The Pirates have been remarkably consistent the last 4 seasons. They've won no fewer than 12 games and no more than 15 against D-I competition each season. They've won between 4 and 6 AAC games each of those years. And their final RPI has been between 214 and 223 in that stretch. So...they've been consistently bad, of course.

This season appears to bare similar resemblance given early results. ECU is off to a 2-4 start, with their 2 wins coming against unimpressive competition in Cleveland St. and Coppin St., who have a combined 1-10 record.

Sure, the Pirates will get a nice RPI bump based on the league the play in. The AAC has been the 7th or 8th toughest league based on RPI in each of the past 3 seasons. But that won't fool anybody; this is a bad program under Jeff Lebo.

None of that matters much on Thursday night, however, as ECU always gets up for games against UNCW. The last time the Seahawks visited Minges Coliseum back on December 16, 2015, UNCW was sitting at 5-1, and had a 5-point halftime lead on ECU. However, the Pirates took advantage of foul trouble for the Seahawks and got to the line 51 times (compared to 21 for UNCW), coming back to win ugly by a 78-73 score.

Sure, the Seahawks exacted some measure of revenge with an 81-71 victory at Trask last season. But coming off a pair of losses in Savannah, losing again in Minges just can't happen.

Much like last year, ECU are led by senior shooting guard B.J. Tyson, who leads the team in scoring (14.5 ppg), three-pointers made (12), free throw shooting (21-23, .913), and minutes (34.0).

In supporting roles are junior point guard Isaac Fleming and junior wing Kentrell Barkley. Fleming sports a 1.52 A:TO ratio to go along with his 12 points per game, while the 6-5 Barkley, the # 2 scorer at 13.2 ppg, has operated as a slasher, sporting a .500 field goal percentage on the young season while also adding 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest.

In the post are a freshman, 6-8 Serbian Dimitri Spasojevic, and 6-10 senior Jabari Craig. Both have started all 6 games and are averaging 6.0 rebounds per contest, and Craig has also added 1.0 blocks per game as the primary rim protector. He will be a very interesting opponent for Cacok in the post.

Turnovers, much like in years past for ECU, have represented the biggest problem for the Pirates this season. As a team, ECU are averaging 15.3 turnovers per contest, while opponents have only turned it over 12.8 times per game. ECU also commits a hefty 21.5 fouls per game, with Craig and Fleming being the biggest offenders there. Also, outside of Tyson, ECU doesn't have much consistency beyond the arc, as ECU's other shooters are just 23-83 (.277) from the perimeter.

Hawks need to worry about a wounded animal. They will give UNCW all they want and more regardless of perceived circumstances. Hawks need to clean up their TO problems because if they get a shot up, they have a MUCH better chance. And, their defense has to take another step forward win or lose.

I will add that they do have a freshman kid that you didn't mention that can stroke it. He came off the bench and hit 3 or 4 big ones against NC A & T and it looked legit.

(11-28-2017 08:05 AM)billthebighawksfan Wrote:  Hawks need to worry about a wounded animal. They will give UNCW all they want and more regardless of perceived circumstances. Hawks need to clean up their TO problems because if they get a shot up, they have a MUCH better chance. And, their defense has to take another step forward win or lose.

I will add that they do have a freshman kid that you didn't mention that can stroke it. He came off the bench and hit 3 or 4 big ones against NC A & T and it looked legit.

I agree Bill. When is the last time we won AT ecu? It seems like a lot of these contests get split in favor of the home team. For this season though, this is one we just can't lose. Hopefully the Valpo game was the start of a more locked in and ready to go team.

Go Seahawks.

(11-28-2017 08:20 AM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  I agree Bill. When is the last time we won AT ecu?

The Buzz Peterson tenure. We beat them 70-68 at Minges on Dec 1, 2013.

(11-28-2017 08:05 AM)billthebighawksfan Wrote:  I will add that they do have a freshman kid that you didn't mention that can stroke it. He came off the bench and hit 3 or 4 big ones against NC A & T and it looked legit.

