<!--StartFragment --> ECU men's team takes on South Carolina
By Brock Letchworth, The Daily Reflector
Monday, December 20, 2004
It's gutcheck time for the East Carolina men's basketball team.
Three consecutive losses have the 4-5 Pirates reeling, and with a matchup against South Carolina in Mobile, Ala., awaiting tonight, coach Bill Herrion admits that he is worried.
It's not necessarily a matter of execution that is concerning the coach most, it's his team's desire to win. In the Pirates' last outing, a 70-55 home loss to Winthrop, that desire wasn't there in some of his players, and Herrion realizes they better find it before the 6:30 p.m. tip-off against the Gamecocks.
"Right now it's not X's and O's," Herrion said. "I think right now we've got to find out what's in some people's chests, their heart, their soul, their pride and their passion for the game. It's a great game, and it's a great game when you appreciate it and you approach it the right way. It's a bad game when you disrespect the game and right now we've got some guys that are disrespecting the game. It's really sad."
According to Herrion, a problem with some players that had been slowly matriculating was exposed against the Eagles on Friday night. The frustration with the lack of effort, something typically uncharacteristic of a Herrion-coached team, left the coach so disappointed that he hardly left the bench during the second half, noting afterwards that the coach wanting to win games more than the players is not the way it's supposed to be.
"When selfishness creeps into individuals and players, then this is a very, very hard game to play," Herrion said. "This is a team game. You need five players on defense, you need five players on offense and you need a bench to be enthusiastic and cheer and help each other out and we don't have that at all right now. If this game isn't played a certain way and if this game isn't played at a certain high, competitive level, valuing every possession offensively and defensively, it's tough."
In a time when leadership is crucial, the Pirates are getting very little from their co-captains, senior Moussa Badiane and sophomore Mike Cook. During the recent slide, the duo has combined for 23 turnovers, and on the season, Cook leads the team with 37. But their defensive efforts at times have been even more suspect.
"We've got players that have been rewarded with, well they play 30-something minutes a game," Herrion said. "Maybe I'm the fool."
One player whose play on the defensive end could never be questioned is point guard Japhet McNeil, who is averaging 3.67 steals per game. Despite the current situation, McNeil says he is keeping his confidence.
"It's really frustrating because I just want to win and I just want East Carolina to be successful," McNeil said. "We're going to be alright, we're going to get through this. Right now we're just going through some tough times, but we've just got to weather the storm."
Another positive of late is the play of Corey Rouse, who will look to record his fourth double-double of the season against the Gamecocks. Rouse, a junior, agrees with Herrion on what it will take to turn the Pirates' season around.
"We've just got to come together and play more as a team and as one instead of trying to do everything for self," Rouse said.
ECU faces USC in the first game of the Coors Classic, an event organized in correlation with the GMAC Bowl. Southern Miss and South Alabama will meet in the nightcap.
A good example
ECU walk-on freshman Taylor Gagnon logged a career high for minutes against the Eagles Friday, as Herrion rewarded the former J.H. Rose forward for his efforts recently with 16 minutes on the floor.
The move was also one made out of frustration with the lackluster performance by some of the Pirate players.
"I'll play Taylor Gagnon, who doesn't even have a scholarship, because you know what, the kid comes in the gym everyday and he may not be the most talented kid in this program, but he gives everything he has," Herrion said. "I can look a kid like that in the eye."
An ideal location?
While the Pirates may be in the midst of a three-game losing skid, tonight's game against USC could be a chance to turn things around, considering the team is playing at a neutral site.
ECU is 2-0 on a neutral court this season, and 8-2 at neutral sites during the regular season under Herrion's watch.
"I'd definitely rather be playing South Carolina in Mobile than in Columbia, South Carolina," Herrion said. "But whether there's 8,000 people there or 1,000 people there, right now we just need to win a basketball game."
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