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SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE
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Pirate Notebook No. 423
Monday, March 22, 2010

Denny O'Brien

Hoops hire subject to second-guessing

By Denny O'Brien
©2010 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

Jeff Lebo probably isn’t the resounding favorite among East Carolina fans to replace Mack McCarthy. But they need to start warming to the idea that the former Auburn coach could be manning the ECU bench for the next several seasons.

Multiple sources close to the search process have confirmed that ECU and Lebo spent much of the weekend ironing out the details of a contract that would make him the Pirates’ next basketball coach.

Should an agreement get finalized soon, it would likely be one of the few (arguably the only) polarizing decisions athletics director Terry Holland has made at ECU.

The overall opinion of Lebo is both strong and divided.

There is one camp that no doubt would focus negatively on the diploma that hangs on his wall. Lebo was a backcourt star for UNC-Chapel Hill, and any association with the “evil blue empire” is enough to turn many fans against his hiring.

On the other hand, it’s also that type of basketball pedigree that would make some welcome Lebo to Greenville with open arms.

Another group likely cares less about Lebo’s educational ties and instead is focused on his most recent track record as a head coach. At Auburn he posted a 96-93 record in six seasons and reached the postseason only once, an NIT appearance at the conclusion of the 2008-09 campaign.

The fact that Auburn and East Carolina have similar athletics cultures — albeit while operating in different budgetary worlds — certainly adds fuel to their argument. You can understand that rationale to a degree, but you also can’t deny that there are enormous competitive differences in conference affiliation for both schools.

Then there is a faction of fans who might find Lebo difficult to embrace because their top choice isn’t the one who will be unveiled at the press conference. While there is no shortage of fan favorites for the job, you can’t assume that Holland didn’t make a run at a couple of them.

Lebo just appears to be the one who ultimately met the academic and athletics standards Holland established, not to mention the one who met those qualifications while also showing a strong interest in the job.

In most cases, hiring coaches is a no-win scenario for any athletics director. Kevin White experienced that when he hired Charlie Weiss several years ago at Notre Dame. There’s a good chance he’ll endure it again whenever Mike Krzyzewski steps down at Duke.

That's generally the rule — not the exception — as the examples of athletics directors getting scrutinized over coaching hires extend far beyond that. It’s simply not uncommon for an AD to get overwhelming disapproval over hiring decisions in revenue sports.

Even so, fan approval isn’t a true indicator of how well a coach will perform once he takes over a program. Not by a mile. If that were the case, perhaps John Thompson would still be at East Carolina and have guided the Pirates to a BCS bowl by now.

Thompson's hiring was embraced by most back in 2002 but the warm fuzzies didn't last long. Unfortunately the balance between style and substance leaned almost exclusively in favor of the former, as borne out by ECU’s overall record during that period.

If that balance is the opposite with Lebo, that could be good news for the Pirates.

Anyone who recalls his playing career at North Carolina should remember that his game lacked flash, but he more than compensated for it with results. Where Lebo lacked in size, speed, and showmanship, he overcame it with fundamentals, toughness, and a high basketball IQ.

Tough and smart are desirable qualities in any coach, and in the end Lebo could turn out to be a good fit for ECU. Right now we just don’t know.

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But there is no denying that his hiring would be met with disapproval by a noticeable number of fans. For an AD who easily ranks as the most popular in ECU history, that would be unfamiliar territory.

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03/22/2010 12:06 AM

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