Pirates Open Basketball Practice Friday
October 02, 2014 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. --- With the experience of nine returning lettermen, the eligibility of four transfers and the eagerness of three freshmen, the East Carolina men's basketball team will begin preparations for the its first season in a new conference on Friday with its first official practice.
The NCAA adopted a rule change prior to the start of the 2013-14 season that allows each Division I program to hold its first team practice six weeks prior to its opening game instead of the traditional Oct. 15 date as in years past.
After 13 years as a member of Conference USA, the Pirates commence practice under the umbrella of the American Athletic Conference - home of reigning national champion Connecticut along with former C-USA brethren Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa and USF - which produced four NCAA Tournament teams in its inaugural season a year ago.
"There is a lot of excitement about jumping into the new league" fifth-year head coach Jeff Lebo said. "It's a substantial jump in competition and it's going to take some time for us to get a feel for what's happening and learn the landscape, but we're all looking forward to being a part of it."
ECU will make the transition to The American with eight players, including four returning starters, with postseason tournament experience. The Pirates received a postseason invitation for the third time in four years under Lebo last season and finished with a 17-17 record. Overall, the Pirates return more than 67 percent of their scoring and 72 percent of their rebounding.
The returning group is led by Bleacher Report preseason All-American Athletic Conference honorable mention selection Paris Roberts-Campbell (11.9 ppg) and sophomore Caleb White, who averaged 12.4 points per game as freshman, the most among ECU's returning players. The roster also includes 34-game starter Michael Zangari (8.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and senior point guard Antonio Robinson (4.9 ppg, 2.7 apg) as well as the team's top assist distributor Prince Williams (9.2 ppg, 3.6 apg).
The veteran Roberts-Campbell, who has played in 100 games in his three-year career, is coming off his best season in which he more than doubled his scoring average and posted career-highs for 3-point field goals made (59), rebounds per game (4.2) and assists (98) in addition to leading the Pirates with 53 steals.
White is coming off a solid rookie campaign, in which his 30 starts ranked as the most-ever by an ECU true freshman and his 422 points were second-most. He ranked second on the team in scoring, third in minutes played (31.8) and 3-point field goals made (47) and finished 12th in C-USA with a 37.6 3-point field goal shooting percentage.
Williams averaged 9.2 points per game and ranked ninth in C-USA in assists last year after he spent his freshman season sitting behind all-conference performer Miguel Paul. He scored 20 points in the Pirates' CIT loss to Wright State. Zangari also benefited from increased playing time and led the team with a 51.4 field goal shooting percentage and was one of just three players to start all 34 games.
In addition to these returners, the Pirates are expected to regain the services of redshirt sophomore Marshall Guilmette, who missed the final four games of his freshman season and the final 29 contests last year due to separate injuries.
ECU will also have the skills of Division I transfers Keith Armstrong, Michel-Oflik Nzege and Terry Whisnant, who sat out the 2013-14 campaign, along with four newcomers, including junior college transfer Kanu Aja along with freshmen Grant Bryant, Lance Tejada and B.J. Tyson.
Whisnant who started 19 games as a sophomore at Florida State two years ago will help alleviate the void left by departed senior Akeem Richmond, who led the NCAA with 155 3-point field goals made. He shot 35.6 percent behind the arc in 2012-13 and made multiple 3s in nine games, including four against Auburn and North Carolina.
Aja and Nzege should provide help in the frontcourt. Nzege averaged 7.6 points and 3.7 at Winston-Salem State two years ago before sitting out last season. Aja is a 6-foot-9, 245-lb. power forward that will provide a physical presence in the paint as will Armstrong. Tejada has the chance to make an immediate impact as a freshman after he averaged 23.3 points as a high school senior with Tyson and Bryant also having the opportunity to earn their way into the rotation.
The Pirates will officially tip-off the season against N.C. Wesleyan at 7 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 14 in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. ECU will play its first American conference game on Dec. 31 at home against Tulane.
