East Carolina basketball has done some growing under the leadership of Mike Schwartz and the Pirate program is getting bigger in several aspects, including revenue sharing.<\/p>\n
The recruiting haul after the first winning season since 2014 focused on bringing in size so ECU has added stature in a literal sense.<\/p>\n
After going 19-14 overall and 10-8 in the American in 2024-25, expectations will increase. There should be some momentum in ticket sales as people don\u2019t come to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum to watch the Pirates lose.<\/p>\n
Success will come as ECU answers big challenges. Shwartz calls the pending nonconference schedule possibly the toughest in program history.<\/p>\n
Another big change will be the site of the American tournament, the potential launching pad for a berth in the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n
Roster rebuild<\/p>\n
Last season\u2019s top two scorers, R.J. Felton (18.8 points per game) and C.J. Walker (16.7), completed their eligibility so there was work to do in terms of replacing offensive firepower.<\/p>\n
Jordan Riley returns after averaging 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.<\/p>\n
An annual roster overhaul has become routine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just become the new normal in college athletics regardless of the sport,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201d \u2026 We\u2019ve been fortunate enough to retain our leading scorer each season that had remaining eligibility. \u2026 Jordan Riley would be considered our leading returning scorer, and he had plenty of opportunities coming off the season to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing that I do love about this program, this coaching staff, ECU, and this community, is that our players not only from a number of standpoint \u2014 six guys this year and every year we\u2019ve had more than half of our team return, but also from a productivity standpoint, some of the key guys.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year it\u2019s Jordan Riley, Jay Woodard, Trevi LaBeaux, Reid Cason, who had all started games last year and all of them came back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a roster rebuild, so to speak, a roster construction, and we had a very intentional purpose of what we were looking to do this spring in terms of what we wanted it to look like. And we did that we feel like. But the retention piece will never go unnoticed or be underestimated as to how important that is. And the guys that have come back, we\u2019re really excited about that group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recruiting results, frontcourt<\/p>\n
The Pirates sought two factors in recent recruiting efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were really two main components that we wanted to try and add this spring,\u201d Schwartz said.\u00a0 \u201cWe hope we\u2019ve done that. The first was size \u2014 just size in the frontcourt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll start there, Eli DeLaurier, who\u2019s a 6 feet, 9 inch transfer from Providence. He\u2019s a very skilled basketball player that can play outside in, can play inside as a true power forward, but can also stretch the floor. He understands the game in terms of IQ, passing the basketball and can make reads. Very excited about him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went and got Vito Perkovic, a freshman from Hamilton Heights High School (Chattanooga), that at 6-10, 250 (pounds) as a freshman, has a long way to go in terms of getting the physical shape and obviously understanding of the college game. But what he is at 6-10 is a very skilled player that also can play outside in and can shoot the basketball, which is very important. We hope that it translates in his freshman year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big piece was Giovanni Emejuru, transfer from George Mason, who came in here last year in a really exciting game that we were fortunate enough to win (78-77, 2 OTs) versus them. He had 12 points, nine rebounds (35 minutes). We\u2019ve known about Gio for a long time, even before he was at George Mason. When he was at Siena, he averaged (11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds in 2023-24).<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a 6-11, 260-pound, true center. He\u2019s not worried about playing on the perimeter. He doesn\u2019t want to play on the perimeter. He knows who he is, and he\u2019s a guy that can be a physical presence in the post.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose three guys, Gio Emejuru, Eli DeLaurier, and Vito Perkovic, being able to add that size this offseason. And then in addition, Luke Davis, who is a Greenville product at South Central High School. He was a transfer from University of New Orleans. He\u2019s 6-9, high motor forward. So to be able to bring him here and then Reid Cason returning. Reid has really gotten stronger this spring and summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like we have a good group of frontcourt players with the intent to be more physical upfront. We\u2019ve been a physical team. We\u2019ve been a physical team in the backcourt. We\u2019ve had strong guards. We\u2019ve posted our guards, but to be able to have a physical frontcourt with some depth, we hope we can establish that this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recruiting focus, perimeter<\/p>\n
Shwartz and staff also went after perimeter shooting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can be a better 3-point shooting team,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that was an area that we struggled with last season (31.6 percent). It\u2019s not easy to just go out and get elite shooters. That\u2019s one of the most coveted things in the country at every level.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the recruiting process, outside of Gio, which we had zero concern if he could shoot the three or not, every other guy that came in was thought of in terms of their shooting ability regardless of their position. We think with the guards and even the post players we spoke about, that they can all play and keep the defense stretched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope they\u2019re basketball players that can shoot the ball. I\u2019ll start with Corey Caulker as a point guard that we brought in from Eastern Florida Community College. Corey has had a really strong summer. He\u2019s a true point guard that can play, make plays off ball screens and get to the paint at a very high level.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got good speed, but he can shoot the basketball. He\u2019s had a good summer shooting the basketball. Very excited about Corey. He can keep defenses honest off ball screens in terms of getting downhill or shooting the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsaiah Mbeng transferred from William & Mary. He shot 50 percent from three in the last 10 games of the season of his freshman year. I think he shot in the thirties, somewhere in the thirties during his freshman year, but led them in assists (3.4) last year as a freshman at William & Mary. He was positive on assist to turnover ratio, an all CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) rookie team selection. Isaiah is another guy that works extremely hard. He has a real strong mind for the game and can shoot the basketball. We need that to translate into his time here as he comes into ECU.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaddy D\u2019Arcy from Australia at one point was the leading 3-point shooter in one of his international tournaments. \u2026 He\u2019s another guy who has not had a chance to be here all summer because of how long it takes sometimes with international student visas. So, he got here late, but he\u2019s somebody that we think can be at some point a very strong 3-point shooter for us. That\u2019s what he does best and we were very intentional about going out and trying to get that.<\/p>\n