You're right, I should have mentioned Shawn Williams; he's 4th on the team in scoring. His 3-pt shooting hasn't been consistent, however. He's 9-26 on the season. He also hasn't added much aside from perimeter shooting. But as a freshman, he's contributing, and can stretch the defense a bit when he's on the floor.

Kentrell Barkley has had his 15 minutes of fame. He was the high school player who was allegedly accosted by former Tar Heel/Hornet PJ Hairston.

Better to be pushed/punched by PJ than be hit be his speeding car.

http://www.witn.com/content/news/ECU-Ath...42223.html

Jeff Lebo out at ECU

Really surprised didn't at least make it through the game tomorrow

(11-29-2017 05:22 PM)solohawks Wrote:  http://www.witn.com/content/news/ECU-Ath...42223.html

Jeff Lebo out at ECU

Really surprised didn't at least make it through the game tomorrow

Wow, shocking

Whoa.

Life comes at you fast ezu.

Jeff Lebo has been a head coach at 4 schools for 19 years and has never coached in a NCAA Tournament game. It is difficult to see how that could happen. There was a coach at New Hampshire, Gerry Friel, for 20 years who never made the NCAA Tournament, but NH has never made the Tournament. Every school Lebo has coached has made the Tournament under (a) different coach(es).

In Lebo's defense he has been coaching at ECU and the chance of making the NCAA tournament is very small.
Seahawks need to get the lead early in this game to try and keep the emotion out of it.

Seems like an awful move. Why didn't EZU pull the trigger after last season and allow a new coach to come in, recruit and train the way he wanted. Lebo hasn't done a good job there in awhile. Although, a bunch of delirious fans thought they were going to lure Keatts to EZU. I guess when he went to NCSU, they didn't have a plan B....

Not at all strange that lebo is gone from ezu. What strikes me as odd is the timing. I just wonder if there is a "real reason" for the resignation other than the one he gave. Nonetheless, ezu continues to be a basketball coach's graveyard (with an exception or two).

Sent from my SM-G955U using CSNbbs mobile app

(11-29-2017 07:37 PM)Proff Wrote:  Not at all strange that lebo is gone from ezu. What strikes me as odd is the timing. I just wonder if there is a "real reason" for the resignation other than the one he gave. Nonetheless, ezu continues to be a basketball coach's graveyard (with an exception or two).

Yeah, the only thing that would come to mind is a health issue. Hopefully that's not the case.

Moves like this can galvanize a team, but given the timing and that the shock probably won't have worn off by gametime, it can also work badly against you. We'll see pretty quickly which ECU we get early in this one.

http://uncwsports.com/news/2017/11/28/me...-time.aspx


Seahawks, Pirates Lock Horns For 65th Time

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – After a two-game hiatus in Georgia, the UNCW men's basketball team returns to its North Carolina-flavored non-conference schedule Thursday night with a visit to longtime rival East Carolina.

The Seahawks, 2-3, and Pirates, 2-4, were once bitter rivals in the Colonial Athletic Association and have always been geographical rivals. This year's matchup – the 65th in history – has a different look and feel than the past, especially after the two teams met briefly for 13 minutes in a preseason scrimmage in early November as part of the Disaster Relief Benefit at the Dean E. Smith Center.

"You know what their athleticism is like and you know what their length is like," first-year Head Coach C.B. McGrath said of the Chapel Hill get together. "Nobody showed their whole hand or ran their sets against each other. You can't really take that subset as what the game's going to look like."

UNCW dropped a pair of games to unbeaten Missouri Valley Conference opponents Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso in last week's Savannah Invitational. The Seahawks surrendered 102 points to the Ramblers on the opening night of the tournament before turning in a more spirited defensive performance in a loss to the Crusaders.

"We haven't fixed all of our defensive issues," said McGrath. "We're still a work in progress. It's going to be a process. Our guys are going from a full-court pressing team with different kinds of concepts to a half-court man-to-man defense. We're still teaching a lot of stuff…they're still learning."

Senior point guard Jordon Talley (Richmond, Va./Henrico HS) was named to the All-Tournament team in the Savannah Invitational after averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 assists in the exempt event. He is currently tied for fifth in the nation with 8.0 assists per game and leads the Seahawks in scoring at 17.6 points per game.

