2017–18 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team

2017–18 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record10–20 (4–14 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWilliams Arena (8,000)
Seasons
2017–18 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 6 Cincinnati † 16 – 2   .889 31 – 5   .861
No. 21 Houston 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
No. 16 Wichita State 14 – 4   .778 25 – 8   .758
Tulsa 12 – 6   .667 19 – 12   .613
Memphis 10 – 8   .556 21 – 13   .618
UCF 9 – 9   .500 19 – 13   .594
Temple 8 – 10   .444 17 – 16   .515
UConn 7 – 11   .389 14 – 18   .438
SMU 6 – 12   .333 17 – 16   .515
Tulane 5 – 13   .278 14 – 17   .452
East Carolina 4 – 14   .222 10 – 20   .333
South Florida 3 – 15   .167 10 – 22   .313
† 2018 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team represented East Carolina University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pirates were led by interim head coach Michael Perry and played their home games at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum as fourth-year members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10–20, 4–14 in AAC play to finish in 11th place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to UCF.

Following a 2–4 start to the season, eighth-year head coach Jeff Lebo announced his resignation from ECU on November 29, 2017 and Perry was named interim head coach.[1] On April 4, 2018 the school announced that Florida Gulf Coast head coach Joe Dooley, who coached the Pirates from 1995 to 1999, would return as head coach.[2]

Previous season

The Pirates finished the 2016–17 season 15–18, 6–12 in AAC play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Temple in the first round of the AAC tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to SMU.

On January 16, 2017, head coach Jeff Lebo underwent hip surgery and was unable to coach for the rest of the season.[3] Assistant coach Michael Perry took over as acting head coach beginning with the January 22 game.[4]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Deng Riak 0 C 6'10" 225 Sophomore Melbourne, Australia Transferred to Akron
Caleb White 2 G 6'7" 205 Senior Buckingham, VA Graduated
Elijah Hughes 4 G 6'6" 220 Freshman Somers, NY Transferred to Syracuse
Michel Nzege 13 F 6'8" 220 RS Senior Geneva, Switzerland Graduated
Clarence Williams 23 F 6'8" 195 Senior Tallahassee, FL Graduated
Andre Washington 31 C 7'1" 235 Senior Roanoke, VA Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Seth LeDay 3 F 6'7" 200 Junior The Colony, TX Transferred from Virginia Tech. Under NCAA transfer rules, LeDay will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Aaron Jackson 10 G 6'8" 215 RS Senior Gahanna, OH Transferred from Akron. Will be eligible to play immediately since Jackson graduated from Akron.
Usman Haruna 35 C 7'0" 220 Junior Kaduna, Nigeria Junior college transferred from Bismarck State College

Recruiting class of 2017

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
K.J. Davis
#87 SF 		Portsmouth, VA I. C. Norcom High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A Aug 3, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Justin Whatley
SF 		Chesapeake, VA Oscar Smith High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 2, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:1/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Dimitri Spasojevic
SF 		Vršac, Serbia Gimnazija Čačak 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 24, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.

