2023–24 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team

2023–24 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record15–18 (7–11 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWilliams Arena
Seasons
2023–24 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
South Florida 16 – 2   .889 25 – 8   .758
Florida Atlantic 14 – 4   .778 25 – 9   .735
Charlotte 13 – 5   .722 19 – 12   .613
UAB † 12 – 6   .667 23 – 12   .657
Memphis 11 – 7   .611 22 – 10   .688
SMU 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
North Texas 10 – 8   .556 19 – 15   .559
East Carolina 7 – 11   .389 15 – 18   .455
Tulsa 7 – 11   .389 16 – 15   .516
Tulane 5 – 13   .278 14 – 17   .452
Temple 5 – 13   .278 16 – 20   .444
Wichita State 5 – 13   .278 15 – 19   .441
Rice 5 – 13   .278 11 – 21   .344
UTSA 5 – 13   .278 11 – 21   .344
† 2024 AAC tournament winner

The 2023–24 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team represented East Carolina University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pirates, led by second-year head coach Michael Schwartz, played their home games at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, North Carolina as ninth-year members of the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

Previous season

The Pirates finished the 2022–23 season 15–16, 6–12 in AAC play, to finish in ninth place.[1] They defeated South Florida in the first round of the AAC tournament,[2] before falling to Houston in the quarterfinals.[3]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Saxby Sunderland 0 G 6' 3" 170 Freshman Arlington, VA Transferred to Longwood
Wynston Tabbs 10 G 6' 2" 195 RS Senior Suitland, MD Graduate transferred to Morgan State
Javon Small 12 G 6' 2" 180 Sophomore South Bend, IN Transferred to Oklahoma State
David Kasanganay 15 G 6' 2" 180 RS Senior Charlotte, NC Walk-on; graduated
Colin McKeenzie 20 G 6' 6" Freshman Charleston, SC Walk-on; transferred
Jaxon Ellingsworth 22 F 6' 9" 205 Freshman Morehead City, NC Walk-on; transferred
Ludgy Debaut 24 C 7' 0" 245 RS Senior Les Abymes, Guadeloupe Graduated
Elijah Jones 33 F 6' 8" 210 Freshman Pleasantville, NJ Transferred to UTEP

Incoming transfers

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Bobby Pettiford Jr. 0 G 6' 1" 190 Junior Durham, NC Kansas
Cam Hayes 13 G 6' 3" 180 Junior Greensboro, NC LSU
Grant Smith 35 Sophomore Richmond, VA Walk-on; Quincy College

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cyr Malonga
#65 C 		Louisville, KY Evangel Christian School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 12, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Ta'Korrie Faison
SF 		Goldsboro, NC Goldsboro High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jan 30, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: 0
Callum Richard
C 		Gastonia, NC Gaston Day School Inc 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Apr 24, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "East Carolina 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  • "2023 East Carolina Pirates Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  • "2023 East Carolina Pirates Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jordan Vick
#60 PG 		Bailey, NC Southern Nash High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 25, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2023–24 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Bobby Pettiford Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Kansas Durham, NC
G 1 Kalib LaCount 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 148 lb (67 kg) So King/Drew High School Los Angeles, CA
F 2 Ezra Ausar 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 247 lb (112 kg) So Liberty Heights Athletic Institute Atlanta, GA
G 3 RJ Felton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 209 lb (95 kg) Jr Aiken High School Aiken, SC
G 5 Logan Bourgeois 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 154 lb (70 kg) Fr CJF Fleury-Les-Aubrais Fleury-les-Aubrais, France
F 6 Brandon Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 222 lb (101 kg) RS Jr Brunswick Community College Raleigh, NC
G 7 Quentin Diboundje 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Jr Tennessee Montpellier, France
G 8 Cam Hayes 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr LSU Greensboro, NC
G 10 Evan Montanari (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 173 lb (78 kg) Fr Gaston Day School Denver, NC
F 11 Valentino Pinedo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 228 lb (103 kg) So Sunrise Christian Academy Madrid, Spain
G 21 Jaden Walker 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Iowa State Lawrenceville, GA
G/F 23 Ta'Korrie Faison 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 224 lb (102 kg) Fr Goldsboro High School Goldsboro, NC
G 25 Benjamin Bayela 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr South Plains College Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France
C 32 Cyr Malonga 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Evangel Christian School Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo
F 35 Grant Smith (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Quincy College Richmond, VA
C 50 Callum Richard 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 237 lb (108 kg) Fr Gaston Day School Stanley, NC
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 10, 2023

