Al Myatt: Path to success found on offensive boards

Don't miss Al Myatt's profile of ECU Chancellor Steven Ballard in the 2004 Bonesville Magazine.

View from the East
Thursday, January 27, 2005

By Al Myatt

EAST CAROLINA-SAINT LOUIS WRAP-UP

Postgame Audio: Herrion, Rouse, King

• Associated Press Game Story

• Al Myatt Game Analysis

• Box Score

• Comprehensive Schedule, Scores, Attendance

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• NCHSAA & ECU: Smooth Sailing Again

• HIGH HOPES FOR HOOPS

• STEVE BALLARD: New Leader Takes Charge

• SCOTT COWEN: Busting Down the Door

• KEITH LECLAIR on ECU's Field of Dreams

• BETH GRANT: Actress Still a Pirate

GREENVILLE — The occasion marked a pleasant change for Bill Herrion, who had been explaining road losses by a total margin of 72 points in the last two games that had dropped East Carolina to 0-6 in Conference USA.

When the Pirates battled past Saint Louis 60-53 in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday night, the ECU coach had to make some adjustments in his postgame demeanor.

"Let me try to smile," Herrion said, playfully pulling each end of his mouth with his fingers. "Let me smile and show some teeth. It's like it's been frozen the last two months. ... My wife is happy for herself. It has not been pleasant around the Herrion household. ... Like I told my players, I don't know what to say. I'm a little rusty."

ECU had not beaten a Division I opponent since edging Toledo 73-71 way back on Dec. 1 and trailed the Billikens 33-28 at the half after the visitors shot 56.5 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

"Thank God we were only down five," Herrion said. "It could have been 15 the way they were shooting."

After Herrion admonished his players to pick up their defensive intensity at halftime, the Pirates started the second half with a dunk by Corey Rouse. That sparked a 12-0 run and ECU led the rest of the way.

Man-to-man defense by the Pirates limited Saint Louis to 23.1 percent field goal accuracy after intermission.

"I liked the way we won," Herrion said. "It wasn't like we held on for dear life."

The Pirates painted this one purple by winning in the paint. ECU outrebounded the wide-bodied Billikens 48-31. The Pirates had 18 offensive rebounds and used them to outscore Saint Louis by a whopping 21-1 on second chance points.

Rouse, the leading rebounder in C-USA with a 10.1 average on the boards, supplied 13 points and 13 rebounds. Rouse had five offensive rebounds and saw the win's potential as a springboard with Charlotte coming to Greenville for a 1 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.

"I think we can get things turned around," said the 6-foot-8 junior from Kinston, who had played sparingly before this, his junior season. "We've got nine games left (regular season). If we play hard like we did tonight, hit some shots and play together, we'll win games."

Hitting some shots is a key for ECU, which managed to shoot just 36.1 percent from the floor against the Billikens with freshman Tom Hammonds struggling to a 1-for-9 performance. Sophomore Mike Cook led ECU with 15 points and another freshman, Josh King, stepped up with 11 points as he connected on 3 of 6 behind the arc.

King had played a total of just three minutes in ECU's last two games but Herrion planned to utilize the first-year player's long range shooting ability against Saint Louis' defensive approach, which emphasizes defending a 16 to 18 foot area around the hoop.

"Coach Herrion told me I was going to get shots," King said. " ... He told me I'd have wide open shots and to be ready to knock them down."

"Is that a record for ECU?" Herrion asked. "Josh King gave us a great lift. To beat Saint Louis, you've got to make jump shots because they're so physical in the paint."

King, the leading 3-point shooter in North Carolina high school history, made his 18 minutes count against the Billikens. He made both of his free throws, had two rebounds, two assists and no turnovers.

Four true freshmen played a total of 65 minutes for ECU and another freshman, guard Marvin Kilgore, has made five starts.

"Nobody in the country is doing that," Herrion said. "I've been on the Internet and checked."

Few teams are playing a schedule as challenging as ECU's. The Sagarin ratings have the Pirates at No. 9 in terms of strength of schedule.

"The schedule has been just brutal," Herrion said. "We let one get away against South Florida. ... We started last year 0-7 in the conference. That was not the game plan this year to turn it on in February like we did last year. We didn't know how to close games out against South Florida, Old Dominion or Western Carolina. Tonight we did.

" ... I liked this team early in the season. I just think we've had a difficult schedule, which wasn't by design. I didn't say, 'Let's play all these teams that are leading their leagues.' But maybe some of the games we've played helped us tonight. Hopefully the guys realized we can win if we play like we did tonight. I think they smelled we could win. That's just human nature and you play harder. A week ago (at Louisville) I was trying to explain 52-15 at the half. Try that one sometime."

So Herrion went home happy, maybe even with a smile on his face, which hasn't happened very often in ECU's 6-13 season. That was different — and it was nice.

NOTES: Moussa Badiane needs just one blocked shot to tie the career C-USA record. ... Freshman Marvin Kilgore didn't play, apparently because of lack of effort in practice. ... Herrion was pleased with the crowd of 4,762 which turned out to see two teams with a combined record of 10-25. ... Cook appeared to turn his left ankle as he claimed the last defensive rebound but Herrion said in his potgame remarks that he thought Cook was fine.