ETSU Ready To Shine In The Sun

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – East Tennessee State University’s run in the 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference tournament ended in a blowout. The Buccaneers men’s basketball team dominated the A-Sun during the regular season, compiling a 16-2 conference record. Then, ETSU was destroyed by Belmont, 94-67, Mar. 3, 2007 in the tournament championship at the Memorial Center.

A year later, ETSU’s 2007-08 campaign ended in heartbreak. The Bucs fell to the Bruins, 69-65, Mar. 7, 2008 in the conference tournament semifinals in Nashville, Tenn. ETSU watched a 10-point second-half lead over Belmont disappear in the game’s final six minutes, and a controversial technical-foul call on then-Bucs senior forward Kenyona Swader helped end ETSU’s season.

“That is the most disappointing loss I’ve had as a coach,” Buccaneers coach Murry Bartow said after the defeat.

Two seasons, two losses, same final result. And it’s now been five years since ETSU (20-10, 14-6 Atlantic Sun) won a conference tournament championship and earned a trip to the prestigious NCAA Tournament. The Bucs last played in mid-March when they were still a member of the Southern Conference. ETSU fell to a Jason Maxiell-led Cincinnati, 80-77, March 19, 2004 in the first round of the tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio.

East Tennessee State takes its first postseason step toward the 2009 dance tonight. The No. 2 seed Buccaneers face No. 7 Stetson (13-16, 9-11) at 9:30 in the first round of the Atlantic Sun conference tournament at Allen Arena in Nashville.

Bucs senior forward Kevin Tiggs said he has no plans to end his season without first putting on dancing shoes.

“I’ve never been to [the NCAA Tournament] before,” said Tiggs, who was selected first-team all-conference Tuesday. “I want to see what it’s like.”

Tiggs’ 21 points-per-game average leads the A-Sun. He has been ETSU’s most consistent player and dependable scorer this season.

“I feel very confident that we’re going to win the whole thing,” Tiggs said. “We’ve just got to keep it together and play the way we play.”

Meanwhile, Bartow downplayed an inquiry before ETSU practice Monday afternoon inside the Mini-Dome as to what he’d learned as a coach in ETSU’s last two appearances in the A-Sun tournament.

“That’s a loaded question,” said Bartow, who has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament while coaching a Bucs team composed of players he had a major hand in recruiting.

Bartow said the conference tournament is simply an extension of the regular season and that a team has to play well to win it. Bartow added that the Bucs’ improved defense should make a difference this season. ETSU ranks sixth in the Atlantic Sun in scoring defense (69.8 points per game allowed) and first in scoring margin (8.0).

“It just comes down to players,” Bartow said. “You hope they’re prepared and you hope they make plays and play well enough to win.

“We set out every year to try to win the league. … Obviously, you know you gotta win the tournament to go to the NCAA [Tournament]. So it’s certainly something that we want to do.”

ETSU junior guard Mike Smith said he knows what he will do if the Bucs are able to win three straight conference tournament games and earn a berth to The Dance.

“I’d probably run around the gym with my shirt off,” said Smith, who leads East Tennessee State in rebounding (7.5) and ranks third in scoring (15.1). “Hopefully all these guys get a chance to feel what coach is always talking about. I just want to be able to experience it for these seniors.”

The Buccaneers received a major lift with the recent improved play of senior guard Courtney Pigram, who said he’s feeling good heading into tonight’s first-round contest. Pigram stated that Bartow gave him the green light when he scored 38 points and set an ETSU single-game record with 10 made 3-pointers in the Bucs’ 103-81 defeat of Mercer on Saturday at the Memorial Center.

Pigram said the scoring outburst was exactly what he needed heading into his final run as a Buc. He had suffered through a serious five-game slump prior to recording a total of 54 points and recording game-highs in scoring in East Tennessee State’s last two contests.

“It gave me an opportunity to get loose,” Pigram said. “I’m trying to get back into rhythm.”

Pigram said the Bucs are playing strong at the moment and that ETSU’s ability to turn to its high-energy black press defense will be valuable in the postseason. But Pigram admitted that the Buccaneers’ recent rollercoaster-like tendencies – ETSU is 3-4 in its last seven games – are also an issue.

“Unfortunately, the way we’re playing right now, we can go up and down,” Pigram said.

btsmith@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2569

Who: No. 2 ETSU (20-10, 14-6) vs. No. 7 Stetson (13-16, 9-11)
What: First round of Atlantic Sun men’s basketball conference tournament
When: 9:30, tonight
Where: Allen Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Web: www.atlanticsun.org
TV: CSS