East Carolina opens its 90th season of men’s basketball Tuesday night when it hosts South Carolina State in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum at 7 p.m.
The contest is the first of three home games to open the season. The Pirates wrap their initial home stand in quick succession with non-conference matchups with Canisius and Western Carolina before heading to Conway, S.C., for the Myrtle Beach Invitational.
ECU returns a core group of five lettermen led by senior J.J. Miles, who returns for his third season after the NCAA granted all student-athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the global pandemic. Miles is the Pirates' top returning scorer after averaging 9.8 points per game in 16 games a year ago. Brandon Suggs also averaged more than nine points per game last season in 18 games played, while Tristen Newton and Tremont Robinson-White each averaged more than eight points per game. Robinson-White and senior Ludgy Debaut are the only returnees to play in each of the Pirates' 19 games last season.
Head Coach Joe Dooley, entering his eighth season at the helm of the program, added nine new players to the roster during the offseason including a trio of Division I transfers: Alanzo Frink (South Carolina), Vance Jackson (Arkansas) and Wynston Tabbs (Boston College).
Tony Madlock comes over to South Carolina State after working as an assistant on Penny Hardaway’s Memphis team last year. Madlock played with Hardaway at Memphis where they reached the elite eight back in the 1990’s. He spent four seasons at Mississippi before returning to Memphis including one as the interim head coach.
Before that he spent four years at Auburn and four more at UTEP as an assistant.
Rahsaan Edwards returns at guard for the Bulldogs. He scored right at ten points a game and made nearly 37 percent of his three-point attempts last season. 6-9 Jamel Davis returns at forward where he scored eight points a game and pulled down 5.4 rebounds per contest along with Omer Croskey at 7.2 points per game.
Dooley talked about what to expect in the opener Tuesday night against South Carolina State.
Former Jacksonville State guard Cameron Jones at 6-6 has transferred in along with 6-7 senior forward Quamain Nelson out of Logan College and 6-8 Deaquan Williams who comes in from Lincoln University along with 5-10 Wallace Selma JUCO transfer Rakeim Gary.
“They have a lot of new guys. They do have some returners back, three starters back,” said Dooley, “T.J. Madlock, Coach Madlock’s son, is a very good player. They had a little bit of a weird season last year. They were up and down as far as starting the season a little bit late, but a new coach and they’ll probably have a lot of new energy and a lot of new pieces.”
With the loss of leading scorer Jayden Gardner who transferred to Virginia, the Pirates have a lot of new players of their own along with several key scorers returning. Dooley talked about what to expect this season.
“I think it helps to have been able to play together during the summer,” Dooley told PirateIllustrated.com, “The rules have changed to where we are able to get a lot more stuff in during the preseason than you had previously. I think that’s helped. We’ve been able to acclimate some of the guys in who have been injured back into it and that’s been part of it or guys have been our sick. I think those guys are a little bit behind, but they’re starting to catch up.”
Look for this group of Pirates to play at a faster pace, looking to get into the fast break and score some easier points.
“We’d like to play a lot faster. That is something that we want to do. I think we have played fast in the scrimmages,” Dooley stated, “The biggest way to play faster is to get some defensive stops and then get out and play in transition, but I think the guys have done a pretty good job. I think if we push the ball better we will be able to play faster and be able to play multiple ways when teams do slow it down.”
7-0 redshirt junior post man Ludgy Debaut returns this season, has slimmed down and has high hopes for the season.
“We’ve been working all summer. The freshmen who came in are all ready to go so we’re excited,” said Debaut, “Tomorrow at 7 pm everybody is going to be ready to go out there and play. We’re trying to take very game, game by game and follow the coach’s plan.”
“We’re meshing pretty good. Everybody is doing the same thing and have the same mindset,” Debaut told PirateIllustrated.com, “Everybody is trying to get in the game and everybody is playing hard.”
Brandon Johnson at 6-8 out of Brunswick C.C. and 6-9 forward Vance Jackson, an Arkansas transfer are a pair of new Pirates to watch early.
East Carolina compiled an 8-11 overall record and 2-10 American Athletic Conference mark during the COVID-affected 2020-21 campaign. The team was forced to pause basketball activities twice during the league season and missed six AAC contests as a result.
PI AUDIO: JOE DOOLEY PREVIEWS S.C. STATE
FUN FACTS COURTESY OF ECU
In Season Openers
East Carolina holds a 63-26 record in season openers dating back to a 23-17 victory over the Greenville All Stars in its first-ever contest in 1931. The Pirates have won a remarkable 21-straight campaign lidlifters, last losing in the first game of the 1999-2000 campaign - a 58-53 setback to Robert Morris.
Joining The Crew
Veteran coach Steve DeMeo was named an assistant coach for the program prior to the 2021-22 season after spending two years at St. John's University. He also spent six years as head coach at Northwest Florida State College while holding additional lead roles at Division II Newberry College, as well as Monroe College and Bronx Community College. Numerous players that he recruited, coached and developed have been drafted by National Basketball Association teams including Charles Jenkins (Golden State Warriors), Ryan Gomes and MarShon Brooks (Boston), Herbert Hill (Utah) and Marcus Douthit (Los Angeles). In 2019, Oregon-signee and future 2021 NBA First Round Draft pick Chris Duarte was selected as the NJCAA Division I Player of the Year, the first player to earn that honor under DeMeo.
Against The MEAC
The Pirates are 16-5 against current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. In addition to South Carolina State, East Carolina will also battle Coppin State Nov. 27.
Eighth Season In The American
East Carolina is in its eighth men's basketball season as a member of the American Athletic Conference after spending 13 years as part of Conference USA. The Pirates look to eclipse the six-win mark in league play for the first time since joining the circuit.
On This Date
ECU is 0-1 in games played Nov. 9. The Pirates fell to JMU on that day back in 2018 in Greenville.
The South Carolina State game will be streamed live via ESPN+ with Si Seymour and Patrick Johnson on the call.
Up Next
East Carolina hosts Canisius Friday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m.
