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Pirate Notebook No. 103
Wednesday, January 22, 2003

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Lack of urgency in practice stirs coach's ire

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East Carolina coach Bill Herrion has never been quick to offer excuses, even though he's had many opportunities since taking over the Pirates' basketball program in 1999.

During his first year, the program received a major blow when its best player — Evaldes Jocys — suffered a season-ending injury early in the year. Things went south from there, as ECU limped home to a 10-19 finish.

Last season, the NCAA levied lengthy suspensions on center Moussa Badiane and forward Gabriel Mikulas for competing in off-season club games in which their teammates were paid. As a result, the Pirates stumbled out of the gates to a 2-6 start.

In each case, Herrion might have attributed his team's sliding performances to uncontrollable circumstances, but the Pirates coach chose instead to focus on the things he could control.

This season the team has encountered more speed bumps that have sidelined key personnel along the way, but Herrion is sticking to his policy by not offering excuses for the Pirates' recent inconsistent play.

In typical fashion, he's more direct about where part of the blame might be pinpointed.

"I'm not real happy with this basketball team lately," Herrion said. "We've not been practicing well.

"I find myself spending a lot of time and energy trying to convince some people in this basketball program what it takes to compete on a daily basis at this level. We're not good enough and we're not talented enough to show up on game nights when the ball goes up and beat anybody in this league.

"Every day we step on the floor, if we don't remember who and what we are and what's gotten us here, we're in trouble."

East Carolina enters tonight's Conference USA battle against league bully Cincinnati with a three-game losing streak. The Pirates sizzled to an impressive 7-0 start, a feat that had not happened in Greenville since the 1953-54 campaign, but have since fizzled to 10-5 overall, 1-3 in league play.

During one stretch, the Pirates were without senior point guard Travis Holcomb-Faye, whom Herrion sidelined for five games for academic reasons even though he was still eligible by NCAA standards. During his absence, the Pirates went 3-2, including an impressive victory over then-No. 9 Marquette, which followed a very disappointing loss at unheralded Coastal Carolina.

Holcomb-Faye's return was accompanied by the Pirates' current three-game skid, which Herrion refuses to attribute to any chemistry problems his point guard's reappearance to the lineup may have created.

Instead, Herrion stresses the lack of focus in practice, which he notes extends deeper than the Pirates' starting five.

"I'm not just talking about the guys that get most of the playing time," Herrion said. "I'm even talking about some kids that don't play much. ... .I'm really concerned about that right now. It's got me a little bit irritated."

Following ECU's 90-71 loss at Coastal on December 23, Herrion hinted that he thought his team may have lost the competitive edge that fueled the 7-0 start. The fire returned in the Pirates' win over Marquette, but was again extinguished at Charlotte.

Herrion says it is crucial for that flame to reignite because teams no longer overlook East Carolina.

"I think what we're finding out with our team is it's our second time through this thing and, you know, we're not sneaking up on anybody," Herrion said. "I think people are much more prepared to play us. I think that's been obvious.

"You come out of the gates 10-2, guess what, you're going to open people's eyes. People are going to treat you differently and people are going to respect you differently. A year ago, nobody cared who we were or what we were."

After a growing list of upsets, which includes wins over Louisville, Ole Miss, and Marquette twice, foes are beginning to take notice of the dangers posed by the Pirates, especially in their building — Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. ECU's home floor has quickly emerged as one of the nation's loudest venues, as record crowds are making their way through the turnstiles, perhaps an indication that big-time hoops has arrived in Greenville.

Big-time or not, Herrion continues to keep things in perspective, noting that his team's recent dip has provided a measuring stick for where the program is — and where it needs to be.

"This thing has really been built very quickly," Herrion said. "We're finding out where this gap is in Conference USA. We've got a lot of work to do."

More zone likely

Tough, physical man-to-man defense is a hallmark of Herrion-coached teams. However, the Pirates' inability to contain quicker, more athletic teams in C-USA last season prompted the Pirates coach to deploy heavy doses of 2-3 zone, a move that helped spark East Carolina to four wins in its final six games.

After recent drubbings by Charlotte and Louisville in which both teams eclipsed the 80-point plateau, Herrion said he will likely introduce more zone into the Pirates' defensive package.

"The same thing is happening to us early in league play that started happening to us last year," Herrion said. "We started giving up a lot of points — in the 80s. I don't know if we have enough offense to play that way.

"If you remember last year, we ended up playing a heck of a lot of zone the second half of the league last year. We've got to start looking at more zone. That's probably my fault."

More zone could also aid Badiane, the Pirates' dynamic shot-blocking center who has been plagued this season by foul trouble. Badiane was whistled for his second foul early against the Cardinals last Thursday, which sent him to the bench for much of the first half.

"Moussa can't have two fouls on him in the first 1:30 in the game," Herrion said. "You take your shot blocker off the floor and it changes the whole complexion of your defense."

Outside shooting a concern

One of Herrion's main objectives during the off-season was to upgrade the Pirates' perimeter scoring, which was perceived as the primary weakness last year. The Pirates coach believed junior college transfers Derrick Wiley and Luke Mackay and freshman Belton Rivers could fill that void.

Though Wiley has quickly emerged as East Carolina's most consistent scoring threat, the majority of his baskets occur in the paint off slashing drives to the basket. Mackay, whose season got a late start due to an injury and off-the-court problems, hasn't gotten enough minutes to make a big impact.

Rivers, who averaged 32 points per game last season at Atlanta's Douglass High and was advertised as a three-point marksman, has struggled with his shot of late after asserting himself early in the year as a dependable scorer. Over the past three games, Rivers has hit just three of his 16 shots from three-point land and is an ice-cold 5-of-26 from the floor overall.

"It is a concern," Herrion said of the perimeter shooting. "Belton Rivers is a kid that we think can shoot the basketball. He's not making shots right now. It's something we've got to pay attention and put the ball in the bucket."

On the year, the Pirates are sinking just 27 percent of their three-point baskets, down from 31 percent last year. If the Bucs can't up that percentage, league foes will continue to clamp down on ECU's interior, making life even tougher on the Pirates' horses down low.

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

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

02/23/2007 01:52:31 AM
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