\u201cVito Perkovic is a center, freshman that can step out and shoot the basketball. He does that about as well as any big guy that I\u2019ve been around that you could say he\u2019s a true forward center. He can step out and shoot the basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaithi Quinn, 6-3 guard from Quincy, MA. Another guard that can shoot the basketball. Played for a great high school program and a youth program, the Middlesex Magic. Really tough. He reminds me a lot of an R.J. Felton-type freshmen in terms of physicality and being strong as a freshman.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaithi Quinn is another guy that can shoot the basketball. He\u2019s had multiple games in high school of making five plus 3-pointers. So he\u2019s that kind of guy. He does a lot more than just shoot, but he\u2019s a guy that can shoot the basketball..<\/p>\n
\u201cOur returning guys have just continued to work on their shooting, whether it\u2019s Jay Woodard, Jordan Riley and Trevi LeBeaux on the perimeter and Tybo Bailey. I think our fans will really see a different Tybo Bailey this year. \u2026 We need Tybo to be someone that really keeps the floor spaced for us and is one of our better shooters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rev sharing<\/p>\n
Athletic director Jon Gilbert has said that basketball will be involved in revenue sharing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel very fortunate and blessed from the university standpoint,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cChancellor (Philip G.) Rogers and Jon Gilbert and everybody from the campus side to the athletic side that has supported men\u2019s basketball in this new era of college athletics and revenue sharing and how that looks. We feel very fortunate to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schwartz said the program will remain at 13 scholarships.<\/p>\n
Staff addition<\/p>\n
There have been some staff changes in men\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe added Jaylen Bond to our coaching staff,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cReally excited about him. Former player, played for Rick Barnes at Texas, played for Fran Dunphy at Temple. He has been a graduate assistant at Temple. Got his master\u2019s degree there. Coached for a year at Albany under Dwayne Killings. A really good coach there.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas had a professional career both in the G League and overseas. He does a great job and has done a great job with our post players in the short time he\u2019s been here. Great human being, great coach and very excited he\u2019s with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Challenging schedule<\/p>\n
A game at North Carolina is among the highlights on the 2025-26 schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be as challenging as any schedule ECU has had in the nonconference,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cI would quite honestly say potentially in the history of the program, but definitely up there at the very upper tier of that in terms of the nonconference games and difficult games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat North Carolina game on December 22nd is one of many. \u2026 There\u2019s a lot of games between November 3rd to December 22nd that we know are extremely difficult games. (UNC) will be the last game before the break. But to be able to play an in-state powerhouse like North Carolina and a program like that obviously is a good thing for East Carolina.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do go to Wilmington, which we know how difficult that is, and it doesn\u2019t matter where you play Wilmington, it\u2019s difficult. They\u2019re such a good program. It\u2019s such a well-coached team and the program\u2019s been successful for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a battle our first year there at Wilmington and we came up short (61-74) and we were fortunate enough to win in year two in our building (74-66). And last year they came in and they won in our building (53-67) and now the series starts again and this would be, I believe it\u2019s a 6-year home and home back-and-forth thing. It\u2019s at least four years, but it should be a series that goes on for a while, because Wilmington\u2019s a great basketball program in this state. It\u2019s a good rivalry game.<\/p>\n
\u201cAppalachian State will come in here this year. We go there next year, Richmond, we go to Richmond this year. They will come back into our building next year. (UNC) Greensboro comes into our building this year. We go to Greensboro next year. So I think between the home games, the road games, the series that have been put in place, and then you are talking about a MTE tournament in Florida over the Thanksgiving time versus Michigan State and St. Bonaventure.\u201d<\/p>\n
New look in Williams Area at Minges Coliseum<\/p>\n
A huge new logo on the playing floor of ECU\u2019s arena will leave no doubt with television viewers about where the game is being played.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I love it,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cI think it looks fantastic. Jon Gilbert, Brian Robinson, J.J. McLamb and the whole crew in the Athletics Department just did such an awesome job designing and resurfacing and redesigning the court for men\u2019s basketball, women\u2019s basketball and volleyball.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all feel very fortunate to have that. The guys have enjoyed being in there this summer and can\u2019t wait for the fans to be in the building as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rule change<\/p>\n
