. The kid's ball skills are second to none. My question to you is this: why did Jeremiah White come off the bench? Has he been hurt again? Anyway, Eric Lewis, or as most people prefer to call him, Ricky, did a great job for the most part in marking him.
the other lewis ricky is a great player. but you should really meet his dad. that guy has an infectous laugh. what a great family! ricky, warren, gooch, maybe even cutler, throw lisi in there, matt jordan....all these guys have a shot at representing clemson on the full team in the future. good luck boys! ttf
Well, Ricky played really well tonight from my point of view. Clemson, looked very sloppy and narrowly pulled out a win over f'ing Appalachian State. The Mountaineers fought hard, and are a pretty good team. But my point is, Ricky Lewis shined tonight, while some others didn't.
Who's Ricky Lewis? Eric Lewis is a junior at Clemson. Plays back for the Tigers. Played midfield for his club team and forward for his High School team. An '82 Texan that played for the Region III ODP team, was an all ACC pick in 2001 and represented his country at the FIFA World Youth Championships in Argentina with the U20 National Team. IMHO one of the brightest stars out there.
Re: Re: Ricky Lewis I agree with this 100%. Ricky strikes me much more as a center back. He's steady and reads the game well. To make a nats analogy it's like Pope playing with Sanneh, Sanneh getting injured then asking Pope to play like Sanneh. I think Ricky is out of place at an outside back position.
Ricky is his nickname or Eric is his nickname. They are the same person. I'd like someone to tell me definitively whether or not this guy is an African American version of Frankie Hejduk.
Well, yes and no. In the sense that Hejduk has great wheels and can play either wing back, then yes, Lewis is similar. But, Lewis plays much more in control and reads the game very well. He's also good in the air and thick enough to effectively man-mark. And, he can cross. In those senses, then I'd say no, he is not the Black Surfer Dude!