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Pirate Notebook No. 104
Friday, January 24, 2003

By Denny O'Brien
Staff Writer and Columnist

Catch Bonesville's exclusive weekly Internet radio program, BONESVILLE HUDDLE, featuring insightful give-and-take between columnists Al Myatt, Brian Bailey and Denny O'Brien. (This week's audio file posted 01.22.03.)		Al Myatt
		Brian Bailey
		Denny O'Brien
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On an evening when the Pirates suffered their fourth-consecutive loss, East Carolina took a giant leap as a basketball program Wednesday night.

It wasn't so much the close score that signified the symbolic step � the Pirates rebounded from three poor outings to seriously challenge traditional power Cincinnati before falling short 59-53.

Rather, it was the electricity in the gym that may have solidified the awakening of a sleeping giant on the hardwood.

Officially, the attendance was announced at 6,612, but at times, like when East Carolina made a late-game surge that must have done a number on Bearcats coach Bobby Huggins' ticker, the roar equated to that of a sold-out arena.

In fact, if it weren't for the serious threat Mother Nature posed on the bone-chilling night, Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum may very well have been filled to its cozy capacity.

However, the fact that a high percentage of the seats were filled with hyperactive fans cheering for a team mired in a losing streak is evidence enough of the seriousness with which the faithful now take Pirates hoops, especially in consideration of the factors that could have left the building half empty:

There was the threat of a major snowstorm. Cincinnati, though solid and still considered an elite program, is in the midst of a rebuilding year. Neither team boasts a high-profile player and both play a physical, if not boring style of basketball. To top matters off, East Carolina was searching for a pulse and Carolina, State, and Duke each had marquee matchups on the tube.

In the past, many would have rationalized those as justifiable pretexts for passing on ECU hoops, but with the transition into Conference USA and the enthusiasm coach Bill Herrion has injected into the program, those excuses no longer stand up.

"It was a really good crowd," Herrion said in reference to Wednesday night's attendance. "We've been putting great numbers into this arena. We need these people to stay behind this basketball team."

So far, that hasn't been an issue, nor does it appear that it will be one in the foreseeable future. Judging by fan response, it's going to take more than a losing streak or a lopsided affair to turn away this upstart bunch of budding fanatics.

These ardent supporters are showing up in numbers after getting a sample of big-time basketball last season, with inaugural visits from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Marquette. How quickly a small taste has turned into an insatiable craving.

Arguably, no ticket in the state outside of a Duke home game was hotter than last week's Pirates-Cardinals clash. More than 200 hoops-hungry students camped out in a tent city they appropriately dubbed "Billville" in an effort to secure a ducat for the nationally-televised broadcast.

With supply much lower than demand, many had to settle for watching the game at home or in local sports bars. Those who managed to snare a seat stood the entire night.

The days of late arrivals and early exits now seem a part of the distant past. Fraternal outings and casual conversations have been replaced by a united student body tied together by its creative, deafening chants.

In essence, that is one of the primary factors that defines a college basketball program, and in many cases, it is the core element by which some schools have carved their niche.

Doubters have forever suggested that hell would freeze over before ECU would threaten to become a high-profile basketball program � how ironic that the Pirates' tilt with league heavyweight Cincinnati was followed by a blanket of icy precipitation.

Make no mistake, East Carolina has a long way to go before it is considered a Mecca for college hoops.

But if Wednesday night is any indication, Greenville, NC, is no longer a basketball Ghost Town.

Following the Pirates' loss to Louisville last week, Herrion indicated he wasn't pleased with the effort he was receiving from his team in practice.

The fourth-year Pirates coach sang a similar tune following ECU's loss to Cincinnati.

"Until some attitudes start changing on this basketball team, it's going to be very hard for us to move forward," Herrion said. "We've got some people holding this basketball team back right now and not allowing me to coach the way that I need to coach. I'm almost running a little bit of a babysitting service here with some kids."

Though Herrion hasn't mentioned any names, he has suggested that the issue isn't isolated to his starting five. Perhaps that is an indication why several Pirates have seen their minutes decline significantly over the past month.

Though the Conference USA slate has yet to reach the halfway point, two players have emerged as leading candidates for the league's Player of the Year honors, and neither name is a surprise.

Marquette's Dwyane Wade and Louisville's Reece Gaines are by far the league's most complete players and their statistics show it.

Heading into the weekend, Wade is averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Gaines, who handles the bulk of the ball-handling chores for the Cardinals, is averaging 18.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds per outing.

According to Pirates guard Derrick Wiley, who drew the defensive assignment against both, guarding the versatile duo is a difficult task to say the least.

"It's a big challenge," Wiley said. "Both of them have got big games. You've just got to play them the best that you can. They're going to score because they're scorers. Their coaches depend on them to do the scoring."

Wade, just a junior, figures to be an NBA lottery pick if he enters the draft early. Gaines, who is a senior, has upped his stock tremendously by staying the extra year and learning to play the point.

Utah Jazz scout Russ Bergman attended the Pirates-Cardinals showdown last week to evaluate Gaines and U of L center Marvin Stone and liked what he saw.

Accordingly, Gaines' status in the draft will depend on the number of junior defections, and he probably figures to be a two-guard at the next level.