It is early in the career of forward Shaun Pratl, but he may be the cornerstone to bringing Eastern men’s basketball to the next level.

Pratl, a freshman from Oak Lawn (Richards), was nominated for Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week after his performances against Chicago State, Eureka and Belmont. That was his second nomination early in this 2009-10 season.

The freshman came in with an impressive pedigree. He was named the Chicago Sun-Times Athlete of the Year for his standout performances in basketball and football in high school.

As a junior, he led his team to a Class 4A Illinois State Championship in basketball and finished third all-time in points scored at Richards High School.

But even only a few games in this season, Pratl is making an impact on both sides of the court. He is third on the team in points, averaging 9.2 points per game and is tops on the team with 4.8 rebounds.

What is impressive about Pratl is how natural the game seems to come to him, even only a few games into his Eastern career. He has the uncanny ability for the tip-in on the offensive end, which helps with his team-leading 10 offensive rebounds.

“He has a really good feel to the game,” Eastern head coach Mike Miller said. “He just has a natural basketball instinct from what he’s done in his playing career. He sees the floor well and he is a good passer.”

In his second game ever as a Panther against Indiana-Purdue-Indianapolis, Pratl entered the game with the Panthers trailing in the middle of the first half.

After the game, he admitted he wanted to give the Panthers a lift because he was not about to lose. The freshman rattled off nine of the next 13 points for the Panthers, which kept them in the game as the Jaguars had a barrage of threes. This was an experienced and talented IUPUI team, and it had no answer for the promising big man.

Already, he has recorded double-figure points in three games this season. He has yet to prove himself against conference opponents, but it appears as he gets more games under his belt, he will only get better as the season goes on.

Only time can tell what the future holds for the 6-foot-8 forward, but if his performance early this season is any indication, things will only get better.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or dscusack@eiu.edu.