The roster lists him at a generous 5 feet 8 inches and 150 pounds. I won't guess his actual height and weight, but let's just say he wouldn't stand out in a crowd of middle school students. During warm-up shooting before a game, the generally oversized shooting shirts and pants look all the more ridiculous on this tiny person.
Early in the season, I - like many other students in "The Nest" - looked at him with a worried face. We wondered, "What was Tim Buckley thinking recruiting this shrimp?"
Whether we owe it to our recruiting staff or not, the miniature player, Maurice Acker, has giant-size potential. His basketball career is in its infancy but is already becoming a Cinderella story.
I won't deny the truths of the situation: The men's basketball team has a small chance of making any significant mark this season, and fans have already suffered through a good dose of disappointment in losing our star player, Peyton Stovall, to a season-ending knee injury in just the second game of the season. Despite the outstanding play of junior Skip Mills, the team has found itself in an almost meaningless season, already 0-4 in conference games.
But the biggest reason I get so much satisfaction out of watching this team is from the littlest thing - literally.
Maurice Acker, a freshman, was called to take on the role of starting point guard after Stovall was sidelined. Watching Acker in the first few games was more of a novelty than anything else. He was clearly talented, but watching him weave around the massive legs of the oversized humans playing with and against him was like watching a boy playing amongst men.
The defining moment that helped me, and everyone else, realize Acker's size is outstandingly deceptive occurred during the game against Butler University. The point guard had been handling the ball well, and doing his job, but not standing out. He made an aggressive move and penetrated to the basket, almost disappearing among the other players. All of a sudden, he rose out of the crowd, swinging a no-look pass around his head to our big man Charles Bass for the strong finish. It sent the crowd - most significantly our student section - into a frenzy.
All the while, Acker's face showed no change during the excitement after this dramatic play. It was obvious he knew what he could do out there on the court, but at that point, everyone else knew as well.
Ever since that pass, Acker's play has gotten better and better - and the admiration has followed. Acker has proved his size is no handicap: His ball control is unbelievable, his vision of the court creates more passing lanes than the defense thinks exist, and his speed leaves most of those guarding him far behind.
Lately, his shooting has proved he's an offensive threat - something of which this team is in desperate need. His 23 points was a team high and career high when Ball State visited Kent State on Wednesday.
In the nail-biting game against Miami of Ohio, Acker displayed his multi-dimensional talent, scoring 12 points, adding a team-high 3 assists, a game-high 3 steals and earning an obviously deserved Player of the Game mention by the media.
All Ball State fans should continue to root for the struggling basketball team throughout the season, and Acker will give us every reason to look forward to watching the men play. This tiny point guard proves every night that his size is most definitely not indicative of his talent.
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