Lebo, East Carolina look to build on last season's success

The Pirates posted their first winning season since 1996-97

Following a coaching change, a new staff seeks to successfully implement its ways of doing things while laying a solid foundation on which to build for the future.

Jeff Lebo and the new East Carolina regime were able to accomplish that and more during their first season in Greenville.

The Pirates, who have long been the laughingstocks of Conference USA and even their own fan base, produced an 18-16 record last season—the program's first winning campaign in 14 years—while also earning a trip to postseason play for the first time since 1992-93.

The 18 wins—which were the second most ever against Division I competition—included a record eight league wins and the school's first ever wins in CUSA Tournament play as the Pirates advanced to the semifinal round.  East Carolina's .500 mark in Conference USA was a significant stride for a program that had never won more than five games since joining the league prior to the 2001-02 season.

If the Pirates are going to build on the progress of a year ago, they will be forced to do so with some new faces who will attempt to replace the production that was supplied by Jontae Sherrod, Jamar Abrams, and Brock Young.

However, Lebo and staff do enjoy the luxury of returning three starters in Darrius Morrow, Corvonn Gaines, and Erin Straughn.

Morrow, a 6’8” 245-pound senior, averaged 13 points and 6.3 rebounds last season and was voted Preseason All-CUSA second team. He dropped over 30 pounds and significantly improved his conditioning. As a result, he saw increased minutes—more than 30 per game—and was much more of a force on the defensive end. The Atlanta, GA-native got to the line 239 times, but only converted 66.5 percent of those attempts.

Gaines, who also played more than 30 minutes per contest, started most games at point guard last year while splitting the duties with the program’s career assist leader Brock Young. The 6’4”, 215-pounder provides a steady presence and dished out over three assists per game as a sophomore. He produced 6.7 points per contest, but needs to knock down a higher percentage of his shots from the floor and charity stripe.

Straughn was second on the team in rebounding (4.4) and was often called upon to guard the best member of the opponent’s backcourt. This season, the Pirates need to receive more consistent scoring from the 6’6”, 205 guard after he averaged just five points a season ago. He was 33.7 percent (32-of-95) from three-point range.

With the departure of 6’10” center Chad Wynn, East Carolina will turn to South Carolina transfer Austin Steed to supply significant frontcourt minutes. Steed, who is in graduate school, played in 67 games and started 13 during his three seasons with the Gamecocks. He averaged 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds during his career in Columbia.

Sophomores Robert Sampson and Darius Morales, as well as junior college transfer Maurice Kemp will also be relied on for frontcourt help.

Sampson, who added at least 15-20 pounds of muscle to his 6’8” frame since last year, played more than 13 minutes per contest while playing in every game as a freshman. He has the ability to score inside and out while also providing a presence on the defensive end and glass. He pulled down three boards per game and blocked the second most shots (21) on the team last season.

Morales played in 25 games as a redshirt freshman, but mainly just to provide a blow to the team’s other big men. His biggest impact will likely be seen on defense and on the backboards, as his offensive development has lagged behind.

Maurice Kemp, who stands 6’8” and only 185 pounds, averaged 16.9 points and 9.9 rebounds last year at Miami-Dade College. Like Sampson, he has the ability to step out and knock down the three. However, it remains to be seen how he will transition to the Division I game and the impact he will be able to have on the interior.

The frontcourt will also feature Yasin Kolo, a freshman from Fayetteville, NC. It remains to be seen whether the 6’10”, 240-pound Kolo will be redshirted or not.

Missouri transfer Miguel Paul will join Gaines at the point, as the duo will attempt to minimize the loss of the program’s career assists leader Brock Young. Paul, who is taller and quicker than Young, played in nearly 70 games during his time with the Tigers. The 6’1, 180-pound junior totaled over 100 assists and averaged nearly 12 minutes per contest in his two years at Mizzou. He shot 38.5 percent from three-point range as a sophomore in 2009-10 and had a career-high of 15 points against Nebraska.

Junior-college transfer Shamarr Bowden, who played at Charlotte during the ’09-’10 campaign, should help provide the Pirates with some of the three-point shooting ability they lost with Jontae Sherrod and Jamar Abrams—the team’s top two long-distance threats. The 6’4”, 170-pound shooting guard averaged 5.7 points in just over ten minutes per game during his season with the 49ers.

Freshman guard Paris Roberts-Campbell will also likely see time in the backcourt. Roberts-Campbell, who is 6’3”, demonstrated tremendous scoring ability while playing for one of the nation’s better high school programs at United Faith Academy in Charlotte.

Sophomore Petar Torlak, who played in 22 games off the bench last season, can provide some valuable bench minutes and knocked down seven of his 16 three-point attempts during his limited action as a freshman.

Final Analysis and Prediction

With the losses of veterans such as Sherrod, Young and Abrams, most prognosticators are projecting East Carolina to finish at or near the bottom of Conference USA. However, with three-returning starters from last year’s 18-16 team and the addition of several talented newcomers, expect the Pirates—with their improved depth—to surprise some people and finish closer to the middle of the league. They will have the benefit of playing 17 of their 29 games inside the friendly confines of Williams Arena-Minges Coliseum—which provides for one of the best home court advantages in the league. ECU should be either favored or a slight underdog in all of its 13 non-conference games, which will allow a team with some new pieces the opportunity to quite possibly reach ten or more wins before conference play commences. The Pirates will match or surpass last year’s win total of 18 while earning back-to-back postseason bids for the first time in the program’s history.