Junior forward Devontae Cacok (Riverdale, Ga./Alpharetta is also off to a quick start. The reigning CAA Defensive Player-of-the-Year leads the loop in rebounding with 13.2 caroms per game and is tops among the NCAA's Division I players in that category. He is also contributing 16.2 points per game, with four double-doubles in the first five games.

As a team, UNCW paces the CAA offensively at 84.4 ppg, including a league-best 18.2 assists each contest.

Like the Seahawks, the Pirates are searching for some early answers after dropping consecutive contests to Rutgers and North Carollina A&T. Senior guard B.J. Tyson anchors three players in double figures with 14.5 ppg and junior forward Kentrell Barkley is contributing 13.2 ppg.

ECU is averaging 68.3 points each outing and scored a season-high 81 markers in its last appearance against the Aggies. As a team, the Pirates are shooting 44.1 percent from the floor and holding opponents to 40.4 percent.

The semester is winding down for the Seahawks, so McGrath and his staff are trying to balance work in the classroom and on the court.

"A lot of the guys have been through it before," said McGrath. "We're just making sure the guys stay in shape and get the stuff we need to work on done. It's a nice release for them to exercise and get away from the stress of three tests in four days or a paper due tomorrow. It will help give them some normalcy."

The Pirates will be playing their first game under interim head coach Michael Perry, who accepted the role following the resignation of Jeff Lebo late Wednesday. Perry served as ECU's acting head coach for 14 games last season while Lebo recovered from hip surgery.

UNCW leads the all-time series with ECU, 36-28, and has won three of the last four pairings between the two eastern North Carolina schools. The Pirates hold a 19-13 advantage at Minges Coliseum and defeated the Seahawks, 78-73, on Dec. 16, 2015, in the last game played in Greenville.

Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-ECU contest begins at 7:45 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks," providing the call. Visit UNCWsports.com/SDN for live audio coverage. In addition, a radio broadcast of the game can be heard on "The Ticket" 95.9 FM and WKXB (99.9 FM-HD3).

For more information on the UNCW men's basketball team, visit UNCWsports.com and click on the men's basketball button. Additional information is also available on UNCW's social media channels: Facebook (UNCW Men's Basketball), Twitter (@UNCWmenshoops), Instagram (UNCWBasketball).

(11-29-2017 09:50 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  

(11-29-2017 07:37 PM)Proff Wrote:  Not at all strange that lebo is gone from ezu. What strikes me as odd is the timing. I just wonder if there is a "real reason" for the resignation other than the one he gave. Nonetheless, ezu continues to be a basketball coach's graveyard (with an exception or two).

Yeah, the only thing that would come to mind is a health issue. Hopefully that's not the case.

Moves like this can galvanize a team, but given the timing and that the shock probably won't have worn off by gametime, it can also work badly against you. We'll see pretty quickly which ECU we get early in this one.

The way the news is exploding with firings and resignations and that's the only one you can think of? I hope it's none of the above though, and he's just tired of being at ezu.

While I will agree the timing was terrible, one of his reasons is definitely legit in my mind. Lebo stated that his relationship with his Dad was outstanding and that his Dad went to all of his AAU games and was always around. He said it bothered him that he has missed that with his Son.

(11-30-2017 06:40 AM)CoastGuardHawk06 Wrote:  The way the news is exploding with firings and resignations and that's the only one you can think of? I hope it's none of the above though, and he's just tired of being at ezu.

True. I was more focusing on the timing of the resignation.

If this was an FBI thing that would be pretty hilarious. ECU cheating their way to last-place finishes in the AAC....

(11-30-2017 10:10 AM)surfsalot Wrote:  While I will agree the timing was terrible, one of his reasons is definitely legit in my mind. Lebo stated that his relationship with his Dad was outstanding and that his Dad went to all of his AAU games and was always around. He said it bothered him that he has missed that with his Son.

That's fair. I think that would eat at a lot of people. Especially a guy like him who you would assume has a ton of knowledge and could certainly help his son develop his game too.

For any reason other than health, it was a screwy time to chuck it all.

Sent from my SM-G955U using CSNbbs mobile app