For most in this basketball-crazed nation, Tuesday
night’s CollegeInsidercom Tournament championship game will go
largely unnoticed.
That’s because of the mistaken perception of the CIT as a
collection of basketball castoffs mercilessly extending their season. In
actuality, it’s a young tournament filled with quality teams, most of
which possess the capability to knock off many of those that made the
Field of 68.
For a program like East Carolina with an underwhelming
hoops history, winning it would represent a milestone on multiple
levels:
• It would
net something
tangible to hang in the sparsely-populated rafters of Williams Arena at
Minges Coliseum.
• It would
cure the malaise within a long-suffering program that has
struggled for attention and respect in a state with a pair of hardwood
heavyweights.
•
It would mark a crossroads that, down the road, we can
all potentially refer to as the point where the corner was turned in
ECU’s basketball history.
For years, I’ve often pondered the source of the Pirates’
basketball plight. Is it as simple as the school's and fans’ football
first mentality? Is it the overall lack of funding and commitment to
basketball?
Or is it the unfortunate location in a state where Duke
and North Carolina command so much of the national spotlight and N.C.
State and Wake Forest fight for leftover attention?
The truth likely lies within a combination of the three.
But now East Carolina has the opportunity to right its basketball
course, regardless of the result Tuesday night.
Some of the underpinnings of a brighter hoops future are
already being put into place.
The construction of a new basketball practice facility
was a necessary step to demonstrate commitment. No program with a
fighting chance should have to compete with other sports for practice
time.
If Saturday’s attendance numbers are an indication,
another key element of the foundation could be showing signs that it has
been sturdily reinforced. The past has shown that Minges Coliseum can be
a significant talent equalizer when traditional national powers come to
town.
That was certainly the case for Dwyane Wade and Tom Crean
when they were in the national Top 10 at Marquette. Ditto for Rick
Pitino early in his Louisville tenure and for N.C. State not too many
years ago.
Several other top programs barely escaped less talented
ECU teams that were propelled by a vocal sixth man.
If East Carolina can replicate that same atmosphere on a
nightly basis, it could go a long way towards elevating the program.
It won’t be easy.
With the Pirates set to join the soon-to-be-renamed Big
East in the summer of 2014, the competitive bar will be raised. Adding
Cincinnati, Connecticut and Temple to Memphis will create an
in-conference gauntlet nearly as challenging as when ECU first joined
Conference USA.
Better talent and a stronger all-around commitment will
be paramount to the Pirates’ long-term success. ECU coach Jeff Lebo will
need a bigger recruiting budget and the administration’s okay to take a
few calculated recruiting risks — in terms of academics, international
players or additional transfers — to compete.
For much of East Carolina’s athletics existence, its
hoops program has largely been a punch line. After 22 wins, a top four
finish in a respectable league, and a postseason championship on the
line tomorrow night, we could be in the middle of a major shift.
Win or lose, East Carolina basketball has commanded some
respect this season. Considering its history, that is a huge step in the
right direction.