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ferrum W 91–61  1–0
  29 – Johnson   9 – Johnson   6 – LaCount  Williams Arena (4,529)
Greenville, NC
November 11, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Campbell W 77–63  2–0
  30 – Felton   11 – Felton   7 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (4,621)
Greenville, NC
November 15, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		USC Upstate L 81–83  2–1
  33 – Felton   9 – Felton   4 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (4,585)
Greenville, NC
November 19, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Northeastern
TowneBank Holiday Classic 		L 76–82  2–2
  18 – Ausar   6 – Felton   6 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (3,673)
Greenville, NC
November 20, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Georgia Southern
TowneBank Holiday Classic 		W 82–64  3–2
  27 – Diboundje   10 – Johnson   7 – LaCount  Williams Arena (3,536)
Greenville, NC
November 21, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Kennesaw State
TowneBank Holiday Classic 		W 85–84  4–2
  19 – Felton   11 – Walker   3 – tied  Williams Arena (3,311)
Greenville, NC
November 25, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at George Mason L 59–81  4–3
  13 – tied   7 – Johnson   3 – Pettiford Jr.  EagleBank Arena (3,268)
Fairfax, VA
November 30, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UNC Wilmington W 74–66  5–3
  24 – Pettiford Jr.   11 – Johnson   2 – tied  Williams Arena (5,182)
Greenville, NC
December 4, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Maryland Eastern Shore W 63–52  6–3
  18 – Ausar   10 – tied   4 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (3,625)
Greenville, NC
December 9, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPNU 		South Carolina L 62–68  6–4
  15 – Felton   8 – Johnson   3 – Walker  Williams Arena (5,568)
Greenville, NC
December 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN 		vs. Florida
Florida Tipoff 		L 65–70  6–5
  14 – tied   10 – Johnson   4 – Pettiford Jr.  RP Funding Center 
Lakeland, FL
December 20, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Delaware State W 79–50  7–5
  26 – Felton   15 – Johnson   4 – tied  Williams Arena (3,878)
Greenville, NC
December 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Tennessee State L 70–86  7–6
  19 – Johnson   9 – Johnson   2 – tied  Williams Arena (4,259)
Greenville, NC
AAC regular season
January 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at No. 17 Florida Atlantic L 64–79  7–7
(0–1) 		 15 – Johnson   10 – Johnson   2 – tied  Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena (3,161)
Boca Raton, FL
January 7, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Tulsa W 62–57  8–7
(1–1) 		 17 – Johnson   9 – Johnson   6 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (4,454)
Greenville, NC
January 10, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Temple W 73–62  9–7
(2–1) 		 20 – Felton   9 – Johnson   6 – Pettiford Jr.  Liacouras Center (2,003)
Philadelphia, PA
January 13, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		SMU L 64–75  9–8
(2–2) 		 25 – Ausar   8 – Ausar   1 – tied  Williams Arena (5,213)
Greenville, NC
January 17, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		North Texas L 59–60  9–9
(2–3) 		 16 – Felton   8 – Johnson   6 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (4,287)
Greenville, NC
January 20, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UAB L 61–69  9–10
(2–4) 		 16 – Ausar   10 – tied   4 – Pettiford Jr.  Bartow Arena (3,872)
Birmingham, AL
January 24, 2024
7:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Wichita State W 54–52  10–10
(3–4) 		 12 – Johnson   7 – Johnson   2 – Hayes  Charles Koch Arena (5,252)
Wichita, KS
January 28, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Temple W 70–64 OT 11–10
(4–4) 		 24 – Felton   11 – Felton   2 – tied  Williams Arena (4,132)
Greenville, NC
January 31, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Florida L 60–71  11–11
(4–5) 		 14 – Hayes   6 – Johnson   4 – Pettiford Jr.  Williams Arena (4,053)
Greenville, NC
February 3, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Charlotte L 52–67  11–12
(4–6) 		 20 – Felton   5 – tied   3 – Hayes  Dale F. Halton Arena (8,201)
Charlotte, NC
February 10, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at UTSA W 84–73  12–12
(5–6) 		 30 – Johnson   9 – Johnson   13 – Walker  Convocation Center (1,535)
San Antonio, TX
February 15, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Wichita State W 68–55  13–12
(6–6) 		 21 – tied   10 – Johnson   5 – Hayes  Williams Arena (3,940)
Greenville, NC
February 18, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tulane W 81–67  14–12
(7–6) 		 21 – Felton   9 – Johnson   8 – Walker  Williams Arena (4,725)
Greenville, NC
February 24, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Rice L 52–70  14–13
(7–7) 		 15 – Felton   7 – Johnson   2 – tied  Tudor Fieldhouse (3,808)
Houston, TX
February 29, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Memphis L 58–82  14–14
(7–8) 		 19 – Felton   9 – Felton   4 – Hayes  Williams Arena (4,934)
Greenville, NC
March 3, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at North Texas L 69–84  14–15
(7–9) 		 14 – tied   8 – Johnson   2 – tied  The Super Pit (4,241)
Denton, TX
March 6, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at SMU L 77–80 OT 14–16
(7–10) 		 28 – Felton   11 – Johnson   6 – Pettiford Jr.  Moody Coliseum (5,471)
Dallas, TX
March 9, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Charlotte L 72–82  14–17
(7–11) 		 28 – Felton   7 – Walker   7 – Walker  Williams Arena (4,548)
Greenville, NC
AAC tournament
March 14, 2024
12:30 p.m., ESPNU 		(8) vs. (9) Tulsa
Second round 		W 84–79  15–17
  28 – Ausar   13 – Johnson   8 – Hayes  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 15, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(8) vs. (1) South Florida
Quarterfinals 		L 59–81  15–18
  16 – Felton   10 – Johnson   3 – Ausar  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Source:[4]

References

  1. ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Standings". American Athletic Conference. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "Pirates Defeat South Florida, Advance to AAC Quarterfinals". East Carolina University Athletics. March 9, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  3. ^ "No. 1 Houston beats ECU in AAC, gets back-to-back 30 wins". CBS Sports. March 10, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". East Carolina University Athletics. Retrieved August 10, 2023.