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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook No. 168 Friday, January 9, 2004 By Denny O'Brien Staff Writer and Columnist

Coming of age a painful process

�2004 Bonesville.net

The last thing East Carolina needed was a heartbreaking blow in its Conference USA opener. That's exactly what UAB delivered Wednesday in a 71-68 slugfest in Williams Arena.

Reminiscent of an inspired underdog prize fighter, the Pirates avoided several knockout punches from a battle-tested Blazers team picked fifth in C-USA. But after withstanding a flurry of UAB's best jabs, East Carolina couldn't counter despite several opportunities to seize control in the final round.

In the end, the biggest shot came in the form of a missed opportunity to snare a winnable league game on the Pirates' home floor.

"This one really hurts," Pirates coach Bill Herrion said. "I know it's only the first league game of the year... just too many mistakes.

"If you keep playing catch-up in a league like this and keep playing from behind, you expend so much energy trying to guard and just make plays. You have nothing in the tank offensively at the end. That's what happened (Wednesday). It's just a tough loss."

The type from which it could be difficult to recover.

Already losers of two straight, the Pirates now face the most treacherous stretch of a schedule that, up until Wednesday, was softer than a fresh batch of Krispy Kremes. After a trip to Charlotte tomorrow and a visit from 10th-ranked Louisville next Thursday, East Carolina must travel to Houston, Saint Louis, and Cincinnati.

Given the Pirates' track record on the road, the next best shot at a win could come January 31 when they face DePaul at home.

"In this league, if you don't win your home games you're in trouble," Herrion said. "If you don't win your home games, it's a long year.

"We just gave one away (Wednesday). We've got a very tough opening stretch here at the beginning of conference season. We've got a couple of home games and then we go on the road for four out of five. This thing is going to get really tough."

And if the Pirates continue their sloppy play, they can expect similar results.

"You can't play in this league and turn it over 22 times and expect to win," Herrion said. "That's the very disappointing thing about (Wednesday). We turned it over at crucial times. We missed crucial free throws. Our margin for error in this league is just so slim."

So slim that the Pirates can't afford a drop-off in any aspect of their game and expect to win.

Normally a victory cigar would be rewarded to a team that held a whopping 48-24 advantage on the boards. Rarely is such resounding backboard dominance a small consolation in a gut-wrenching home loss.

However, when accompanied by poor ball-handling, numerous dry spells from the floor, and poor free throw shooting in the clutch, a talented opponent can overcome a lopsided rebounding disadvantage.

Especially against an East Carolina team that must rely on underclassmen in pressure situations.

"Those guys had guts enough to at least be aggressive and get the ball and try to make plays," Herrion said. "But, it's not fair for the freshmen or sophomores to be winning games like this.

"It's just not fair. It's not right, and that's what we've got to figure out quickly because now these young kids go on the road and it's a whole different ballgame when you go on the road. That's when you need leadership. It's not fair for us to rely on freshmen to go win a Conference USA basketball game."

But it could be a couple of years before Herrion can depend on seniors when games are in question. The bulk of ECU's experience is on the interior, which lacks all the needed dimensions to consistently compete at the C-USA level.

Though a warrior on the boards, Erroyl Bing lacks the shooting touch to shoulder the load on offense. Gabriel Mikulas also has limits, especially against opponents who are quick and athletic.

Those deficiencies are magnified when center Moussa Badiane spends 29 minutes on the bench in foul trouble.

"It's just disappointing, I don't know any other way to put it," Herrion said. "There are no moral victories here. I know coach, it's the first game and you're young. Been there, done that."

Whether or not East Carolina can find enough answers for a quick turnaround remains to be seen.

The way it's looking, the Pirates might have to wait for their young backcourt to log more minutes, along with the arrival of better all-around talent in the low post next year.

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02/23/2007 01:56:03 AM