The lowdown
2000-01 record: 14-14; 6-10 in Colonial Conference
Final Ranking: NR
Postseason: None.
Three Questions for 2001-02
1. How many games will Gabriel Mikulas have to sit with the new enforcement of cracking down on foreign players?
2. How can the Pirates handle the more physical play in Conference USA instead of the Colonial Athletic Association?
3. Rising sophomores Jimmy Bishop and Erroyl Bing were able to be contributors in CAA, but can they make an impact as sophomores in Conference USA?
Three Key Facts
1. The Pirates picked the right season to move up in the college basketball world -- at least on paper. East Carolina returns all five starters and its top six scorers off a team that won 14 games last season -- the most since the 1996-97 team went 17-10.
2. OK, so it wasn't C-USA, but Gabriel Mikulas was named the Colonial Athletic Association's Freshman of the Year after finishing fourth in the league in scoring (15.0 ppg) and second in field goal percentage (59.5 percent). Erroyl Bing was also named to the CAA's all-freshman team after scoring 9.3 points a game and averaging 3.8 rebounds.
3. As for an outside attack, the Pirates feature last year's top 3-point shooter in the CAA: Fred Primus. He made an average of 2.96 treys a game and hit on 36.7 of his attempts from behind the arc. Getting the ball to Primus and others was Travis Holcomb-Faye, who finished just one assist shy of the team record with 119 assists (4.3 apg).
Andy Katz's Scenarios
Best case: East Carolina beats teams it shouldn't at home and is respectable on the road but still finishes near the bottom of the division.
Worst case: East Carolina struggles to win two games in the league.
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Key Players Returning
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Player
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Yr.
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Gabriel Mikulas
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So.
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F
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6-8/220
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PTS: 14.9 | REB: 5.7 | AST: 1.9
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Fred Primus
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Sr.
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G
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6-3/190
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PTS: 13.1 | REB: 3.2 | AST: 1.5
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Erroyl Bing
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So.
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F
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6-6/250
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PTS: 10.4 | REB: 7.8 | AST: 1.1
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Travis Holcomb-Faye
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Jr.
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G
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6-1/175
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PTS: 9.3 | REB: 3.8 | AST: 4.2
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East Carolina Signings
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht.
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High School/College
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Devin Boddie
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G
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6-2
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Durham, N.C./Jordan H.S.
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