The American Media Day Wrap-Up
October 28, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Preseason Poll | ASN TV Schedule
East Carolina Head Coach Jeff Lebo and senior guard Prince Williams attended American Athletic Conference Media Day at the Amway Center in Orlando Tuesday. The two spent the day talking with a variety of media outlets across the country, including ESPN and CBS. Below are selected quotes Coach Lebo and Williams' media sessions.
ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo
On the growth and stability of The American
"We learned a lot about how good the league is in basketball in our first year last year. The league was much more physical and much bigger at every position for us. We're competing now on a national stage and are able to promote our program on television night in and night out. We can't put a price tag on that type of exposure. Being able to compete against some of the great program across the country and getting some notoriety to our program, players and University. We're trying to grow into the league as a young member and we're honored to be a part of it.
"I think the league this year will be as strong as it's ever been. There are a lot of returning players, a lot of terrific coaches and we're looking forward to being a part of that."
On the affects of the new rules
"I think you're going to see a lot of 2-2-1, three-quarter court soft press back to zone. A lot of our games are going to be dictated by how the game's officiated. We've had a scrimmage already and we had 69 fouls. [NCAA] wants to speed the pace of play and wants us to score more, [teams] are going to score more from the foul line if it's called the way its supposed to be called.
"[Teams] are going to have to make some adjustments in how we defend and that's going to take time. The adjustments are going to happen, for us as coaches, until the officials call it consistently that way from the beginning of the year until the end of the year. Then adjustments will be made. I think the game is going to be ugly for our fans until all of us make those adjustments.
"With the shot clock going down you have less styles that you're going to be able to play in college basketball. To me that's what's great about college basketball is that you have time to have different types of styles. When you lower the clock, the styles get to be the same and the plays get to be the same."
Senior Prince Williams
On getting ready for senior season
"I'm looking to have a big senior campaign this year. Last year was a tough year for me but I just had to make a couple tweaks to my game play at a better pace and taking care of the ball better. Those are the two main things."
On first year playing in the American
"It was exciting and you have to bring it every game because you are playing against some of the top players in college basketball every night. It was a tough year but I think we are more accustomed to it this year. It will be fun."
On main goal for the season
"My goal is just to be able to compete against the top players. It was frustrating watching guys that I know I can compete against last year and that is all the motivation I needed."
On the team
"Our team will definitely be ready. We have been ready to turn some heads this year. We have a lot of talented guys. It will be exciting."
On the Amway Center hosting Conference Tournament
"Yeah, it is a really nice arena. This is my first time being here and it should be exciting to play in."
On how practice has been going so far
"Practice has been rough. It is the grind right now and playing against each other. We are going against each other for spots but it will definitely help us out in the long run when we are competing against other teams. Everybody is picking it up along with the offense. The defense is really ahead of our offense right now. We just need to continue to get in the gym and get shots up. We will be fine."
On the shorter shot clock
"I agree with what the coaches said earlier, I think it will be a lot more one on one at the end of the shot clock. It will bring out shot making ability and the players more. I think it will really bring out the talent and the players this year. If you have those kinds of players on your team then you will be alright in this league."
On the key for the Pirates this year
The key for us will be for our big men to remain healthy. We had a couple of guys down last year and it kind of took away a lot of points in the paint. Guys would go in there and make a lot of layups because we didn't have good protection. We have a lot of athletic big men this year and a couple transfers. I think the main thing is protecting the rim and playing in the paint with our big men. The trick is for them to stay healthy as well as our guards."
Preseason Poll
East Carolina was picked to finish eighth in its second season in The American in the in voting by the league's head coaches. SMU was tabbed to repeat as regular season champion, garnering eight of 11 first-place votes. UConn garnered two first-place votes and was picked to finish second and Cincinnati had one first place-vote and was picked third. Tulsa was chosen fourth in the preseason standings followed by Memphis, Temple and Houston. East Carolina, UCF, USF and Tulane were tabbed eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th to round out the voting.
Two Games Added To American Sports Network
American Sports Network (ASN), a division of Sinclair Networks Group, which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. will televise two ECU men's basketball games for the 2015-16 season, beginning with the November 16 game against Charlotte. ASN will also carry the Pirates' Dec. 1 game against Florida Atlantic.
All ASN games will also be streamed live on ESPN3 through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans that receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Outlets carrying the games will be announced at a later time.
