# 2023–24 East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team

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. They defeated South Florida in the first round of the AAC tournament, before falling to Houston in the quarterfinals.

## 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: ESPN: 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: 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 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023. "2024 East Carolina Pirates Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023. "2024 East Carolina Pirates Basketball 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 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: