NASHVILLE, Tenn. – East Tennessee State University’s big three of Kevin Tiggs, Courtney Pigram and Mike Smith carried the Buccaneers men’s basketball team all season.
When ETSU needed points, the big three were delivered. When the Bucs needed leadership, momentum, spirit or confidence, the big three took the stage and grabbed the spotlight.
“We’ve talked all year in Johnson City about the big three,” East Tennessee State coach Murry Bartow said. “We’ve kind of gone as far as these big three have taken us. And they’ve been tremendous.”
ETSU (23-10) is now heading to the NCAA Tournament, after knocking off the Jacksonville Dolphins, 85-68, Saturday evening in the Atlantic Sun conference tournament championship at Allen Arena.
But while the big three carried the Buccaneers to the A-Sun championship game, it was ETSU’s lesser-known role players who helped guide the team to The Dance.
“The other seven guys have been very instrumental to us winning,” Bartow said.
Bucs sophomore guard Micah Williams floated along the perimeter, scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Long-armed, speedy freshman center Isiah Brown pounded in nine points and grabbed five rebounds. Sophomore do-it-all guard Tommy Hubbard scored six points and picked up seven boards. And senior forward Greg Hamlin hustled his way to four rebounds and two points.
Bartow praised the play of each following ETSU’s victory.
“The complementary guys have just been great,” he said.
Bartow said Hamlin is the most improved player on the Bucs. He then predicted that Brown will be an all-conference selection in the future, and said that Williams made the most of his minutes.
And Bartow gave a serious nod to Hubbard, who re-joined ETSU’s active roster late in the season after missing the majority of the year due to a series of injuries. Hubbard could have sat out and applied for a medical redshirt, Bartow said, but he offered to join the Bucs and help out during the stretch run.
“I can’t say enough about what he did for our team,” Bartow said. “He’s a really tough kid.”
ETSU’s bench outscored the Dolphins 22-16, and the Bucs’ non-big three compensated for an off night from ETSU senior guard Courtney Pigram, who was 3 of 12 from the field and did not score his first basket until more than 15 minutes had run off the game clock in the first half.
“They did for me tonight,” Pigram said. “I didn’t play as well tonight. They came in and they stepped up for me.”
btsmith@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2569
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