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Pirate Notebook No. 57
Monday, March 11, 2002

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Work Ethic Will Be Hallmark of Herrion's Program

©2002 Bonesville.net

For better or worse, the honeymoon is officially over for Bill Herrion and the East Carolina basketball program. Now, the real work begins.

The task of building a consistent winner in Greenville today is, perhaps, less difficult for the Pirates' third-year head coach than when he first hopped aboard the Pirate ship. But regardless of his team's better-than-expected performance in its first season in Conference USA, the road ahead for the Pirates is littered with big obstacles.

Herrion recently acknowledged the challenges of successfully steering a program only one season removed from the CAA into the fast lane of big-time basketball are daunting indeed.

"We've really got to keep things in perspective," Herrion said. "We are a program that is in the infantile stages. We're not there yet. We've really had two recruiting classes gearing up to this league (C-USA). We're not nearly near where we need to be."

This season, ECU achieved its primary goal — earning a spot in the league tournament — but somewhere along that fast lane ahead lie bigger postseason objectives.

Their fans hope to see the Pirates among those celebrating on Selection Sunday sooner rather than later, but it won't come about until Herrion has had time to further separate his program from the low expectations and mediocre seasons that have typified ECU's basketball past.

Invitations to college basketball's ultimate prom have been rare indeed at East Carolina. The school has been to the Big Dance only twice since it fielded its first hardwood team in 1931. ECU pulled off league tournament upsets in the Southern Conference in 1973 and the CAA in 1993 to barge into the ballroom — only to be ejected in the first round on both occasions.

Since that last moment in the spotlight, in 1993, the Pirates have floundered to say the least, failing to notch a winning record since the 96-97 campaign when they finished 17-10 in Joe Dooley's second season.

Without a glorious history to tap into, Herrion is determined to right the Pirate ship with an age-old concept — hard work.

"Every good program has to have a trademark, and you have to have something that you stand for," Herrion said. "What we haven't stood for so far at East Carolina in basketball is a winning tradition.

"We just haven't won consistently enough. I think where it has to start with our basketball team is we have to play hard."

Throughout much of the season, East Carolina displayed the type of blue-collar ethic that kept it competitive against deeper, more talented teams. In the Pirates' first-ever C-USA game, they stood toe-to-toe with eventual league champion Cincinnati, leading at one time by double digits before bowing by ten.

That scrappy effort carried over into close losses at UAB and at home to Charlotte before the big hump was eventually crossed with a convincing victory over Louisville.

As the season progressed, the Pirates continued their ant-like labors, which became fruitful as the year wound to an end. The Pirates won four of their last six regular season games, including a hard-fought shocker over then-ninth ranked Marquette in Williams Arena.

"That's the way our team is supposed to play effort-wise every time we step on the court," Herrion said. "If we want to be a legitimate Division-I basketball program and compete in this league, great teams play and compete every night they step on the floor."

Few, including Herrion, expected ECU to compete, let alone collect five wins in its first season of C-USA play. The Pirates, however, proved more than a match for many of their tradition-laden brethren and rarely suffered the humiliating defeats that most predicted.

Now, with a season under his belt, Herrion is dedicated to making certain his program is making the necessary strides to consistently compete in its new conference. With a relentless fervor, he combs the recruiting trails, seeking athletes skilled enough to play among the elite, yet overlooked by the nation's premiere programs.

Herrion may have found just that in Kinston's Corey Rouse, a sweet-shooting swingman from good basketball stock. Rouse adds the type of versatility that could potentially create matchup nightmares for C-USA foes. At six-foot-seven, 190-pounds, he's bigger than most wing players, and more athletic than those in the post.

Joining Rouse next year will be Jason Herring, a talented post player who had to sit out this season to fine-tune his academics. Together, the two should figure in nicely with a talented nucleus that returns in the frontcourt.

Dramatic progress for Pirate hoops, though, probably depends upon Herrion's ability to lure a couple of top-flight guards Down East, the type who can take a defender off the dribble as well as nail the open shot.

That remains the number one item on Herrion's "To Do" list, but he maintains an awareness that his program must walk steadily before it can take off running, especially in a recruiting foot race against the region's two Godzillas.

"I think we have to be realistic with this whole thing," he said. "I don't think we're ready right now to go head to head with a Duke or a North Carolina on a kid.

"But to be honest with you, we've got to get the kids that N.C State is getting, that Wake Forest is getting, that Clemson is getting. That's the kid that we've got to get."

One player who has recently surfaced is Belton Rivers, a six-foot-three point guard from Atlanta who has shown interest in ECU. If East Carolina is to gain his services, though, it will likely have to out-woo the likes of Mississippi State, which yesterday added an SEC championship banner to the Humphrey Coliseum rafters.

That's just one of many battles Herrion will face in what figures to be a long, steady climb out of college basketball obscurity.

Residing in a conference that boasts a "Who's Who" list of coaches, and in a state highlighted by the nation's most prominent programs, the challenges facing East Carolina hoops are substantial. But that doesn't suggest Herrion doubts the program's ability to eventually make the grade.

"This is definitely going in the right direction," he said.

The big question, however, still remains: How high can it go?

Send an e-mail message to Denny O'Brien.

Click here to dig into Denny O'Brien's Bonesville archives.

02/23/2007 01:46:14 AM
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