EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY PURPLE! 1

2012-2013PIRATE BASKETBALL

14 PURPLE! EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITYSEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 PURPLE! 15 ROB GOLDBERG JR.

PIRATE HOOPS2012-2013 BASKETBALL PREVIEWBY CRAIG BARNES JR.

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16 PURPLE! MAY/JUNE 2012

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

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Veteran leadership in the backcourt and some new additions to the frontcourt will be a key for the Lady Pirates and their success on the season.

Senior guard Celeste Stewart leads the Lady Pirates. Stewart, a senior guard from Charlotte, N.C., is a three-year starter and is the leader of the team. Stewart is the only player from last year’s squad to start all 31 games.

“Celeste is a three year starter for us at the point guard and she is an extension of me on the floor, she knows exactly what we are looking for and trying to get on every possession and I think this is going to be her year,” says head coach Heather Macy.

The Lady Pirates finished the season with 12-19. Eleven of those defeats came within conference play and Macy believes that the team will be much better in conference play this season.

“We are very optimistic about the year. We feel like the kids are doing the proper things to be able to really compete in C-USA,” says Macy.

THE CORE GROUPWith six newcomers being welcomed to the team, the

returning talent will be looked upon to help the team succeed. Tatiana Chapple, Kristine Mial, Janesha Ebron, Katie Paschal, Britny Edwards, Dana Jones, Stewart and Shala Hodges are the core group of players returning for ECU this season.

Mial, who has an undisclosed injury, is out without a timetable for her return. The offense is going to lean on the senior leadership of Stewart and Hodges until the newcomers get used to game action.

THE NEW GIRLSThe team is only replacing two players from last year’s

squad. Elise Shelton, 6-4, junior, junior college transfer, is going to be a big presence in the paint for the Pirates this season.

“Elise (Shelton) has learned a lot since she got here and we believe she will be a big factor for us this sea-son,” says Mial.

Shelton averaged a double-double at Phoenix College, with 14.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Shelton led the Arizona Community College Athletic Confer-

ence (ACCAC) in rebounding and blocked shots, fin-ished fifth in field goal percentage and eighth in scoring.

Chanel Green, Colleen Marshall, Jada Payne Shawnda Robinson and Abria Trice are the new additions to the roster.

Green will be battling in practice with Stewart and White for playing time at the lead

guard position.

PLAYERS TO WATCH Kyani White, Ariana Jackson and Whitny double

check spelling Edwards all sat out last season. White and Edwards were out due to NCAA rules for transfer players while Jackson nursed an injury.

White, a Virginia Tech transfer, was able to practice with the team last season and although she did not play in any games, she had a year to learn the system and now will be able to contribute to the team. White is battling with Stewart and Green in practice for playing time at the point guard position.

Jackson, who was a medical redshirt due to a knee in-jury that happened in early February of her sophomore campaign, is looking to come back even stronger and provide more depth to the forward position.

Edwards is a transfer player from Virginia University. While playing for the Cavaliers, she averaged 6.6 points per game and hauled in 2.6 rebounds. Edwards led the Cavaliers in free throw percentage and was second on the team in 3-point field goals. The addition of Ed-wards gives the frontcourt an additional knock down shooter on the outside to help stretch the floor..

ON THE HORIZONThe Pirates will face two teams that played in the

tournament last year. The first match up against Navy will take place during the Navy Classic on November 30. The second match up against UTEP is a conference match and will take place on January 1, 2013.

The Pirates also play several North Carolina-based schools. They host St. Andrews University, Campbell University, North Carolina Central University and Elon University. They will also face UNC-Chapel Hill at a neutral site in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on December 19.

GOING TO THE CHAPPLE

Tatiana Chapple is one of the core group of players returning for ECU this season.

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

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DRIVE TIME

Miguel Paul averaged a team-high 15 points per game last season and led the conference in assists.

MEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM IS BACK IN ACTION

The experience in the backcourt will be key for the Pirates this season as the team is relatively young on the inside. With the departure of Darrius Morrow, men’s basketball head coach Jeff Lebo is counting on players like Maurice Kemp and Miguel Paul to be team leaders. The Pirates will also depend on depth to help the team this season.

Paul, a transfer from University of Missouri, averaged a team-high 15 points per game last season and led the conference in assists, dishing out on average six help-ers per game. He also received second team Conference USA accolades last season and has been named to the preseason Conference USA first team.

“The preseason awards are nice, but it’s just the preseason, so I am continuing to work hard everyday,” says Paul. He will have even higher expectations for this season and leadership is one thing that he and Lebo believes he needs to further develop.

“I’m looking on developing my leadership. A lot of games could have been finished out if I would have led the right way and finished,” adds Paul.

Kemp, the team’s leading rebounder and its second-leading scorer, knows that it is important to have more of a leadership role on both ends of the court. Kemp understands that he will be called upon to produce for the Pirates this season. “I’m expecting to step up offen-sively, defensively and in all areas or wherever coach Lebo needs me,” says Kemp.

Height and depth will be two big differences for the team this year. With four new big men on the roster, all measuring in from 6 feet 8 inches to 6 feet 10 inches, the Pirates will take the court looking completely dif-ferent from a year ago. With players like Kemp and Erin Straughn helping develop these newcomers, the front-court of the Pirates should be stronger than ever this season. “We are trying to direct the young guys and lead by example,” says Kemp.

Last season, the team’s only frontcourt threat was Morrow. Now, the Pirates have two freshmen that stand 6 feet 10 inches tall.

Marshall Guilmette and Yasin Kolo will both be called upon this season to make a difference on the inside. Juniors Robert Sampson and Ty Armstrong both have

collegiate playing experience and should be able to con-tribute right away. Sampson has worked hard during the offseason and Lebo has taken notice.

“Sampson is an experienced guy who can knock down the three,” says coach Lebo. “I think you’re going to see a much stronger and a much better rebounding Robert Sampson this year.”

Armstrong, a transfer from Auburn University, has sat out the past two years, but he has gotten the attention of the coaches and other players. He should be battling with Sampson, Straughn and Kolo for time on the court.

Conference USA is expected to be strong again this year. Memphis, Southern Miss, Marshall, UCF and Rice all participated in postseason play last season. Memphis and Southern Miss were NCAA tournament teams, while Marshall and UCF played in the National Invita-tional Tournament (NIT).

Memphis is the projected team to beat in the confer-ence this year. Memphis with a host of talented players earned a No. 17 ranking in the preseason polls. Marshall is projected to finish second in the conference with other teams like Houston and UCF all vying for a spot atop the conference.

Teams like Southern Miss, Tulsa and UTEP are all in transitional seasons. Southern Miss and Tulsa made coaching changes and will also have to replace contribu-tors from their teams last year. They also have to see how this year’s team will gel with a new coach and new system.

With new transitions affecting many teams in the confer-ence and with the core of ECU’s team coming back, ECU is in prime position to defy the preseason odds of finishing ninth and surprising the conference with a top five finish. “I have high expectations for us this year,” said Kemp.

The Pirates should have a decent eight to nine man rotation this season and players like Paris Roberts-Campbell and Akeem Richmond will both receive valuable playing time as Lebo wants to emphasize the importance of knocking down the outside shot.

“If we can shot the ball consistently from the perim-eter, we will be a tough out,” says Lebo.

On Dec. 15, the Pirates travel to Chapel-Hill to play the University of North Carolina. This will be the first true test for the Pirates before conference play begins.