By By BRIAN HAINESBrian@wdnweb.com, Sports Writer
GREENVILLE — All Jeff Lebo and the Pirates wanted for Christmas is a healthy East Carolina basketball team. Tonight, as ECU travels to take on Clemson, Lebo will see if Santa delivered.
The Pirates (7-5) have been bothered by the injury bug since the preseason when star point guard Brock Young tore his meniscus and had to have surgery to repair it.
Shortly after that, junior forward Daquan Joyner sustained what could be a season-ending foot injury before the start of the regular season.
With the 6-7 Joyner on the shelf, East Carolina’s front court took another substantial blow as senior forward Jamar Abrams hurt his ankle after the Pirates’ 81-68 loss to Old Dominion on Dec. 7.
Abrams, who is second on the team in scoring with an 11 points per game average, is a major cog in the ECU offense. The 6-6 sharpshooter was put on the shelf during East Carolina’s 59-58 loss to Coastal Carolina on Dec. 18, but returned to score 10 points in 27 minutes in the team’s last game against George Washington on Dec. 22.
Leading up to the Old Dominion game the Pirates had won five straight contests, but now they head into tonight’s matchup with Clemson (9-4, ACC) riding a three game skid, with the last two losses coming in heartbreaking fashion.
Four days after losing on a late shot to Coastal Carolina, ECU fell once again in the final seconds as George Washington’s Tony Taylor drilled an off-balance 18-footer to sink the Pirates 82-80.
The good news for ECU is that Abrams’ performance against GW gives hope that he will mend soon. The bad news is that Young is still having bouts with his knee and it appears that will not stop any time soon as the point guard missed the Coastal Carolina game and played only 18 minutes versus the Colonials. On the season Young is posting nine points per game, which is down six from last year’s average.
The Pirates will continue to need production from its other players. Shooting guard Jontae Sherrod has stepped up to the challenge and leads ECU in scoring with 13.6 points per game, while role players Robert Sampson and Darius Morales continue to give the team a lift off the bench.
Clemson enters tonight’s matchup with a four game winning streak after topping Delaware State 76-41.
The Tigers are led by the trio of Demontez Stitt, Andre Young and Jerai Grant. Stitt, a 6-2 guard from Mathews, N.C., leads the team in scoring with 13 points per game, while the 5-9 Young is second on the team with 11.4 points a night. Grant, a 6-8 F/C, is tallying 11.3 points per contest and leads the Tigers with 6.9 rebounds a night.
For East Carolina, the trip to Clemson will be its third road game of a five game stretch that will end when the Pirates begin Conference USA play at Memphis on Jan 8. East Carolina will return home on Jan. 12 when it hosts UAB.