East Carolinian

Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: SID

ECU has not necessarily been a program that instills fear in the hearts of Conference USA basketball teams in the past, but head coach Mack McCarthy and company are looking to change that this season.

Under the direction of McCarthy, who is in his third season at the helm and fifth in the program, the Pirates have increased their win total every season.

Last season, ECU fielded a competitive team that finished 13-17 overall, and this year they appear to be poised for a breakout.

In order for the Pirates to take that next step from competitive to contender, they will need to deal with the loss of seniors James Legan and Sam Hinnant, two of the program's most heralded three-point shooters.

"They could really shoot the ball," McCarthy said. "It will take a collective effort to replace them."

ECU returns a core of talented young players with walk-on Greyson Sargent being the only senior on the entire roster.

Junior point guard Brock Young led the conference and finished second in the nation last year in assists per game.

Sophomore power forward Darrius Morrow was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team after an impressive rookie season.

Junior wing player Jamar Abrams has been patiently waiting his turn behind Legan and Hinnant and should shine with increased playing time.

Junior center Chad Wynn offers the Pirates considerable size down in the low post and will be looking to be a bigger factor on the offensive end this season.

The Pirates also welcome in a talented crop of recruits that should push for early minutes.

Coach McCarthy feels that depth, offensive diversity and multiple scoring options are the team's strengths heading into the season.

"We were mainly a three-point shooting team last season," McCarthy said. "But we have more post threats this season than we've ever had in the past. So we are going to be diverse offensively."

McCarthy also cited the plethora of scorers the Pirates possess, stating that the team has the potential to have up to six to eight scorers averaging double figures this season.

The team's weakness at this point, according to McCarthy, is their lack of experience. While he says that his team possesses more experienced players returning than he has had since he has been at ECU, he also points out that most of those players will have a new role this season.

The departures of Legan and Hinnant will be most felt in the backcourt, where they spent most of their time draining threes last season.

Continued...

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