Houston Cougars vs. East Carolina Pirates
Site: Minges Coliseum
Location: Greenville, NC
Date: February 25
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| Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard |
Pirates of the Carolinas: In the formative years of the United States, it wasn't easy to be a colonist. In the north, harsh winters, untamed wilderness, and complicated relationships with Native Americans certainly kept things interesting. That isn't to say life was any simpler in southern states, where they had their own host of problems. One of those was piracy.
Men and women looking for an escape from their restrictive economic and social conditions were the most likely to turn to piracy. Others were forced into it. Some infamous names that come to mind include Mary Read, who was kidnapped and forced into piracy (only to find she was pretty good at it!), and Henry Morgan, who became a pirate after being captured and taken to Barbados (and who Captain Morgan is named after).
There were also several notable pirates who came from privileged backgrounds. Anne Bonny comes to mind, who adopted a pirate's life to escape from an arranged marriage, or the legendary Blackbeard, who became a pirate, "retired" to become a farmer with his wife, before the call of the sea beckoned him back. For many, piracy was less about seeking "booty" and wreaking havoc, and more about escaping the confines of a highly class-based society.
Some, however, would achieve some truly legendary feats. Henry "Long Ben" Every earned the moniker "Arch Pirate" for never being captured, despite launching some of the most improbable and daring pirate attacks in history. Thomas Tew was one of few pirates who successfully completed the "pirate round," or circumnavigated the globe.
North and South Carolina were both considered pirate hotspots, with so many prominent port cities and fair weather year-round. The colorful characters above and so many more sea dogs made their mark in both states, whether on foot or by establishing fleets off their shores. Charleston, South Carolina was perhaps the favorite port of call for pirates, but North Carolina earned a reputation as being the most pirate-friendly state. Governor Charles Eden, who served his office from 1714 until his death in 1722, profited quite handsomely from the activities of his pirate friends, including Blackbeard and "gentleman pirate" Stede Bonnet. It's believed that he even performed Blackbeard's wedding!
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| Greenville, NC |
As a result, piracy raged in North Carolina throughout the 18th Century, a time period considered the "golden age of piracy." Greenville, NC was one such city affected by piracy in its infant days, due to its proximity to the coast.
Nevertheless, Greenville enjoyed a solid economic foothold thanks to its highly profitable tobacco industry. When that economy dried up, the city reinvented itself again. Today, it is best known for its education system (East Carolina University) and booming healthcare industry.
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| Minges Coliseum |
Walking the Plank: The purple and yellow Jolly Roger of East Carolina is an intimidating sight for visiting schools...if you're playing baseball or football, that is. The baseball team has sailed to the NCAA Regional Tournament on 25 different occasions, and super-Regionals on three occasions. The football team might not be as storied as other teams in the NCAA, but 63 Pirates have gone on to play in the NFL, and they have made headlines with upsets of ranked teams in bowl games.
Unfortunately, the men's basketball team has not had the same level of luck. In a state that is loaded with storied basketball programs, like Duke and North Carolina, East Carolina is the red-headed stepchild (think Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball). A measly two NCAA tournament appearances in 1972 and 1993 are the length of the Pirates' legacy in the sport. If you're looking for a bright spot in East Carolina's postseason record, perhaps their CIT championship win in 2013 will satisfy that. If you put all of East Carolina's trophies in a treasure chest, though, it would be light and easy to transport.
In the past few seasons, East Carolina has finished towards the bottom of the AAC standings. Nevertheless, the Minges Coliseum is always full on game night. Then again, considering how small it feels compared to other major college basketball venues, that might not be too surprising. That was the first thing that stood out to me when I entered the arena: how intimate it was. Minges is not a coliseum in the Roman sense; it's like the kind of place you would see a pirate pit fight (except much cleaner, obviously). The small size actually lends itself well to the home field advantage, and it was LOUD all night.
Swashbuckled: Despite a raucous crowd and a spirited effort, the then-#1 seeded Houston Cougars made quick work of the Pirates. Houston's defense and rebounding was so suffocating, the Pirates' only chance to score was at the free throw line.
By halftime, the Cougars had blocked more shots (five) than the Pirates had even made (three), and led 36-19.
A three-pointer from Jaden Walker gave the Pirates a little life, bringing the score to 50-35 Houston, but that was as close as East Carolina would get. The Pirates made sure to dunk every time they scored, in an attempt to keep the crowd engaged...but every time the Pirates scored, the Cougars would bounce back quickly.
When it was all said and done, the Cougars left the Pirates in the dust with a final score of 76-57.
It was the Marcus Sasser show for the Cougars, who put up an impressive 22 points. Tramon Mark added 20 points for the Cougars, while J'Wan Roberts had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
