Welcome to Bonesville, Swabbie! News, Analysis, Opinion & Booty for Internet Plunderers

Pirate Notebook No. 47
Monday, February 4, 2002

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Greenville's best known block parties used to be held in and adjacent to the pubs that line Fifth Street. Nowadays, though, you're apt to find an even bigger block party of sorts in Minges Coliseum, where East Carolina freshman Moussa Badiane is batting away opponents' shots at a record-setting pace.

Badiane, a 6-10, 215-pound center, came to Greenville from Paris, France, where he made his mark playing for a club team on which some of his teammates were paid. For that, the NCAA levied an eight-game suspension, even though Badiane never accepted money for his play.

When finally cleared to play, the athletic big man had to make the 160-mile trek from Greenville to Greensboro, finding his way to the gym just in time to join his teammates for their December 5 game against UNC-Greensboro. Badiane made an immediate impression by tossing in ten points, while pulling down seven rebounds and blocking three shots in 24 minutes.

Badiane followed that one game later against Old Dominion with eight blocks in 25 minutes, and he hasn't let up since. In 15 games, the freshman is averaging more than four blocks per game, which has transformed the Pirates defensively, according to ECU head coach Bill Herrion.

"Moussa puts a whole different spin on the game defensively," Herrion said after Badiane's put on a shot-blocking clinic against Louisville. "Now, I think you should all believe that he's a legitimate shot-blocker. He had six tonight.

"Ever since Moussa has been eligible about nine or ten games ago, our field goal percent defense has gone from about 50 percent and giving up about 79-80 points per game, down to about 42 or 43 percent, giving up about 69-70 points per game."

Badiane's shot-swatting abilities are starting to make quite an impression on coaches around the league. Louisville coach Rick Pitino expressed his frustrations after the freshman post player rejected a half dozen shots in the Pirates' historic first win in C-USA play.

"The biggest disappointment for me is that you have the number one shot blocker in the country, and you keep taking it to him," Pitino said. "If you're going to dunk over him, that's one thing, but you've got to give him the respect that he deserves by being the number one shot blocker.

"That's so insane — why would you do that? The one thing he can do is block shots."

In its brief history, Conference USA hasn't gotten much respect on the gridiron. Though the league continues to make strides, it lacks a traditional power and is often passed over by the media in conversations about the nation's top football conferences.

It is somewhat understandable as to why C-USA hasn't hit the national radar in football. After all, the league has struggled over the past two years in out-of-conference play, and went a disappointing 1-3 in bowl play this past season.

Yet, it's hard to digest why the league doesn't get more attention on the hardwood, given the number of historic programs that are members. Currently, C-USA sits ninth in the RPI, while Cincinnati was the only school ranked prior to the release of the national polls later today.

Pitino is no stranger to leagues perceived to be weak on the hardwood. Prior to accepting the vacant post at Kentucky years ago, the current Louisville coach was advised not to take over the Wildcat program due to the other struggling programs in the SEC.

"When I first arrived at Kentucky — I remember this as if it were yesterday — people were telling me the knock on Kentucky is that it is sitting in a football conference, not a basketball league." Pitino said. "It's Kentucky, and then all football schools.

"The knock on the job was that it was a very weak conference basketball-wise. Now, I look at the top rated conference in the country, and it's the SEC."

Pitino firmly believes a similar transformation will occur in C-USA. With several schools poised for post-season play, the league's perception could be enhanced exponentially with a solid performance in March.

"I think in another very short period of time that this conference is going to make a quantum leap," he said. "The reason it's not higher rated is we haven't played in the tournament yet.

"I think once you get into tournament play, that's where you build your reputation. I think without question, we will get four or five teams in the NCAA, depending on the conference tournament upsets, if there are any."

With five bids, C-USA could go a long way toward re-shaping its reputation in the short term. But the long term is where the conference should see greater potential, headlined by a group of talented coaches.

In names like Pitino, Huggins and Calipari, C-USA possesses three of the most highly-respected coaches around. But the talent pool doesn't end there, according to Pitino, who dished out compliments for two other league coaches, whom he hadn't faced prior to this season.

"I know right now from coaching against two young men that I know as people, but haven't known as coaches — Billy Herrion and Tom Crean — they're doing as good a job as I've seen from an X and O standpoint," he said. "But throw that out the window — I know what Tom Crean, Billy Herrion, John Calipari, Bob Huggins, and Bobby Lutz can do from a recruiting standpoint. That's what is going to separate this league from the rest."

