View from the East
Friday, January 13, 2012
By Al Myatt |
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Pirates
facing tall order
By
Al Myatt
©2012 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
For those who witnessed
the influence of Central Florida's size in
an 81-63 win at East
Carolina last week, incoming Tulsa looks like the crates the Knights
were shipped in.
The Golden Hurricane arrives for
a 1 p.m. tipoff Saturday. The Pirates (9-6) will have had a week of
preparation as they try to avoid an 0-3 start in Conference USA.
ECU coach Jeff Lebo said it's
vital for his team to shoot well in order to offset the advantage Tulsa
will have with its superior height.
"We've done a lot of shooting,"
said the Pirates coach. "We're in a situation where we're going to have
to be able to shoot the ball from the perimeter at a high rate. One
thing I think we need to do is be able to shoot it from some more spots.
We can shoot it maybe from two spots. We need to be able to shoot it
from four spots. With our size, we're going to be at a disadvantage
every night in our league. People are just going to be bigger and
stronger than we're going to be every night in the league.
"We've got to find a way to try
to neutralize that. Rebounding doesn't become as much of a key if you
can make some shots from the perimeter."
The Pirates try to simulate game
conditions and give players lots of repetitions when practicing
shooting.
"We have them moving at game
speed, trying to get them to have good footwork," Lebo said. "We try to
work with their skill level and their skill package. Shooting is
mechanics. It's also repetition and confidence. That's something that
we've constantly got to work with our group about."
Lebo sized up the challenge
facing ECU on Saturday and it's literally a big one.
"They're gigantic," he said of
Tulsa. "They're 7-2 (David Wishon), 6-11 1/2 (Kodi Maduka), 6-11 (Steven
Idlet), 6-9, 265 (D.J. Magley). Their guards are very big. They're
extremely physical, the most physical team we've played to date. Their
record (8-9 overall, 1-2 C-USA) is no indication of how good this team
is. They may be seven possessions away from losing only one game.
Preseason, I thought they were probably the second best team in the
league, maybe the best team in the league.
"They've had some hard times,
losing a ton of close games. Their schedule has been really difficult.
The only team that really beat them has been Creighton (83-64, Dec. 19).
They've had as tough a schedule as anyone in the league. They're really
good."
Tulsa's two C-USA losses have
been by a total of three points, 70-69 in overtime at Houston and 57-55
at home to Southern Methodist.
Could the Pirates possibly run
on a team with Tulsa's size?
"It would be nice if we could
stop them," Lebo said. "You can't run them unless you stop them and get
a rebound. We're fast in some areas but not in others. If we were fast
at every spot, I'd like to be able to do that. They are big. They are
strong. They're a halfcourt team. They grind on you. It will be a tough
game on us from a physical standpoint. They have three inside guys who
are seniors (Idlet, Magley and Joe Richard). They've got four post guys
who are big and strong. Idlet (9.7 points per game) has pretty much
started his whole career. ... They're getting tremendous play out of
Kodi Maduka (8.1 points, 7.0 rebounds). He's a redshirt kid who's really
playing well for them.
"They've got Jordan Clarkson
(15.0 points), who had a heckuva year for them last year as a freshman.
Scottie Haralson (10.7 points) is a transfer from UConn. He can really,
really shoot it. He went to UConn. That tells you he's pretty good.
They're a big, strong team that's fundamentally sound, that defends you,
that pounds it inside. There's no secret against us they're going to try
to pound it in there."
Earlier tipoff
Starting time for the Tulsa game
was moved up to 1 p.m. several weeks ago to accommodate television. Lebo
approves.
"I love 'em," Lebo said of the
earlier start. "There's nothing worse than waiting to play. I'd just as
soon go ahead and play. When I was a player I would rather play at
night. As a coach, I'd rather play at 1. Let's get ready and go do it."
The game is scheduled to be
shown on WITN-TV-7. Lebo was uncertain how that would impact attendance
but second semester has started which should mean greater presence from
the student body.
Texas trip pending, then return
visit from USM
After the Tulsa game, the
Pirates play their next two games in the Lone Star state. ECU visits
Texas-El Paso for a 9 p.m. (EST) start on Wednesday. Then it's on to
Houston for an 8 p.m. (EST) game on Saturday, Jan. 21.
ECU won't return home between
games.
"We looked at it but if you did
as soon as you landed and got back to campus, you'd have to turn around
and get back on the bus to start out again," Lebo said. "We'll stay out
there. You've got to go through Houston anyhow for us to come back.
We'll fly to Houston and have a morning practice, prepare
Thursday-Friday, play on Saturday and come home on Sunday."
The Pirates will play Southern
Miss for the second time in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on
Wednesday, Jan. 25. ECU opened C-USA play against the Golden Eagles
with a 78-76 loss in
Hattiesburg on Jan. 4.
The league schedule has ECU
playing Southern Miss twice before meeting several of its home and away
opponents for the first time.
"There's quirks in the schedule
that the conference has to work through because of travel, television
and outside games and all that kind of stuff," Lebo said. " ... It
doesn't matter. You've got to play them all at some point."
Quick recruiting trip
With more time than usual
between games, Lebo spent some time away from campus this week.
"I went to see a kid who we had
already signed and also did some stuff with some underclassmen," said
the ECU coach. "I had a chance to go out for a day and a half. It's hard
for me to get out during the season because you get separated from the
team. I had a chance to get out and see some kids play."
E-mail Al Myatt
PAGE UPDATED
01/13/12 01:46 AM.
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