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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 12-18;
5-11 in C-USA (6th/American)
Postseason: None. Last NCAA appearance was in 1983.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Bing 12.6
Rebs: Bing 8.7
Assists: Holcomb-Faye 4.0
FG: Badiane 55.4%
3pt: Bing 37.4%
FT: Mikulas 81.0%
01-02 Stats:
East Carolina | C-USA
KEY LOSSES
Kenyatta Brown | 11.4 ppg
Brandon Hawkins | 4.2 ppg
Bryan Foxx | 4.0 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | Derek Wiley | Junior
G | T. Holcomb-Faye | Sr.
C | Moussa Badiane | Soph
F | Gabriel Mikulas | Junior
F | Erroyl Bing | Junior
Player to Watch
Erroyl Bing
Junior Forward
He's 6-6, 250 and loves to bang. Did we mention, he also hit 37 threes last season?
DATE TO REMEMBER
The first C-USA game of the year sees Marquette come back to the scene of its upset loss to the Pirates. East Carolina won't be lucky enough to catch the Golden Eagles on a Cincinnati hangover like last year, but a win would be the huge boost it would need heding into conference play.
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EAST CAROLINA PIRATES
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If it's possible to lose 18 games and feel good about the experience, then the Pirates should. Their first season in Conference USA wasn't easy, but by the end they were competitive, and dingy Minges Coliseum had at least established itself as a place nobody wants to play. East Carolina returns five of its top six players from a group that upset Louisville and Marquette at home, won four of its last seven games and squeezed DePaul into the American Division basement -- and out of the 12-team conference tournament. Forwards Erroyl Bing (leading scorer and rebounder) and Gabe Mikulas (leading scorer in conference play) join shot-blocking terror Moussa Badiane to form one of the better frontcourts in the league. Point guard Travis Holcomb-Faye should be the school's all-time assist leader before the end of November. Derek Wiley was recruited from junior college to play the shooting guard and will be plugged into the lineup right away. Young players will be depended upon to provide depth.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
This is a solid starting five, led by a veteran, solid coach. East Carolina plays solid enough defense and deliberate enough offense to frustrate opponents. Bill Herrion didn't win 70 percent of his games at a place like Drexel on luck. He can X and O with the bigger names in the league.
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
This was a simply dreadful shooting team last year (39 percent from the field, 31 percent from 3-point range). There's reason to question whether it has the firepower to compete on nights when it cannot dictate a dawdling tempo. The Pirates didn't break 70 in their last 12 league games, and eight times failed to score 60.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
It could be a spirited battle beneath the American Division's Big Four between East Carolina, Saint Louis and DePaul. If the key parts stay healthy, the Pirates could win that battle and play in the postseason (we're thinking NIT here) for the first time since 1993.
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