Thumbnail Sketches by Al Myatt

Number of known signees or commitments to date: 8

MOST RECENT UPDATES: 07.12.22 > Added thumbnail sketches on Charlotte (NC) Liberty Heights Athletic Institute F EZRA AUSAR, Levelland (TX) South Plains College G BENJAMIN BAYELA, Tennessee G QUENTIN DIBOUNDJE, Lanham (MD) Mount Zion Prep F ELIJAH JONES, Los Angeles (CA) King/Drew HS G KALIB LACOUNT, Bel Aire (KS) Sunrise Christian F VALENTINO PINEDO, Arlington (VA) Flint Hill G SAXBY SUNDERLAND, Iowa State G JADEN WALKER

Note: Thumbnail sketches displayed in red font are for previously committed players whose recruiting statuses have changed.

EZRA AUSAR (6-9, 240) F, Liberty Heights Athletic Institute, Charlotte … Ausar received offers from Massachusetts, McNeese State, Sam Houston, Texas A&M and Wichita State. … He visited East Carolina on April 20 after receiving an offer from the Pirates on April 19 and signed on April 28. … Played at Shiloh High School in Snellville, GA, before finishing his prep career at Liberty Heights, where he averaged a near double-double for a 22-8 team coached by Michael Wright in 2021-22. … Rated the No. 7 prospect in North Carolina by Phenom Hoops in January. … Has versatility on both ends of the floor. (Image source: 247sports.com)

BENJAMIN BAYELA (6-6, 195) G, Levelland (TX) South Plains College … A native of France, Bayela was the first commit in the Class of 2022 for East Carolina. … He received offers from Oklahoma State, Pacific, St. John’s, Texas A&M and South Florida before signing with the Pirates on April 28. … ECU made an offer on March 28 and Bayela pledged on April 8. … Assistant Riley Davis was the primary recruiter for Bayela, who averaged 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 22.5 minutes as a sophomore at South Plains in 2020-21, helping his team to an 18-3 record and a No. 1 junior college ranking. … The wing guard sat out last season as he rehabbed from a torn ACL. (Image source: 247sports.com)

QUENTIN DIBOUNDJE (6-5, 217) G, Tennessee … Diboundje developed his game in France before coming to the U.S. and playing for the Monteverde (FL) Academy prep national team, helping the Eagles to a 23-7 record in 2020-21. … Saw action in seven games for the talent-rich Volunteers last season, including an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. … Averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in five minutes per contest for the SEC Tournament champions in 2021-22. … A 4-star prospect, he was recruited to Tennessee by Michael Schwartz and signed with ECU on April 9 after Schwartz became coach of the Pirates. (Image source: 247sports.com)

ELIJAH JONES (6-8, 210) F, Mount Zion Prep, Lanham, MD … Jones is from Pleasantville, NJ. … He averaged 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game for a Mount Zion team that achieved a No. 4 national ranking. … Jones had offers from Austin Peay, Bryant, Hampton, Hofstra, Massachusetts, Mississippi Valley, Old Dominion, Rider and St. Bonaventure. … Assistant Jake Morton was the primary recruiter for the Pirates. … ECU offered Jones on April 9 and he committed on April 13. … Jones made an official campus visit on April 15 before signing on April 28. (Image source: 247sports.com)

KALIB LaCOUNT (5-8, 150) G, King/Drew High School, Los Angeles … LaCount was named Los Angeles Player of the Year after averaging 33.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.2 steals per game for a 20-12 team that went 10-0 in the Coliseum League. … New East Carolina coach Michael Schwartz returned to his hometown as the primary recruiter for LaCount, who also received an offer from Kent State. … LaCount set a school record with 59 points in an 84-43 win over Dorsey. … King/Drew is coached by Lloyd Webster. … LaCount played on the AAU circuit with the Compton Magic. (Image source: 247sports.com)

VALENTINO PINEDO (6-7, 225), F, Sunrise Christian, Bel Aire, KS … Known as “Eddy,” Pinedo averaged 11.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the 18-and-under Spanish Championship in 2021 with the Baloncesto Torrelodones club in Madrid before joining Sunrise. … Played on a 24-2 team at Sunrise that included elite signees Mark Mitchell (Duke) and Cam Corhen (Florida State). … Stetson offered Pinedo, who was primarily recruited by Riley Davis for the Pirates. … Pinedo officially visited ECU on May 13 and received an offer from the Pirates on May 16. … He committed on May 17 and signed on May 18. (Image source: 247sports.com)

SAXBY SUNDERLAND (6-3, 170) G, Flint Hill High School, Arlington, VA … Rated the No. 8 guard in Virginia. … As a senior, Sunderland averaged 19 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists for a 15-9 team coached by Rico Reed. … Sunderland had offers from Akron, Cleveland State, Elon, Fairfield, Florida International, Fordham, George Mason, Merrimack, N.C. A&T, Radford, Saint Peter’s, Southeastern Louisiana, Massachusetts Lowell, Maryland-Baltimore County, Virginia Commonwealth and William & Mary. … Sunderland made an unofficial visit on April 7 and received an offer from ECU. … He committed to ECU on April 11 and signed on April 28. (Image source: 247sports.com)

JADEN WALKER (6-5, 200), G, Iowa State … Played in 37 games in two seasons at Iowa State. … Walker was born in Brooklyn but played on the prep level in Georgia at Core 4 Prep and Discovery High School in Lawrenceville. … Chose the Cyclones over offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech and New Mexico … Walker played AAU for Southeast United. … Was rated the No. 9 player in Georgia in his class by ESPN. … Had 14 rebounds as a freshman against Kansas. … Walker entered the transfer portal on March 30 and signed with East Carolina on April 22. (Image source: 247sports.com)

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