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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, February 10, 2008
By Brian Bailey |
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Thumbs up for Pirate
hoops
By
Brian Bailey
©2009 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
For the first time in
many years, the East
Carolina basketball team
had people buzzing on
Saturday night.
For some, it was the
lights-out shooting
display which saw the
Pirates shoot 63 percent
from the field.
For others, it was the
high-wire dunking act
from sophomore Jamar
Abrams.
For others still, it was
a big win
over one of the top
teams in Conference USA.
It was just a fun night
at Williams Arena.
It got off to a great
start with the first of
several Abrams slams.
The Pirates set up a
play to go backdoor on
an alley-oop with
Abrams. It was a
perfectly executed play,
and it got the night off
to an unbelievable
start.
“He is an exceptional
athlete,” said Pirate
coach Mack McCarthy when
asked about Abrams. “He
had a couple of dunks
that were incredible and
he’s the same guy who
has the finesse to go
out and shoot 5-6 from
the three-point line. He
shoots 90 percent from
the free throw line.
"Now he has to learn to
get to that line to take
advantage of that. When
he learns how to do
that, he could really be
special.”
Abrams had one slam in
the second half during
which it looked like he
used his elbow to wipe
off the backboard glass
before ripping down the
dunk.
Abrams scored a career
high 25 points in the
game. One of his
three-point shots looked
like it didn’t touch
anything, rim or net,
which is certainly rare
from a shot outside.
A closer look at the
video shows the ball
actually grazed the back
part of the rim, and
then shot straight
through the net without
touching the nylon. It
was a perfect shot on a
near perfect night for
Jamar Abrams.
“I’ve had games like
that in high school,”
said Abrams. “But this
is a different level and
so it really felt good.”
Coach McCarthy has said
all year long that this
is a very unselfish
team. His team ranked up
23 assists on 29 field
goals in the win over
Central Florida on
Saturday night.
One play in particular
stuck in my mind. The
Pirates were on a
controlled break which
featured quick pass
after quick pass. Around
the horn the ball
traveled. Just when you
thought a shot would go
up, another pass whizzed
by. Finally, another
three-pointer was
launched and swished
through the net.
“Twenty-three assists on
29 field goals at this
level is quite a step,”
said McCarthy. “It’s
very impressive. They
(the team) truly don’t
care who gets the shots
and who gets the points.
They just really want to
win at this point."
Coach Mack would love to
see this two-game
winning streak become
three with a win at
Tulane on Wednesday.
“We’ll find out a whole
lot about what these
games meant when we go
back on the road this
week,” said McCarthy.
The Pirates return home
to take on Rice on
Valentine’s Night at
Williams Arena.
Is there anything more
romantic then a date at
the ballgame?
On second thought, maybe
that’s why I’m not
married anymore!
Still, the Pirates are
playing well, and they
deserve a packed house
this week. Mack McCarthy
and his staff are making
heads turn. These
Pirates are playing with
lots of energy are
generally fun to watch.
A box of chocolates and
two tickets to see the
Pirates is a great idea
for Valentine’s Day.
OK, better add a dozen
roses!
BB
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02/10/2009 01:19:58 AM |
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