Recruiting class of 2018

College recruiting information (2017)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
DeShaun Wade
#72 SG 		Virginia Beach, VA The Miller School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 19, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 66
Jayden Gardner
PF 		Wake Forest, NC Heritage High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sep 24, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Rico Quinton
C 		Newbern, TN Dyer County 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 21, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Isaac Fleming 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr National Christian Academy
Hawaii 		Wilmington, DE
G 1 Jeremy Sheppard Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So John Marshall Richmond, VA
G 2 K. J. Davis 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr I. C. Norcom Portsmouth, VA
F 3 Seth LeDay Current redshirt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr The Colony
Virginia Tech 		The Colony, TX
G 10 Aaron Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Lincoln HS
Akron 		Gahanna, OH
F 13 Justin Whatley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Oscar Smith Chesapeake, VA
G/F 15 Kentrell Barkley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Northern Durham, NC
G 21 B. J. Tyson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Anson Wadesboro, NC
G 24 John Whitley (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Washington Washington, D.C.
F/C 25 Jabari Craig Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Tucker
Pearl River CC 		Maumelle, AR
F 32 Dimitri Spasojevic 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Gimnazija Čačak Vršac, Serbia
F/C 35 Usman Haruna 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Bismarck State College Kaduna, Nigeria
G 41 Addison Hill (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr South Central Winterville, NC
G 52 Justice Obasohan (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr NC School of Science and Math Wallace, NC
G 55 Shawn Williams 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Fr Southwest Christian Academy Maumelle, AR
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 12, 2017*
5:00 pm 		Coppin State
Showcase on the Banks 		W 76–50  1–0
 Williams Arena (3,228)
Greenville, NC
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Radford L 66–73  1–1
 Williams Arena (3,384)
Greenville, NC
Nov 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Central Connecticut
Showcase on the Banks 		L 68–79  1–2
 Williams Arena (3,042)
Greenville, NC
Nov 20, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Cleveland State
Showcase on the Banks 		W 72–69  2–2
 Williams Arena (2,907)
Greenville, NC
Nov 24, 2017*
1:00 pm, BTN Plus 		at Rutgers
Showcase on the Banks 		L 47–61  2–3
 Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,336)
Piscataway, NJ
Nov 26, 2017*
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		North Carolina A&T L 81–87  2–4
 Williams Arena (3,373)
Greenville, NC
Nov 30, 2017*
8:00 pm, ESPN3 		UNC Wilmington W 93–88 OT 3–4
 Williams Arena (3,373)
Greenville, NC
Dec 2, 2017*
5:00 pm 		Delaware State W 63–57  4–4
 Williams Arena (3,195)
Greenville, NC
Dec 4, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Campbell W 69–66  5–4
 Williams Arena (2,980)
Greenville, NC
Dec 18, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Charlotte L 50–69  5–5
 Williams Arena (3,162)
Greenville, NC
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Grambling State W 76–68  6–5
 Williams Arena (3,302)
Greenville, NC
AAC regular season
Dec 28, 2017
5:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Tulsa L 53–79  6–6
(0–1) 		Reynolds Center (8,355)
Tulsa, OK
Dec 31, 2017
4:00 pm, ESPNews 		UCF L 39–59  6–7
(0–2) 		Williams Arena (2,946)
Greenville, NC
Jan 3, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		at South Florida W 67–65  7–7
(1–2) 		USF Sun Dome (2,148)
Tampa, FL
Jan 6, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPNews 		at UConn L 65–70  7–8
(1–3) 		XL Center (6,717)
Hartford, CT
Jan 11, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 5 Wichita State L 60–95  7–9
(1–4) 		Williams Arena (5,539)
Greenville, NC
Jan 14, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Houston L 49–65  7–10
(1–5) 		Williams Arena (3,549)
Greenville, NC
Jan 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		South Florida W 90–52  8–10
(2–5) 		Williams Arena (2,857)
Greenville, NC
Jan 20, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPNews 		at No. 12 Cincinnati L 60–86  8–11
(2–6) 		BB&T Arena (8,879)
Highland Heights, KY
Jan 28, 2018
2:00 pm, CBSSN 		at SMU L 61–86  8–12
(2–7) 		Moody Coliseum (6,544)
Dallas, TX
Jan 31, 2018
6:30 pm, ESPNews 		Tulane L 69–71 OT 8–13
(2–8) 		Williams Arena (3,072)
Greenville, NC
Feb 3, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPNews 		Memphis W 88–85 OT 9–13
(3–8) 		Williams Arena (3,338)
Greenville, NC
Feb 7, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNews 		at Temple L 73–90  9–14
(3–9) 		Liacouras Center (5,282)
Philadelphia, PA
Feb 14, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPNews 		at Tulane W 82–80  10–14
(4–9) 		Devlin Fieldhouse (1,098)
New Orleans, LA
Feb 18, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPNews 		UConn L 80–84  10–15
(4–10) 		Williams Arena (4,524)
Greenville, NC
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNews 		SMU L 58–77  10–16
(4–11) 		Williams Arena (2,923)
Greenville, NC
Feb 25, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		at No. 23 Houston L 58–109  10–17
(4–12) 		Toyota Center (3,602)
Houston, TX
Mar 1, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		Tulsa L 58–72  10–18
(4–13) 		Williams Arena (3,205)
Greenville, NC
Mar 4, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Memphis L 70–90  10–19
(4–14) 		FedEx Forum (6,474)
Memphis, TN
AAC tournament
Mar 8, 2018
8:30 p:m, ESPNU 		(11) vs. (6) UCF
First Round 		L 52–66  10–20
 Amway Center (7,918)
Orlando, FL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

  1. ^ Wiseman, Steve (November 29, 2017). "Jeff Lebo out as East Carolina basketball coach". The News & Observer. Raleigh, NC. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "East Carolina brings back Dooley as its men's hoops coach". kentucky. Archived from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "East Carolina Pirates: Jeff Lebo Out for Hip Surgery Indefinitely". Old North Banter. January 14, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  4. ^ "ECU coach Lebo out indefinitely after hip surgery". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.