If the rebuilding
process takes longer, does it lead to a stronger foundation?
That’s the question that many fans and supporters of the East Carolina
basketball team are waiting to have answered. The fact is, that
it’s been a long time since ECU has even had a winning record, much
less the chance to play in the NCAA tournament.
You have to go back to the 96-97 season under Joe Dooley for the
Pirates finishing above .500. In fact that season capped one of
the strongest stretches for Pirate basketball. With their 17-10
record in 96-97, ECU capped a stretch of 4 consecutive winning
seasons. Although the 92-93 Pirates finished at 14-16, that
season is also among the most memorable in Pirates history because of
the teams’ incredible run through the CAA tournament. The Pirates
appeared for only the second time in the NCAA tournament in team
history.
Other than that
5-year span, Pirate basketball doesn’t have a whole lot of fond
memories to look back on. You have to go back to the 88-89 season
for the teams last winning record before that, and all the way back to
73-75 for back to back winning seasons.
With so little
history to fall back on, building a strong program now is that much
harder. At ECU we don’t have the luxury of some of the ACC
schools in the state of competing in the NCAA tournament year in and
year out, or sending 2 or 3 players a year to the NBA. Winning
builds tradition, and tradition brings in the players that help you
win. It’s a vicious cycle that the Pirates can’t seem to
beat.
For the coaching
staff of a school that is known for football, building a winning
basketball program is tough. The current coaching staff is
finding out just that, as they’re off to a 3-5 start after four
consecutive losses. The addition of transfer Jeremy Ingram will
help, but that too will take time. Even though Ingram has
practiced with the team for several months, including the off-season,
time off from the game could hinder his abilities. It’s always
difficult when a team gets another player midway through the
season. Ingram hadn’t seen game action in nearly two years before
playing the Pirates game at Winthrop on December 18th. He also
has the aftermath of 3 knee surgeries to deal with in his attempt to
return to game shape. For ECU basketball the road ahead is long
and tough. It will likely take a couple of years to even see the
potential of the Pirates under Ricky Stokes, Mack McCarthy and the rest
of the staff. Give them time, support the team and eventually
this program will build enough tradition to form a strong foundation
for the future.
