Can East Carolina Flip the Script? A 2026-27 Offseason Review
East Carolina fell flat last year, but head coach Michael Schwartz has rebounded with a strong roster that should be set to compete in the American in the 2026-2027 college basketball season.
The East Carolina Pirates haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since the 1993 season, and have had just one 20+ win season during that span of time back in the 2013. Michael Schwartz took over as head coach in 2022 where he put together a few solid seasons at 16-17, 15-18, then 19-14 in 2025-2025 which was their best since 2014. However, they took a step backwards last season as they finished 11-20 overall.
It’s worth noting, they did battle the injury bug last year, but it was clear that they were going to need to hit the reset button. They finished just 274th overall in offensive adjusted efficiency and 212th overall in defensive adjusted efficiency. However, that year is behind them and Coach Schwartz has assembled a roster that is destined to put them in a better position for the 2026-2027 season.
They’ve added significant offensive depth and taken a huge step forward with their defensive capabilities. I believe that East Carolina could be an underrated team within the American this season. Let’s take a look at how their roster has shaped up!
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Roster Turnover
Jordan Riley (Ineligible)
23.6 points, 6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals
Demitri Gardner (Ineligible)
11.1 points, 2.3 rebounds
Luke Davis (Ineligible)
2.6 points, 3.1 rebounds
Grant Smith (Ineligible)
DNP
Giovanni Emejuru (Senior) ~ TBD
12.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks
Jake Baker (Sophomore) ~ TBD
DNP
Ladontae Felton (Sophomore) ~ TBD
0.5 points, 0.3 rebounds
Paddy D’Arcy (Sophomore) ~ TBD
1.1 points, 0.7 rebounds
Vito Perkovic (Sophomore) ~ Portland
2.3 points, 1.5 rebounds
Trevion Labeaux (Senior) ~ WKU
DNP
Corey Caulker (Senior) ~ FIU
7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Tybo Bailey (Junior) ~ SE Louisiana
7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds
Reid Cason (Junior) ~ UTEP
3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds
Iasiah Mbeng (Junior) ~ Elon
4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists
Jordan Riley was an absolute star last season. After starting his career at Georgetown before ending at East Carolina, he solidified himself into the history books for the Pirates after last season. Riley averaged 23.6 points with six rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 41.9% overall. He ended up signing with the New Orleans Pelicans for the Summer League where he appeared in a couple of games. He’ll most likely end up signing a G-League contract somewhere for the upcoming season.
Outside of Riley, they did lose the majority of their roster, but after going 11-20 overall a reset wasn’t the worst thing. Among the transfers, many went to lesser conferences or equal caliber teams.
Returning Players
Jayshayne Woodard (Senior)
3.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1 assist
Eli DeLaurier (Junior)
4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds
Daithi Quinn (Sophomore)
DNP
Eli DeLaurier (6’10)
DeLaurier spent his first two years with Providence where he redshirted his first season then appeared in 22 games in his freshman season. He averaged 1.2 points with 1.1 rebounds for the Friars while shooting 39.3% overall and knocking down five of his 15 attempts from beyond the arc. After transferring to East Carolina last season, he appeared in 23 games while starting ten and averaging 4.8 points with 2.8 rebounds. The 6’10 big man shot 42.3% overall, but just 13.3% from three-point on 30 attempts. From inside, he shot 54%.
As eluded to with his shooting percentages, he wasn’t the most efficient offensive player as he finished the season with a 94.4 offensive rating. On the glass, he did finish with a 5.8% offensive rebounding percentage and an 11.9% defensive rebounding percentage with a 1.9% block percentage. For a big man, he shoots it well from the free throw line as well as he knocked down 19-21 attempts from the line against Division I opponents.
Last year was his first real experience on the court and he had some strong games. He finished with nine points and 14 rebounds against Wichita State and 11 points against Memphis. If he can become more consistent on the offensive end, he’ll blossom for East Carolina.
Jayshayne Woodard (6’7)
Entering year three with East Carolina, Jayshayne Woodard spent his first two seasons with Indian River where he was a two-time All-American in JUCO. In his first season with the Pirates, he appeared in 33 games and started in nine while averaging 5.8 points with 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals while shooting 43.6% overall and 39% from three-point. Last season, he was cut short as he suffered a season-ending injury after appearing in just five games.
Looking at his metrics from the year prior, he finished with a 101.0 offensive rating, 51.6% true shooting percentage, 13.7% defensive rebounding percentage, 16.2 assist rate, 4.4% block percentage which was 250th in the nation, and a 3.3% steal percentage which was 149th best in the country.
At 6’7, he can be a valuable playmaker, but his true value comes from his hardcore defense. As long as he is fully back to health, Woodard will provide some important veteran experience for East Carolina this season.
Daithi Quinn (6’3)
Woodard wasn’t the only player that missed the season due to an injury as Daithi Quinn was out before the year even began as he injured his knee while playing for team Ireland in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket in 2025. His injury came in the first game he appeared in that season for the tournament, so he’s ad a rough past year.
Coming into the season there was a lot of hype around Quinn. He was listed as a three-star recruit while ranking 220th overall in his class. He committed to the Pirates over quite a few strong Mid-Major programs in South Florida, Utah State, Samford, Chattanooga, and many more. Similarly to Woodard, if he is able to come back at 100% he’ll provide East Carolina with a valuable rotational spot even in his official freshman season.
Roster Additions
Cian Medley (Senior) ~ Kent State
10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.3 steals
Brycen Blaine (Senior) ~ Charleston Southern
17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals
Kaden Cooper (Senior) ~ Louisiana Tech
9.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.5 steals
Kaseem Watson (Senior) ~ UTEP
12.5 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 assists
Trevor Best (Junior) ~ Arizona State
1.3 points, 0.6 rebounds
Jordyn Buchanan (Junior) ~ Cal U of Pennslyvania (D-II)
15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals
Matthew Hinton (Junior) ~ Mississippi Gulf Coast CC (JUCO)
10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds
Ashton McCullough (Freshman)
Mason Pandov (Freshman)
Dreylan Creasy-Quirindoongo (Freshman)
Maxim Klitschko (Freshman ~ Third Year)
Bryan Little (Freshman ~ Walk-on)
Guards
Cian Medley (5’11)
Kent State was a blast to watch last season and Cian Medley was a huge piece of the puzzle for the Golden Flashes. He started his career out at Saint Louis before transferred to Kent State where he spent the last two seasons. last year, he averaged 10.5 points with 2.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 34.6% overall and 32.1% from three-point. Over 58% of his shots from the floor came from beyond the arc.
The floor general finished with four double-doubles with assists, which is represented well by his elite 32.9 assist rate which was 46th best in the country. In the MAC, that jumped to 36.0 which was 2nd best. Overall, he finished the season with a 101.3 offensive rating, 49.6% true shooting percentage, 2.1% steal percentage, and a 43.6 free throw rate. Out of the 123 attempts from the line against Division I opponents, he knocked down 93.
He is an elite point guard that will slot into the starting lineup for East Carolina this season. He averaged over a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, and he is strong with his on-ball defense.
Brycen Blaine (6’4)
Charleston Southern hadn’t won more than ten games since 2020, but they finished 15-17 overall and 236th in KenPom which was the best since 2019 when they finished 18-16 overall and 160th in KenPom. A large reason for their resurgence from the bottom last season was thanks to Brycen Blaine.
Blaine has had a bit of a wild ride as he started his career out at James Madison in the 2022-2023 season, but he suffered a season-ending injury the following season. After missing a full year, he transferred to Gulf Coast State, then to Charleston Southern where he took. He averaged 17.2 points with 7.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 25 games with the Buccaneers last season. The 6’5 guard shot 40.3% on a whopping 14 attempts per game and 34.6% from three-point on 8.7 attempts on average.
Blaine had some incredible games, especially at the beginning of the season. He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds against Virginia Tech and 42 points with eleven rebounds and eight assists against The Citadel. In his first nine games of the season, he averaged 23.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. If he’s able to come close to what he was replicating last season, he’ll be a focal piece for the Pirates this season.
Trevor Best (6’4)
After spending the past two seasons at Arizona State and appearing in 29 games for the Sun Devils, Trevor Best entered the transfer portal and headed to East Carolina. During his freshman season, he averaged 3.6 points in eleven games, but his playing time fell to just 5.8 minutes on average across 18 games while averaging just 1.3 points. The former three-star recruit is no doubt going to be looking for his big break with the Pirates this coming season.
Looking at his metrics from his freshman season where he saw more playing time, he finished with a 103.7 offensive rating which jumped to 103.7 in the Big-12. He also finished with an 8.2 assist rate and 5.6% defensive rebounding percentage while knocking down 40% of his attempts from three point and 41.2% of his shots from inside.
Best is a highly athletic guard that hasn’t even begun to touch the surface of his potential. Look for him to be a potential breakout candidate this season.
Ashton McCullough (6’3)
The 6’3 point guard put together some monster numbers at Oak Hills in California before he transferred to Golden State Prep. He averaged 21.4 points with 8.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game at Oak Hills. After he transferred to Golden State Prep, he ended up becoming the MVP of the Golden State Prep Classic as he really stepped it up on both the offensive and defensive ends. You can view some of his highlights here from the 2024-2025 season, but what stands out to me is his ability to create offense for himself. There is no doubt that he can dish it out, but being able to shoot it efficiently will take his game to the next level. Look for him to be lower on the depth chart this season as he develops.
McCullough held no other offers.
Mason Pandov (6’5)
Pandov attended Orlando Christian Prep for his senior season where he averaged 11.6 points with 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He also played with Montverde Academy which has produced some high-level talent over the years. He’s physical and already of strong size. He’s a strong three-point shooter, but don’t expect him to make a huge impact in year one. He looks to be more of a long-time developmental prospect for the Pirates.
He held one other offer from Alcorn State.
Bryan Little (6’4)
Little is listed as a walk-on per Verbal Commits, so you should expect to see him in a minimal role this season if that’s truly the case. However, he was a star in high school as he was averaging 22.8 points with 10.8 rebounds at one point deep in his senior season. He finished the year averaging 21.2 points with 9.9 rebounds with 18 double-doubles on the season.
Forwards
Jordyn Buchanan (6’5)
The 6’5 wing had a dominating season at California University of Pennsylvania last year as a sophomore. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.2% overall and 39.2% from three-point on 212 attempts from beyond the arc.
He is yet another strong defensive player that’s joining this roster, but he brings a strong offensive prowess that should have no problem translating to the Division-I level. Similar to others on the roster, he has a strong ability to rebound which makes him an excellent 3-&-D wing. 61.8% of his shots came from beyond the arc, so he should be able to slot into the rotation pretty easily whether that’s in the starting lineup or as a 6th or 7th man off the bench.
Kaden Cooper (6’7)
Cooper started out his career at Oklahoma before transferring to Louisiana Tech where he’s spent the last two seasons with the Bulldogs. He turned himself into a reliable contributor, averaging nearly identical lines in both seasons. As a junior, he averaged 9.7 points with 7.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the floor overall and 29.2% from three-point.
He featured a 103.5 offensive rating, 50.8% true shooting percentage, but his best metrics came on the glass and defensive end. Cooper was 38th in the country in defensive rebounding percentage at 24.6% and 395th in offensive rebounding percentage at 8.5%. He also had a 2.9% block percentage and a 3.4% steal percentage which was 249th overall.
Every team thrives with a “do-it-all” type player and Cooper fits that mold. He’s tremendous on defense, and at 6’6 he’ll clean up the glass better than some big-men. While he isn’t a great three-point shooter, he shot 50.4% from inside the arc against Division I opponents. He’ll be a huge contributor for the Pirates this season.
Kaseem Watson (6’8)
While he’ll be headed to his fourth team in college basketball, there is no doubt that Kaseem Watson has solidified himself as a strong player at the mid-major level. He averaged over 15 points per game at Delaware State before transferring to UTEP last year. In his junior season he averaged 12.5 points with five rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 38.8% overall and 39.2% from three-point.
The 6’9 forward finished the year with a 100.9 offensive rating, 51.3% true shooting percentage, 13.2% defensive rebounding percentage, and a strong 37.7% three-point shooting percentage against Division I opponents on 146 attempts which was he 411th best in the country.
At the start of the season, he had some up-and-down games, but he finished strong. In February, he finished with two double-doubles while averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 39.1% from three-point. He’s a huge threat from beyond the arc, which the Pirates desperately need on this roster all while he can also be a strong force on the glass.
Dreylan Creasy-Quirindoongo (6’7)
Dreylan Creasy is a major recruit coming in this season for East Carolina. He was listed as a three-star recruit and 146th overall in his class per 247 Sports and others had him listed as a four-star. He averaged 19.6 points with 4.3 rebounds while leading his high school to a 27-5 overall record.
At 6’7, he has incredible mobility and overall athleticism. He can put up some huge dunks, but his ability to knock it down from deep with ease at 6’7 makes him not just a strong prospect for East Carolina, but one with a promising career ahead of him. I don’t think he’ll start as a freshman, but you should see plenty of him on the court this season.