The first half of the season brought many surprises, such as the resurgence of Marquette and Cincinnati's rise to the top five. There has also been a fair share of disappointments, such as the inconsistent play of South Florida, thought by many to pose a serious challenge to Memphis in the league's National Division.

With three teams tied atop the league's American Division standings, February could be unseasonably warm, with the league tournament shaping up to be quite a scorcher in Cincinnati.

Player of the Year: Guard Dwayne Wade, Marquette. The favorite is Cincinnati guard Steve Logan, who as a senior, holds the sentimental edge over the MU super sophomore. Charlotte guard Jobey Thomas also poses a challenge to take home the award, having shot the 49ers to the top of the American Division standings along side Cincy and Marquette.

But when you talk about complete players, none stand out more than Wade, whose 25-point, eight-rebound afternoon propelled the Golden Eagles past the then-fourth ranked Bearcats on Saturday. On the year, Wade leads Marquette in four major categories: scoring (18.5), assists (78), steals (56), and blocked shots (25). The rangy swingman is also second on the team in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game.

Coach of the Year: Bobby Lutz, Charlotte. The favorite is Cincinnati's Bob Huggins, who has guided the Bearcats as high as fourth in the national polls. That's impressive, considering UC was unranked when the season began.

Marquette's Tom Crean is another worthy candidate, having returned Marquette (19-3) to the glory days of the Al McGuire era. Included among those 19 victories are marquee wins over Indiana, Gonzaga, and Cincinnati.

Lutz, however, is the most deserving at this point for keeping the 49ers in the upper echelon of the C-USA standings in what was expected to be a major rebuilding season. The defending C-USA champs had to adjust to the loss of the league's best player — Rodney White — and overcome a tough 7-6 start to reel off seven straight victories. At 14-6, 8-1 in C-USA, Charlotte has positioned itself well for an NCAA at-large bid if the 49ers are unable to repeat as league champs.

Freshman of the Year: Guard Dejuan Wagner, Memphis. In a league loaded with talented guards, none are more exciting than Wagner. The son of former Louisville standout Milt Wagner leads the Tigers in scoring at 21.4 points per clip, and for good reason. The sometimes erratic, yet always exciting guard has taken twice as many shots as any other Tiger, including twice as many treys. But despite his sometimes careless nature, which is accentuated by a team-high 72 turnovers, Wagner has had a greater impact than any other freshman in the league.

Defensive Player of the Year: Center Moussa Badiane, East Carolina. This honor could go to Wade, who leads the league with 2.67 steals per game. As impressive as that may be, it is overshadowed at this point by Badiane's 4.3 rejections per contest. Badiane, who could land a spot on the league's All-Freshman squad, has developed into the league's most imposing defensive force down low.

All C-USA: With 14 teams and miles of separation, projecting an All-League First and Second Team in early February can be tough. Nonetheless, here's a shot, including the players' current stats:

G Steve Logan, Cincinnati (21.5 ppg, 5.4 apg). Combo guard comfortable running the point or gunning from the wing.
G Jobey Thomas, Charlotte (19.1 ppg, 91% free throws). The league's best pure shooter.
G Dwayne Wade, Marquette (18.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.7 spg). Relative unknown worthy of All-America mention.
F Kelly Wise, Memphis (13.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg). Memphis big man averaging a double-double.
F Altron Jackson, South Florida (19 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.2 spg). Sleek forward is go-to guy for USF coach Seth Greenberg.

G Reece Gaines, Louisville (20.3 ppg, 59 threes). Top offensive threat for Cardinals coach Rick Pitino.
G Dejuan Wagner, Memphis (21.3 ppg, 3.6 apg). Dyanmic playmaker leads Tigers.
G Corey Santee, TCU (14.7 ppg, 6.1 apg). Horned Frog guard in top ten in scoring and assists.
F Erroyl Bing, East Carolina (14.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg). Versatile Bing at home down low, or behind the arc.
F Cam Stephens, Charlotte (13.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg). Combines with Thomas to give Niners potent inside-outside punch.

Marching to Madness: Despite an RPI of nine, C-USA stands an excellent shot at sending four teams to the NCAA tournament with Cincinnati (8), Marquette (25), Charlotte (29), and Memphis (41) in good position for bids. A good second half by South Florida (48) could garner the Golden Bulls an invitation to the Big Dance, too.