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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 162
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist |
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Crucial season for Herrion
©2003 Bonesville.net
Five years is the general timetable by which coaching
tenures are determined. Though just 51-66 overall, East Carolina coach Bill
Herrion is an exception to that rule.
Barring a monumental meltdown or Cinderella story that
boosts him up the coaching food chain expect Herrion back on the bench
next season.
While most in his situation would be fighting to retain
their current posts, Herrion's task this season is far tougher. With the
bulk of Conference USA's basketball bullies set to bolt to the Big East, his
program is running out of opportunities to justify its position in a
powerhouse league.
If the Pirates are unable to make a statement by finishing
above .500 and improving on their dreadful C-USA record, Herrion could find
himself in a situation similar to the frustrating CAA existence he inherited
and along with ECU escaped.
"What Conference USA has done for us is, when we go out and
recruit, it has opened so many doors for us," Herrion said a couple of
seasons ago. "We're in ACC country.
"So many of these kids grow up with ACC basketball, and
that's all they know. This is no disrespect to the conference that we came
from, but the kids just weren't dying to play in the CAA."
Subtract Memphis and Tulsa and the new-look C-USA isn't a
substantial upgrade from ECU's old basketball home. During seasons in which
either the Tigers or Golden Hurricane suffer a regression, the Pirates again
could find themselves in a one-bid league.
That's not to discount the respectable traditions at both
UAB and Southern Methodist, but neither program has made a significant dent
in the postseason since the Reagan Administration.
The good news is East Carolina should become instantly
competitive after the C-USA defections. With a greater stockpile of talent
than many of their future league brethren, the Pirates should sail to the
upper division of the standings.
The bigger challenge will be keeping the ship afloat when
Herrion no longer has dates with Louisville and Marquette to sell recruits.
Luckily, unlike football, success in college basketball
isn't dictated nearly as much by a program's past. Almost every season is
earmarked by an underdog school that wears the glass slipper and makes a
deep postseason run.
These days, it is becoming even more common for schools from
smaller conferences to have an impact long before the NCAA tournament
begins. Saint Joseph's, Gonzaga, and Dayton are members of a recurring cast
in the national polls, and their presence among hardwood giants has opened
the door to more at-large bids for "mid-major" leagues.
The difference is those schools approach athletics with a
basketball-first mentality and aren't located in areas where they are
overshadowed by neighboring programs of near-royal stature.
That is just one of the constant challenges East Carolina
has faced throughout its hoops history. Membership in a well-stocked C-USA
was beginning to help the Pirates overcome that, but Herrion no longer can
rely on conference affiliation as an image enhancement.
Winning now must become the Pirates' most tempting
recruiting bait, which places a great amount of emphasis on this season. At
most, ECU has two years remaining in its current league setup, so it must
make a move now while the competition pool is deep.
If the Pirates are able to make a respectable showing in the
conference standings, that could help maintain the recruiting momentum
Herrion has built and position the program for long-term residency in the
upper tier of the new C-USA configuration.
Inability to do so could place East Carolina on dangerous
footing.
 Double
trouble
Though it took Moussa Badiane less than two years to eclipse
the East Carolina career mark for blocked shots, it wasn't until a few weeks
ago that the Pirates center recorded his first double-double.
Badiane ruled the paint against Coastal Carolina with a
15-point, 11-rebound performance on November 29. He followed that last week
with a repeat effort in a blowout of North Carolina A&T.
Heading into the season with a reputation for swatting
shots, the Pirates junior says he focused heavily on cleaning the glass
during the off-season.
"I know that rebounding was one of my weaknesses," Badiane
said. "I really tried to work on it. That's something that I'm really happy
about.
"I know that my offense is getting better, but rebounding is
something that is really important to me."
Apparently so.
Badiane entered the season averaging only 4.4 rebounds per
game. Four games into his junior campaign, the Paris, France, native is
ripping down seven an outing.
"If Moussa can stay on the floor, and stay out of foul
trouble, and play 31 minutes... he can put up those kind of numbers,"
Herrion said.
With continued improvement, especially on the offensive end,
Badiane could find himself on an NBA roster in two years. According to one
scouting service, he is listed among the top 30 pro prospects in the Class
of 2005.
Deeper bench
ECU followed a 10-2 start last season with a 2-13 finish.
Though much of that was due to the increased level of competition down the
stretch, part of it also can be attributed to the lack of depth on the
Pirates' bench.
Last year the Pirates had three players average over 30
minutes per game and had few dependable scoring options aside from power
forward Gabriel Mikulas and wing Derrick Wiley. So far, Herrion appears to
have more balance this season with eight players averaging at least 12
minutes and four averaging double figures in scoring.
"I think we wore (Coastal Carolina) down," Mikulas said.
"They were really tired at the end. That comes from playing a lot of
players. The team doesn't lose any effort. Every player that comes off the
bench helps the team get better.
"That is an advantage we have to use the whole season. It's
a long season and we need help from everybody."
The Pirates desperately could use the help of
highly-recruited freshman forward Keith Foster, but he has not gotten
clearance from the NCAA.
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02/23/2007 01:51:46 AM |
