Fitting climax for
milestone season
Pirates capture treasure in CIT title game
By
Al Myatt
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Post-game audio:
Jeff
Lebo... |
Maurice Kemp...
Miguel Paul...
|
Akeem Richmond...
OGDEN, UT — East
Carolina's final possession in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament lasted
17 seconds. It made a memory that will endure for decades.
Akeem Richmond took a kickout from
Miguel Paul and drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to lift the
Pirates to a 77-74 win over host Weber State in the CIT championship
game.
"I knew it was good when it left my
hand," Richmond said. "That's why I took off running."
Richmond and the triumph may become to
ECU basketball what Luke Fisher's winning touchdown in the Peach Bowl to
cap the 1991 season is to Pirate football.
Story
continues after the following picture.
A peak near south Ogden, UT, where
East Carolina became king of the mountain. [Al Myatt photo. ©Bonesville.net.
All rights reserved.]
It's too early to put the
accomplishment in historical context but it came at a venue with
significant history.
The outcome may make ECU athletics
director Terry Holland feel a little kinder toward the Dee Events
Center. His previous visit was a loss to N.C. State during the
Wolfpack's NCAA Tournament run to the championship in 1983.
"(Holland) said he would never come
back," said third-year East Carolina coach Jeff Lebo, the architect of
this record setting 23-12 season at ECU, who expressed his joy for the
seniors.
There may still be some ghosts in the
building.
Holland's teams in that era featured
Ralph Sampson, whose son Robert was prominent in ECU's win Tuesday night
with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Like the Cardiac Pack did numerous
times 30 years ago, the Pirates had to rally. The Wildcats led 71-65
with under three minutes left.
Story
continues after the following picture.
A few ECU fans ventured to the Dee
Events Center in Ogden, UT, to cheer on the Pirates. [Al Myatt photo. ©Bonesville.net.
All rights reserved.]
Weber State (30-7) couldn't close the
deal at the free throw line, going 6 for 14 in the second half. That
happened to a series of Wolfpack foes in '83.
Maurice Kemp, the CIT MVP, hit a three
with 2:30 to go to pull ECU within 71-68. Paul dropped two free throws
with 1:43 remaining to cut the margin to 72-70. Sampson scored on one of
Paul's six assists to tie the score at 72 with 1:15 left.
A driving slam by Sampson on a feed
from Paul put ECU up 74-73 with 32.3 seconds left. Weber State's Davion
Berry made the first of two free throws with 17.3 seconds left to tie
the score.
Lebo didn't call time after Sampson
pulled down the missed second attempt.
"We knew what we wanted to do," said
the Pirates coach. "We'd had some success with the double ball screen at
the top."
Story
continues after the following picture.
Senior point guard Miguel Paul
spreads his arms in a defensive posture in the second half. [Al Myatt
photo. ©Bonesville.net. All rights reserved.]
Paul drove past the picks and passed
back outside to Richmond, whose streaks from long range have been
incredible at times.
"I had a mid-range jumper but I know
that Akeem is automatic," Paul said. "When his man turned his head, I
got him the ball and he hit it for me."
Pirate radio voice Jeff Charles made
the call with his trademark excitement.
"The only thing was I couldn't wrap it
up because of the video review," said Charles, who exhorts listeners to
"Paint It Purple" after a Pirates win.
The officials had to see for sure that
Richmond released the ball before time expired. Charles called for the
paint bucket after the crew determined that the game winner was legit.
It was a contrast to
ECU's loss to Tulsa on
the Golden Hurricanes' floor in the Conference USA Tournament. After
four straight home wins in the CIT, the Pirates again ventured into an
opponent's home arena.
Weber State was 17-1 in its lair this
season before taking on ECU. The only loss was to Brigham Young.
"In the postseason, we really played to
our potential," said Kemp, who had 20 points and six boards. "We focused
on defense and rebounding. We've had it in spurts but we didn't do it
consistently. We finally brought it all together in the postseason.
" ... It's amazing. Not many people get
to go out in this fashion with a championship."
Story
continues after the following picture.
Senior forward Maurice Kemp gets a
souvenir after being named CIT MVP. [Al Myatt photo. ©Bonesville.net.
All rights reserved.]
Most of the crowd of 10,583 were for
the Wildcats.
"They packed it out," Kemp said. "We
had to focus and block everything out. We did a good job of it. I'm
really proud of my teammates and coaches."
Paul led all scorers with 23 points
which were produced from an array of moves and shots.
He credited injured senior Corvonn
Gaines with some inspiration.
"He's a big leader behind the scenes,"
Paul said. "He said to pretend this was Minges (Coliseum, ECU's home).
He said to pretend like the boos were for us and we were in a purple
environment."
Ty Armstrong battled foul problems to
score 10 points.
Scott Bamforth had 13 of his team high
19 points for the Wildcats in the first half.
Story
continues after the following picture.
Coach Jeff Lebo and junior guard
Akeem Richmond share the moment after Richmond's three at the buzzer
gave gave ECU a 77-74 win over Weber State and the CIT title. [Al Myatt
photo. ©Bonesville.net. All rights reserved.]
The Pirates left by charter following
the game for Greenville. They returned home with ECU's most wins ever on
the Division I level.
The Pirates' record in postseason play
has gone from 0-4 several weeks ago to 5-4.
An all-sports membership to a new
league was extended recently.
Richmond's shot to close the CIT could
well become the signature moment in a sea change for Pirate basketball.
CollegeInsider.com Tournament |
Championship Game |
East Carolina 77, Weber State 74 |
--------------------- |
Date: Tuesday,
April 2, 2013
Facility: Dee Events Center
Attendance: 10,583
Records: ECU 23-12; WSU 30-7
|
--------------------- |
SCORE BY PERIODS |
1 |
2 |
FINAL |
East Carolina |
42 |
35 |
77 |
Weber State |
35 |
39 |
74 |
Send an e-mail message to Al Myatt.
PAGE UPDATED
04/03/13 10:07 AM.
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