# 2022–23 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team

The 2022–23 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team represented East Carolina University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Pirates were led by first year head coach Michael Schwartz, and played their home games at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum as ninth-year members of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 15–16, 6–12 in AAC Play to finish in ninth place. They defeated South Florida in the first round of the AAC tournament before falling to Houston in the quarterfinals.

## Previous season

The Pirates finished the 2021–22 season 15–15, 6–11 in AAC play to finish in ninth place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to Cincinnati.
On March 11, 2022, ECU fired Dooley after four seasons. On March 16, 2022, the Pirates hired former Tennessee assistant Michael Schwartz as their next head coach.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Alexis Reyes | 0 | G/F | 6'7" | 195 | Freshman | Roxbury, MA | Transferred to Quinnipiac |
| Tristen Newton | 2 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Junior | El Paso, TX | Transferred to UConn |
| Brandon Suggs | 4 | G/F | 6'6" | 185 | Junior | Powder Springs, GA | Transferred to UCF |
| J. J. Miles | 11 | G | 6'7" | 215 | GS Senior | Garysburg, NC | Graduated |
| Tremont Robinson-White | 12 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Senior | Little Rock, AR | Left the team for personal reasons |
| Vance Jackson | 13 | F | 6'9" | 230 | GS Senior | Pasadena, CA | Graduated |
| Tay Mosher | 15 | F | 6'7" | 215 | Freshman | The Colony, TX | Transferred to Bryant |
| Alanzo Frink | 20 | F | 6'8" | 270 | RS Junior | Jersey City, NJ | Turn pro |
| Marlon Lestin | 25 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Freshman | Montreal, QC | Transferred to Murray State |
| Brenden Kelly | 44 | G | 5'9" | 165 | Sophomore | Clark, NJ | Walk-on; transferred |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Quetin Diboundje | 4 | G | 6'5" | 217 | Sophomore | Montpellier, France | Tennessee |
| Benjamin Bayela | 5 | G | 6'6" | | RS Junior | France | South Plains College |
| Jaden Walker | 21 | G | 6'5" | 200 | Junior | Lawrenceville, GA | Iowa State |

### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Saxby Sunderland PG | Oakton, VA | Flint Hill School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Elijah Jones PF | Baltimore, MD | Mt. Zion Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Kalib LaCount PG | Los Angeles, CA | King Drew Medical Magnet | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Ezra Ausar PF | Charlotte, NC | Liberty Heights Athletic Institute | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Apr 28, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Valentino Pinedo PF | Spain | Sunrise Christian School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | May 18, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| 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 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. "2022 East Carolina Pirates Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. "2022 East Carolina Pirates Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. ||||||

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023) :
| 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: ESPN: 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: "East Carolina 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. "2023 East Carolina Pirates Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. "2023 East Carolina Pirates Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022. |||||||