A new rule will play into strategy this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are going to go to a coach\u2019s challenge this year,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard to know exactly how it\u2019s going to impact because it\u2019s never been implemented before. I think they\u2019re still trying to figure out the exact details of how it will look.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re trying to go away from all the referee reviews at the end of the game where they\u2019re going and looking at the clock and checking out of bounds over and over. I think they felt like the game ended up going a little bit too long.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now they are going to give every coach a coach\u2019s challenge. If you\u2019re successful with it, you took the challenge. If you\u2019re not successful, you lose the challenge and you lose the timeout.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be some strategy involved in that and we\u2019ll just kind of see, because it\u2019ll be the first year that we\u2019re all going through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
10-minute quarters?<\/p>\n
There are proponents for changing men\u2019s college basketball to four 10-minute quarters from two 20-minute halves.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is based on TV,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cI will say this, college, men\u2019s basketball is the only basketball in the world that is not four quarters, whether you go to high school, whether you go to international, women\u2019s basketball, professional, NBA, overseas, it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n
\u201d \u2026 This is what I\u2019m used to is two halves. If they went to four quarters, I\u2019d be perfectly fine as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bahamas last year<\/p>\n
ECU made a summer trip for some games in the Bahamas last year that helped personnel mesh. The Pirates won\u2019t have that advantage this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hit a roadblock,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cWe hit a ditch in December. We struggled during the month of December last year, and I thought that the camaraderie and the chemistry of the team, how connected we were from that trip to the Bahamas allowed us not to get too deep in a hole.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 We could fight out of it and do what we did in conference play. We don\u2019t have that this year. So we have done a lot of team building and we\u2019ve put a real emphasis on the chemistry of this team and the connectivity of this team this summer. \u2026 It will take a little bit longer as we get into the preseason, maybe those scrimmages that we have early in the year, whether it\u2019s secret scrimmages or exhibition games or whatever we\u2019re able to put together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re going to be figuring some of that out as we get into October versus maybe having had a chance to have some of that on film and see what we needed to see in August. \u2026 We had already played two games this time last year. \u2026 We had a little bit of a feel. We thought this and maybe this is going to be a little different than we thought. Maybe he needs to slide up a position, slide down a position. Hey, we feel like we can be really good here. We need to work on this because of what we were exposed to out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it may be, we don\u2019t have that yet. And so it\u2019ll be a little bit more traditional, but I think this will be a team. And I\u2019ve always said this and I thought we did it last year, we\u2019re going to get better as the season goes. Our goal is to be playing our best in February and March, and I think we were doing that last year, and I think this will be another team that will continually grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not as old as we were last year. We have some experience. I think this team will grow, because of some of the youth and the guys that will make an impact and they\u2019re younger. And I think as we get into September, October, November, December and on into conference play, I think this team will continue to grow and go upward, which is important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Potential NCAA tournament expansion<\/p>\n
There has been discussion about expanding the NCAA tournament field from 68 teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all based on TV and money,\u201d Schwartz said.\u00a0 \u201cThat is really what this is about. There\u2019s really, there\u2019s nothing more to it. The decision makers are making those decisions purely off of that, and a lot of that is run by or guided by the Power Four schools and the schools with those kind of resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of that being said, it will not happen this year. If they do it, if it\u2019s 72 teams, you got to fight to try and be one of those 72. If it\u2019s 76, if it\u2019s 78, and right now it\u2019s 68, and that\u2019s where our mind is that \u2014 what can you do to find a way to get into that field?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the greatest sporting event, in my opinion, the college basketball NCAA tournament, and if they have 72 or 76 or 78, I think it will remain that. There\u2019ll just be more teams that get to basically take part in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
American tournament<\/p>\n
The most likely avenue into the NCAA tournament for the Pirates would be to win the conference tournament, which is moving from Fort Worth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is now going to be in Birmingham, Alabama, this year, and then it will be in Tampa, Florida, the following two years. They\u2019re on a three-year cycle. It will no longer be in Fort Worth. It will be in the Birmingham-Jefferson\u00a0 Convention Complex. It\u2019s a convention center downtown, which will be very cool.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it will be at at South Florida at the Yuengling Center on the campus of South Florida for the following two years, which I guess the University of South Florida was able to bid and win that bid to be able to host it actually on their campus. So we\u2019ll see how that goes, but that\u2019s what the next three years looks like. Birmingham and then on the campus of South Florida and Tampa the following two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Tampa arena seats 10,400. The Birmingham facility accommodates 17,654.<\/p>\n
The home court<\/p>\n
The capacity of Minges Coliseum is between 7,100 and 8,000, but there\u2019s no place like home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very appreciative of what we have,\u201d Schwartz said. \u2018What I love about the facility and when it\u2019s packed, the fans are in there and the Minges Maniacs and Pirate Nation is in there. It\u2019s loud and it\u2019s raucous in there with an electric atmosphere. That\u2019s my favorite facility, and we don\u2019t need a thing for it to be that because we can do that right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just feel very fortunate about the home court that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"East Carolina basketball has done some growing under the leadership of Mike Schwartz and the Pirate program is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[402,398,400,401,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-76246","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-basketball","11":"tag-ncaabasketball","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}