McCarthy hopes Pirates continue improvement

In his first season at the helm of ECU men's basketball, coach Mack McCarthy helped reenergize a lifeless program.

Now entering his second season and first without an "interim" tag, McCarthy is aiming to take the team a step closer to its first winning season since 1996-1997.

Last season the Pirates finished 11-19, but gave fans a glimpse of the potential the program has with wins over N.C. State, Houston and George Mason.

"We're really excited about the second year of our program going forward," said McCarthy on Monday. "…We've got a long ways to go, but we feel like we're on the right track. We finished strong with three wins in our last four regular season games. We didn't finish the [Conference USA] tournament like we wanted to but we feel like we did make some positive steps. Now we'll try to grow on that."

One of the challenges for McCarthy will be replacing six outgoing players with five freshmen and a transfer walk-on.

A rash of off-season attrition overshadowed the news that McCarthy would be retained as Head Coach for the next five seasons. ECU expected to replace seniors Darrell Jenkins, Cory Farmer and Taylor Gagnon, but replacing six players came as a surprise.

Forward Gabe Blair, one of the top rebounders in C-USA, decided to transfer to Wichita State. John Fields, another low post presence and talented shot blocker, will be suiting up for rival UNC-Wilmington next season. Guard Brandon Evans left the Pirates for the Spartans of UNC-Greensboro.

Sam Hinnant will be one of two seniors, along with James Legan, expected to pick up the slack and provide on and off the court leadership.

"We're all on the same page," said Hinnant. "Last year, we had some teammates who only cared about themselves but this year everybody is worried about the team and not about their own individual stats. We just want to come out and play hard for East Carolina and not for ourselves."

Hinnant emerged as ECU's most reliable scoring threat last season averaging 11.0 points per game and netting 30 points twice, against N.C. State and Houston.

Hinnant will be the centerpiece of a backcourt that features his classmate James Legan. Hinnant and Legan are the biggest reason why the Pirates had the top three-point field goal percentage in C-USA last season. The two combined for nearly 130 total made three-point shots in 2007-2008.

"I'm really pleased with those two guys," said McCarthy. "That's going to be critical. If we're going to be good this year, they don't necessarily have to have great years statistically, but they've got to have great years as leaders of this basketball team."

Hinnant and Legan will be backed up on the wing by sophomore Jontae Sherrod and freshmen Chris Turner and Chris Kupets.

Kupets is a combo guard with a knack for scoring who will also compete with sophomore Brock Young at the point guard position. Turner is a versatile player who possesses the skill to become an instant fan-favorite.

"He's a little different from our other guys who can score in that he can [score] in a variety of ways," McCarthy said of Turner. "He can beat you down the floor, take you off the dribble, finish at the rim as well as shoot the basketball…you're going to see flashes of brilliance, but the more we can get him to be consistent, the more he'll contribute right away."

Replacing three post players from a team that ranked dead last in C-USA in rebounding margin will be no easy task. But the cupboard isn't exactly bare either.

Darrius Morrow, a physical 6-foot-8 freshman, is expected to fill the void and should see big minutes this season. Morrow originally committed to play for Dave Odom at South Carolina but had a change of heart following Odom's departure. ESPN.com ranked the Atlanta native as the 30th best power forward prospect in the nation.

McCarthy expects the team's only true center, sophomore Chad Wynn, to be a much more formidable force in the post thanks to a long summer spent focusing on strength and conditioning.

Wynn will be joined on the low blocks by 6-foot-7 sophomore Daquan Joyner. Joyner should see his playing time increase significantly after being used sparingly last season.

Sophomore Jamar Abrams is the team's most dynamic returning player and is looking to capitalize on a promising freshman campaign. Abrams, a natural small forward, was forced into the power forward position last season and is likely to see the same duties this year.

Young and Kupets will be assigned the task of replacing Darrell Jenkins, C-USA's leader in assists a season ago.

Young served as Jenkins' primary backup last year and gained invaluable experience in his first season as a Pirate. McCarthy is counting on Young to help lead the fast-paced style he prefers.

"They brought me here to make plays and that's what I do," said Young. "The way that we're running and the way that Sam [Hinnant] and James [Legan] are shooting and the way the big guys are running the floor, there will be a lot of opportunities to play up-tempo."

ECU will be relying on returning players like Young to help new players acclimate to the potentially brutal schedule awaiting the Pirates.

ECU's home schedule will be highlighted by visits from George Mason, VCU, Wake Forest and Memphis. The Pirates away schedule is equally as daunting, with visits to Winthrop, UNCW, N.C. State and Clemson.

"The schedule is really, really difficult," said McCarthy. "…Needless to say, we've got a big challenge ahead of us. Conference USA as a whole is a lot better. We've got to grow up and grow up quickly."

Last season, ECU proved it could compete. This season, the challenge will be competing on a consistent basis and turning that competition into wins.

The Pirates will open the season at home against Coker on Nov. 14.

This writer can be contacted at sports@theeastcarolinian.