## 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 8, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mercer | W 77–75 | 1–0 | 24 – Johnson | 7 – Johnson | 5 – Small | Williams Arena (4,610) Greenville, NC |
| November 12, 2022* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Presbyterian | W 77–57 | 2–0 | 23 – Felton | 7 – Bayela | 7 – Small | Williams Arena (3,726) Greenville, NC |
| November 16, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Hampton | W 82–73 | 3–0 | 17 – Tied | 12 – Johnson | 6 – Small | Williams Arena (4,054) Greenville, NC |
| November 21, 2022* 2:30 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Indiana State Gulf Coast Showcase quarterfinals | L 75–79 | 3–1 | 27 – Small | 13 – Johnson | 2 – Tied | Hertz Arena (516) Estero, FL |
| November 22, 2022* 11:00 a.m., FloHoops | | vs. Toledo Gulf Coast Showcase consolation 2nd round | W 86–75 | 4–2 | 24 – Small | 10 – Johnson | 7 – Small | Hertz Arena (213) Estero, FL |
| November 23, 2022* 1:30 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. UT Arlington Gulf Coast Showcase 5th place game | W 79–65 | 5–1 | 18 – Small | 13 – Felton | 6 – Small | Hertz Arena (198) Estero, FL |
| November 26, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Old Dominion | L 50–71 | 5–2 | 13 – Small | 6 – Johnson | 3 – Tied | Chartway Arena (4,898) Norfolk, VA |
| November 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | South Carolina State | L 68–73 | 5–3 | 18 – Ausar | 7 – Ausar | 7 – Small | Williams Arena (3,850) Greenville, NC |
| December 2, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Campbell | W 79–69 | 6–3 | 25 – Felton | 10 – Johnson | 11 – Small | Williams Arena (3,833) Greenville, NC |
| December 6, 2022* 7:00 p.m., FloHoops | | at UNC Wilmington | L 61–74 | 6–4 | 19 – Small | 9 – Johnson | 3 – LaCount | Trask Coliseum (5,221) Wilmington, NC |
| December 11, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Coppin State | W 84–75 | 7–4 | 21 – Small | 10 – Johnson | 10 – Small | Williams Arena (3,247) Greenville, NC |
| December 17, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. South Carolina Greenville Classic | W 64–56 | 8–4 | 21 – Felton | 7 – Walker | 6 – Small | Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, SC |
| December 21, 2022* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | High Point | W 60–49 | 9–4 | 16 – Johnson | 15 – Johnson | 8 – Small | Williams Arena (3,618) Greenville, NC |
| AAC Regular Season |||||||||
| December 28, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Temple | L 57–59 | 9–5 (0–1) | 11 – Tied | 18 – Johnson | 4 – Johnson | Williams Arena (4,352) Greenville, NC |
| December 31, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Wichita State | W 79–69 | 10–5 (1–1) | 17 – Johnson | 8 – Tied | 7 – Walker | Charles Koch Arena (7,039) Wichita, KS |
| January 4, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | L 61–64 | 10–6 (1–2) | 16 – Tied | 7 – Small | 8 – Small | Williams Arena (3,675) Greenville, NC |
| January 7, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Memphis | L 59–69 | 10–7 (1–3) | 15 – Johnson | 6 – Walker | 4 – Small | FedExForum (11,328) Memphis, TN |
| January 11, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Cincinnati | L 55–83 | 10–8 (1–4) | 23 – Small | 8 – Ausar | 5 – Small | Fifth Third Arena (9,118) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 15, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPNU | | South Florida | L 70–81 | 10–9 (1–5) | 18 – Diboundje | 12 – Johnson | 6 – Walker | Williams Arena (3,969) Greenville, NC |
| January 18, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Temple | L 58–73 | 10–10 (1–6) | 14 – Diboundje | 11 – Johnson | 5 – Walker | Liacouras Center (4,007) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulsa | W 76–66 | 11–10 (2–6) | 24 – Johnson | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Williams Arena (3,886) Greenville, NC |
| January 29, 2023 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Wichita State | L 72–85 | 11–11 (2–7) | 22 – Felton | 9 – Debaut | 3 – Tied | Williams Arena (4,191) Greenville, NC |
| February 1, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at South Florida | L 63–71 | 11–12 (2–8) | 18 – Felton | 8 – Ausar | 5 – LaCount | Yuengling Center (2,516) Tampa, FL |
| February 4, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | SMU | W 77–72 | 12–12 (3–8) | 27 – Johnson | 13 – Ausar | 8 – Walker | Williams Arena (4,365) Greenville, NC |
| February 15, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Cincinnati | W 75–71 | 13–12 (4–8) | 16 – Johnson | 14 – Ausar | 6 – Felton | Williams Arena (4,065) Greenville, NC |
| February 19, 2023 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at SMU | L 70–86 | 13–13 (4–9) | 27 – Felton | 6 – Johnson | 10 – Walker | Moody Coliseum (4,561) University Park, TX |
| February 21, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tulsa | W 62–60 | 14–13 (5–9) | 24 – Walker | 9 – Tied | 3 – Walker | Reynolds Center (3,002) Tulsa, OK |
| February 25, 2023 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 1 Houston | L 57–76 | 14–14 (5–10) | 15 – Ausar | 8 – Ausar | 4 – Felton | Williams Arena (7,589) Greenville, NC |
| March 1, 2023 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Tulane | W 83–68 | 15–14 (6–10) | 19 – Johnson | 12 – Johnson | 5 – Walker | Williams Arena (3,817) Greenville, NC |
| March 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Tulane Rescheduled from Feb. 11 | L 78–81 | 15–15 (6–11) | 23 – Felton | 13 – Johnson | 5 – Tied | Devlin Fieldhouse New Orleans, LA |
| March 5, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UCF | L 58–84 | 15–16 (6–12) | 14 – Ausar | 6 – Tied | 2 – Walker | Addition Financial Arena (5,204) Orlando, FL |
| AAC tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2023 12:30 p.m., ESPNU | (9) | vs. (8) South Florida First round | W 73–58 | 16–16 | 22 – Tied | 7 – Felton | 10 – Walker | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| March 10, 2023 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (9) | vs. (1) No. 1 Houston Quarterfinals | L 46–60 | 16–17 | 18 – Ausar | 19 – Ausar | 6 – Walker | Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source