The RoundHouse | 1/11/2018 2:12:00 PM
By
Paul Suellentrop
No. 5 Wichita State at East Carolina
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Records: Wichita State 13-2, 3-0 American; ECU 7-8, 1-3
Listen: KEYN 103.7 FM/goshockers.com
Watch: ESPN2
East Carolina is in a tough transition after a year of coaching uncertainty. Coach Jeff Lebo resigned in late November and assistant coach Michael Perry replaced him on an interim basis. Perry served as acting head coach for the final 14 games of last season when hip surgery sidelined Lebo.
Those are tough circumstance in which to recruit and coach and the Pirates are struggling. Losses to Central Connecticut, North Carolina A&T and Charlotte (all ranked No. 266 or lower by Ken Pomeroy) detail the struggles.
The Pirates are 5-4 under Perry.
"All things taken into consideration, I'm really pleased and happy with the way the kids have responded to a change in voice," Perry said Monday. "Guys understood and embraced their roles. The guys are rallying together."
Pirates guard B.J. Tyson averaged 15.7 points and is shooting 31.9 percent from three-point range, a slight improvement over past seasons from behind the arc. Perry said Tyson, a senior, needed to improve his shooting and ball-handling during his career.
"Those are areas in which he's been relentless," Perry said. "It's adding another dimension to his game. He can go places with the dribble when people take the shot away."
Shocker fans may remember ECU guard Isaac Fleming, a junior. He transferred to ECU from Hawaii, where he scored 17 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) against the Shockers in the 2014 Diamond Head Classic. Wichita State won that game, on
Rashard Kelly's last-second follow shot, 80-79 in overtime.
Fleming averages 12.7 points for the Pirates and leads the team with 72 assists and 55 turnovers.
The Pirates are shooting 26 percent from three-point range this season, 23.4 percent in four American games. Tyson, Fleming, Kentrell Barkley and Shawn Williams – the Pirates with 10 or more attempts in conference play – are a combined 17 of 70 from behind the arc.
ECU commits turnovers on 21.7 percent of its possessions, ranking No. 303 nationally, according to kenpom.com.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
