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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook No. 167 Tuesday, January 6, 2004 By Denny O'Brien Staff Writer and Columnist

Showdown with Blazers is Herrion's biggest

©2004 Bonesville.net

Meaningful January games have been few and far between for East Carolina. That said, you can put tomorrow night's visit by UAB in a category of its own.

In terms of fan interest and overall appeal, the Blazers represent just another run-of-the-mill opponent that historically has filled Williams Arena to little more than half its capacity. Though a solid program with fairly strong tradition, UAB lacks the clout of Cincinnati, Louisville, or Marquette, schools which recently have drawn overflow crowds in Greenville.

Even so, if the Pirates collect their ninth win tomorrow, it might go down as Bill Herrion's biggest at East Carolina. Bigger than Louisville in 2002. Even bigger than consecutive upsets of Marquette.

Take nothing away from those memorable games, each of which can be viewed as watershed moments when ECU proved it could compete on a larger stage. The tangible result from those exhilarating wins is that there are fewer skeptics about the Pirates' potential and more blue-chip recruits willing to listen.

But in the end, those were little more than isolated upsets, which in college basketball are a dime-a-dozen in the grander scheme of things. A win over UAB, on the other hand, could provide the springboard for a program seeking to turn the corner.

If East Carolina has visions of a postseason appearance, beating the Blazers would be a good first step toward achieving that goal. In a sport where road wins can be more rare than a four-leaf clover, protecting your home floor is the primary ingredient for a successful season.

That theory is magnified for an East Carolina program still winless in Conference USA on foreign soil.

"This is a talented, talented league," Herrion said. "Every night you step on the court in this league you're playing against pros. This is a great league for us because it has opened our fans' eyes to big-time basketball which we've never had here at East Carolina."

It also has amplified the gap between high-profile programs and those seeking to reach that status.

C-USA's upper-division programs, for example, expect to win every night out, often using the name on their jerseys as a source for intimidation. Years of tradition and legendary coaches have created such a luxury.

UAB doesn't fall in that category, but the significance of a conference opener with the Blazers can't be brushed aside.

In a top-heavy league, UAB is a middle-of-the-pack program for which postseason success generally is defined as a deep NIT run. The Blazers are at a level slightly above East Carolina and present the caliber of opponent the Pirates must beat on a regular basis, especially at home.

Doing so after a no-show performance on the road against an average Ole Miss club could be a major boost to a team that needs to regain its stride as the difficulty of the schedule increases.

What's dangerous is the impact a loss can have on an East Carolina team yet to beat a foe with comparable talent. Glancing at the schedule, it's a decent bet the Pirates won't be favored to win again until Tulane visits on February 18.

The last thing East Carolina needs is a two-game losing streak heading into Saturday's match-up in Halton Arena with nemesis Charlotte.

More than ever, ECU has reached a crossroads with its basketball program. What happens tomorrow against UAB could be a sign of which way the Pirates will go.

A thrust to the next level, or the beginning of a tailspin into another less than fulfilling season?

Momentum for the league gauntlet is hinging on the Pirates' ability to make a quick recovery from a weekend hangover. From that angle, tomorrow's game has to rank as Herrion's biggest at ECU.

Promising Mr. Robinson

Freshman guard Frank Robinson made quite an impression with his effort against Radford last Tuesday. In just five minutes, he turned in seven points and three steals, to go along with one assist.

If Robinson can continue that pace, don't be surprised to see his minutes increase as the season progresses.

"He's so close," Herrion said. "The hard thing with Frank right now is he's a freshman and he's really playing behind Derrick Wiley. That's the tough part.

"It's kind of like when you have a great quarterback in football and you have a young kid behind him. You can't get him in the game because the older guy is playing so well and is so reliable."

But when he has gotten off the bench, Robinson has impressed the Pirates coach with his effort.

"He went in (against Radford) with about five minutes left in the game and he had not been in the game yet," Herrion said. "I think in those situations when you are up 30, kids can go one of two ways.

"He can say, 'You know what, I'm not going to play real hard, it doesn't mean anything. I'm just going to go through the motions.' Or, 'I'm going to go out and play the way we practice every day and take advantage of my opportunity.' That's what he did."

Wiley wowing

Prior to Saturday's loss to Ole Miss, Herrion couldn't have been more pleased with Derrick Wiley's performance.

Not only had Wiley increased his scoring production from last season, he also had been more selective with his shots.

"I'm very happy with Derrick Wiley's game right now," Herrion said last Tuesday. "Derrick's come an awful long way. You're talking about a junior college kid that we all know is a very, very explosive offensive player.

"And I'll tell you... Derrick's shot selection has gotten a lot better. He's not taking a lot of bad shots. He's so good at putting the ball on the floor and getting into the lane and getting it to the bucket that every time he gets into the lane and shoots you think it's going in."

Despite a woeful 2-for-8 shooting effort at Ole Miss, Wiley still is hitting 49 percent of his field goal attempts. That's a five percent improvement from last season.

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02/23/2007 01:56:02 AM