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Pirate Notebook No. 52
Monday, February 18, 2002

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

By and large, basketball is dictated by guard play. This is especially true at the college level.

Schools possessing polished perimeter players � ones who are solid ball-handlers, stout defenders, and consistent shooters � are apt to factor into the post-season equation. Those teams which don't have such an all-around dynamo often struggle to find and maintain a rhythm and rarely experience the March mystique.

Such a theory is greatly supported by the Conference USA standings. Perched atop the league's American division are Cincinnati, Marquette, and Charlotte, each of which boasts celebrated backcourts.

The C-USA player of the year will no doubt be chosen from one of those three units, with Steve Logan (Cincinnati) likely topping Dwayne Wade (Marquette) and Jobey Thomas (Charlotte) in the voting. More importantly, each is complimented by a slew of steady guards, meaning deep post-season runs are a distinct possibility.

When it comes to the post-season, the Final Four has annually been a showcase for talented guards. History tells us that strong perimeter play is the key ingredient to cutting down the nets in March, with each possession growing increasingly precious as the season winds to an end.

The Georgia Dome should be no exception this year, with Duke, Maryland, Kansas, and Cincy all in strong contention. One off night, though, and the nation's big four won't be singing the delightful "One Shining Moment," instead perhaps whistling, "Am I Blue?"

For East Carolina, a strong post-season showing is highly unlikely, given the Pirates' unimpressive 10-15 mark. That doesn't mean the Bucs aren't without their aspirations, however, as a trip to the C-USA tourney in Cincinnati has been pinpointed by head coach Bill Herrion as a realistic goal for the first-year league member.

"When you look at the conference standings, we have put ourselves in a position here to get to the conference tournament in March," Herrion said. "And that's our goal."

But for that to happen, the Pirates will need something they haven't received all year � consistent guard play.

Thought to be a strength prior to the season, ECU has struggled to find the right combination with its backcourt. With a triumvirate of steady performers returning � Travis Holcomb-Faye, Brandon Hawkins, and Fred Primus � the Pirates were projected as a potent force on the perimeter.

Alas, that hasn't been the case, and the Pirates have suffered the consequences.

Primus, last year's second leading scorer and a sometimes deadly three-point marksman, saw his playing time decrease as this season wore on. When the Pirates traveled to then-fourth ranked Cincinnati, he decided to leave the team, obviously dissatisfied with his diminished role.

Hawkins, who connected on a team-high 39 percent of his attempts from behind the arc last season, has also seen a vast reduction in playing time. Saturday against Birmingham-Southern, the Morganton senior saw just 13 minutes of action, while not attempting a shot from the field.

Holcomb-Faye, on the other hand, has remained a steady ball-handler with an assist-to-turnover ration of 1.6. Still, the junior point guard has yet to show his ability to shoot consistently from beyond the arc, hitting just 27 percent of his long-range attempts.

Collectively, East Carolina's backcourt ranks near the bottom of most of C-USA's guard-dominated categories. The Pirates rank 12th in both three-point shooting (31%) and three-point percentage defense (36%), while placing 13th in assists, steals, and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Even though the Pirates have experienced their woes from the perimeter, they have shined on sporadic occasions. In surprise wins over NCAA hopeful Rutgers and Rick Pitino-led Louisville, Hawkins and Holcomb-Faye played like poised veterans, directing Herrion's offense and knocking down jumpers.

For the most part, though, ECU's perimeter production has come from its starting forwards, with Erroyl Bing and Kenyatta Brown the team's top three-point threats.

Ice-cold outside shooting has made the Pirates one-dimensional this season, with the bulk of the scoring produced by the frontcourt. As a result, opposing coaches aren't shy about deploying a zone, which makes Herrion's club susceptible on the boards.

Now, as the Pirates make that final press toward the conference tournament, Herrion continues to search for answers. One promising solution, in the short term, has been an increased role for senior walk-on Bryan Foxx, whose outside accuracy has bolstered the Pirates' three-point shooting in recent games.

Another, one that could have an impact in the long term, has been increased floor time for freshman Devin Boddie, who showed his ability to nail the open trey in a 61-58 victory over C-USA foe Southern Miss.

"We have to do right now anything we can do to win basketball games," Herrion said. "Anything we can do to make this basketball team successful, we're going to do that."

And if the Pirates are to succeed in the long-term, Herrion must start reeling in blue-chip backcourt talent. More than anything else, that seems to be the key to the college game.

Neither Keith LeClair nor Kevin McMullan claim to be prophets. But you have to admit, the Pirates' fifth-year head baseball coach and his third-year assistant certainly know their stuff.

With five bats missing from last year's team, both coaches outlined last week what the Bucs must do in order to land an Omaha berth: pitch, play defense and get timely hits. The Pirates flashed all of those ingredients in three victories over Delaware, which is coming off an NCAA tournament appearance last season.

While the weekend sweep will likely enhance the Pirates' image in the national polls, LeClair has said his team has a long way to go, likening the season to a long-distance contest of stamina, and he often warns his team to keep its emotions in check.

"Mentally, it's a marathon, not a sprint," LeClair said. "It's a long, methodical process. You can't get too high, or too low.

"Football is totally different, because every week your season is on the line. Football season is a sprint. Our season is a marathon that lasts 25 weeks. You have to keep your emotions on an even playing field."

As the season progresses, LeClair will depend on his leaders to keep the Pirates on an even keel. So far, said the Pirates' coach recently, a team leader hasn't emerged, though he fully expects one or more to step forward in due time.

"The identity of a team is never known until you lose a couple of games and face adversity," LeClair said. "Bryant Ward, Clayton McCullough, and Warren Gaspar are seniors that have been in the program. Hopefully, they will emerge when that adversity comes.

"When you play 56 games, you're going to see some days when you don't play well. It's in those games when a team defines itself."

During the process, though, LeClair hopes his team doesn't have to do a lot of soul searching, instead spending its time disposing of top-notch opponents, much like it did this weekend.