Seniors Jamar Abrams, Jontae Sherrod, Chad Wynn and Brock Young left their legacy at East Carolina as they led the Pirates to their first winning season in 14 years.

They will be missed but hopefully it won't be another 14 years before the hoops program produces another winning ledger.

Several factors appear favorable for success to continue. Frontcourt force Darrius Morrow has redefined himself through greater dedication and should be a team leader next season as a senior.

Corvonn Gaines, Robert Sampson, Erin Straughn and Darius Morales got valuable experience in 2010-11. They know the areas they must work on in the offseason.

There has been a realization among the powers that be that improvement in basketball can make the overall Pirates athletic program more attractive to a BCS conference and this has helped develop financial support for the proposed basketball practice facility, which will be a tremendous asset in terms of sustaining success.

East Carolina basketball coach Jeff Lebo also is attracting some talented transfers. Miguel Paul, who came to the Pirates from a strong program at Missouri, sat out the 2010-11 season as required by the NCAA and provides an experienced replacement at the important point guard position as Young exits the program after a stellar career.

Paul's playing time was probably the issue that caused him to leave Missouri. He averaged just 12.1 minutes per game as a sophomore but was efficient with 52 assists and just 22 turnovers. He hit 38.5 percent of his three-point attempts for the Tigers, which is comparable to ECU's best and most frequent long distance shooters last season, Sherrod and Abrams. Sherrod made 39 percent behind the arc and Abrams dropped 40.8 percent.

Paul performed well against some quality opponents as a soph at Missouri. He had a career-high 15 points against Nebraska. He scored 14 points, dished out five assists and made three steals in 21 minutes against Chattanooga. He had a career high six assists against Oregon.

Paul played in all 38 of Missouri's games as a freshman. His assists to turnover ratio was seven to one in the last five games of the 2009-10 season, including the Big 12 championship game against Baylor.

Not many programs can lose a player of Young's caliber and have a replacement the likes of Paul, in terms of his ability and experience, ready to step in and run the team.

At 6-foot-1, Paul is two inches taller than Young's listed height. That reduces the defensive liability if the Pirates are playing a switching man to man. Paul's presence should allow Gaines to play the two guard more, which probably is the spot best suited for his skills, although he did a capable job of transitioning to the point when knee ailments limited Young.

Paul figures prominently in the Pirates plans.

"Miguel is a guy we're going to count on to play major minutes for us next year," Lebo said. "He's got great speed with the ball. He's quick but he also has great speed. He's got the ability to shoot. He's tough.

"He's got a good motor where he doesn't fatigue. He's played at a high level against good players at Missouri. He's been in tough environments, been in tough practices, been through the ringer. ... I think he'll really help us from a ball handling standpoint, a quickness and a speed standpoint. He can really push it from end to end. We're counting on him to be a major factor and he's itching to get back out there."

Paul received scholarship offers out of Kathleen High School in Florida from Clemson, Memphis, Miami (FL), South Florida and St. John's, which indicates his talent level. He was listed as a Top 15 point guard recruit nationally. He led his team to the state championship game as a junior and senior.

"Be like Mike" was a catch phrase for young players who wanted to emulate Michael Jordan. Miguel coincidentally is Spanish for Michael. Paul may not be on Jordan's level but he certainly should be an impact player for the Pirates.

Lebo also is bringing in a junior college transfer and has already enlisted a transfer from Rhode Island, who will sit out next season. Maurice Kemp, Jr., a versatile 6-foot-6 performer from Miami-Dade College will join the ECU program for next season. Akeem Richmond, a shooting guard who starred on the high school level at Southern Lee in Sanford, is coming from the Rams and will be able to play in 2012-13.

Kemp began his college career at Alabama A&M. He averaged 16.7 points and 9.9 rebounds last season as a sophomore at Miami Dade College. Kemp is 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds.

"He's long," Lebo said. "He's athletic. He can play a lot of different spots. You can put him at different positions all over the floor. He's got the ability to run and to shoot. He's not your typical junior college kid. He went to Alabama A&M out of high school. He was a pretty good student. Things didn't work out in his first year and he went back home to junior college. He's a fine student.

"Again, with his length and his athleticism, he's got a high upside. I think he's going to be able to defend a lot of different people on the court from a guard to a forward. He's a kid who I think wants to get better and better and better. He's going to get stronger. He's going to put on some weight. He's thin, but he's somebody we're excited about because of his ability to play all over the floor."

Richmond is a scorer with the long-range shooting ability to stretch defenses. He played two seasons for Rhode Island, starting 26 games as a sophomore and averaging 9.3 points. He led the Rams in three-point baskets with 75. He had a career-high of 25 points against Lafayette and netted 20 against Charlotte. His average of 2.2 three-pointers per game ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10.

He made 81 threes as a freshman. Only two other freshman in the A-10 had ever made as many as 80 hoops from beyond the arc. Richmond completed his initial season with the Rams ranked fourth nationally among all freshmen in 3-point field goals made.

Richmond was a prolific scorer at Southern Lee, leading the state in scoring as a sophomore, junior and senior. His 2,846 career points rank him as the second leading high school scorer in state history. He was a three-time Associated Press all-state selection.

A three-point shooter has the potential to create space for penetrators and open up the interior for post players.