Creasy-Quirindoongo held offers from Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and many other strong programs.
Centers
Matthew Hinton (6’9)
Hinton started his collegiate career out at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where he put together a successful freshman and sophomore campaign. He jumped into the starting rotation last season as he started in 25 of the 27 games he appeared in. In just 21.4 minutes per game, he averaged 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and nearly one steal per game. He shot 62.8% overall from the floor on 6.4 attempts per game.
He’s not a three-point threat, so he serves as more of a traditional big man at 6’9. He’s a huge body down low, one that is hard to move against as he can great a brick wall in the paint. He’ll provide the Pirates with some strong defense, but don’t look for him to be a huge offensive threat this season as he transitions to Division I.
Maxim Klitschko (7’3)
Maxium Klitschko is a massive center that spent the last season with Monaco U21 where he was a dominant star. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 68.8% overall from inside the arc. He finished with five double-doubles and put up some monster lines like 25 points with 14 rebounds against Le mans U21.
With his professional experience overseas, he’s listed as a “third-year” according to East Carolina’s official roster. At 7’3, he’s an absolute force down low and he already has valuable experience. I expect him to slot into the starting lineup on day one.
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Expectations
I mentioned this in the opening segment of this review, but I firmly believe that this is a team that can compete in the American this season and win somewhere in the range of 20 games. They’ve done a great job of addressing key areas of improvement from the prior year. With that said, let’s look at what a potential starting lineup could look like:
Cian Medley
Brycen Blaine
Dreylan Creasy / Kaden Cooper
Eli DeLaurier / Kaseem Watson
Maxim Klitschko
This is one of the more clear starting lineups that I’ve written about thus far this offseason. Cian Medley was the main point guard at Kent State and he featured a top-50 assist rate at 32.9. He’s solid on the offensive end as well, but he won’t have to be the go-to player. Brycen Blaine was outstanding at Charleston Southern, so he’ll fit in perfectly as the off-ball option at the guard position. He can also dish it out as well, so he’ll be a great a great complimentary option to Medley.
Looking at the three and four-spots, that’s where there could be some variation. Kaden Cooper should probably be in the starting lineup because he is a prolific rebounder and another player similar to Medley that isn’t going to light it up on offense, but will be consistent. Creasy obviously has outstanding pedigree, but he is a freshman while Cooper has several years of experience at the Division I level. Which ever one falls out of the lineup, you should still expect to see 20-25 minutes per game in another spot on the floor.
Eli DeLaurier started in 10 of 23 games last year and posted some solid numbers. He isn’t a three-point threat, but he’s solid from inside the arc where he can compliment Klitschko. Kaseem Watson on the other hand is a better option from outside and he came from where he started in nearly every game last season for UTEP. Overall, he wasn’t as efficient from inside the arc, but he is a strong rebounder. This decision will come down to matchups most likely. If you have Blaine and Creasy in the starting lineup, then you’ll probably want to slot in Watson at the start-four spot. If you go with Blaine and Cooper, then you could lean DeLaurier. Keep in mind, Klitschko isn’t going to be able to play all 40 minutes and while Matthew Hinton will provide minutes off the bench at the center position, they could use DeLaurier as a backup at the five where you could have Cooper / Watson/ and DeLaurier in the lineup at the same time.
If I were to call out one area of concern, I’d say it’s the significant lack of depth at the point guard position. Cian Medley will be the starter, but the next up is Trevor Best who’s appeared in just 29 games over two years and is averaging a career line of 2.2 points with 0.3 assists. While yes, he did play at Arizona State, there’s no guarantee for how he’ll jump into a larger role. If Medley were to get hurt, it’d have to be a combination of Best with someone like Brycen Blaine and maybe one of the younger players to step up and help out. Over his four years as head coach, Schwartz’s assist rate for the team has decreased every year, but I’m a firm believe that assist rates translate to success.
Overall, this is a much better team than last season. They have a solid line of sight for their starting five, and they have plenty of bench pieces that are going to be able to help them like Trevor Best, Jordyn Buchanan, Matthew Hinton, Jayshayne Woodard, Daithi Quinn, and the freshman. Schwartz hasn’t had a team finish above 306th in KenPom in three-point shooting percentage or 257th in two-point shooting percentage, in which I think both metrics should improve. They’ve addressed the offense and the defense, and should be able to compete at a much higher level in the American.