AAC Basketball: 5 biggest takeaways from 2019 recruiting classes

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ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 16: Head coach Joe Dooley of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles reacts in the second half against the Florida State Seminoles during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Amway Center on March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

3. Completely new roster for East Carolina to work with

After 20 years since his first stint with East Carolina, former Florida Gulf Coast Head Coach Joe Dooley is back. And after a 10-win campaign in his first year, he’s electing to have a roster that fits his style of play. There were a number of transfers outgoing for the Pirates, opening up a ton of roster space.

Through a combination of both high school recruits and JUCO transfers, there are 11 newcomers to the program, easily the most for a division one school. The headliner is Tremont Robinson-White, one of the top overall JUCO prospects in the class. The 6’1 point guard will likely come right in as a starter to replace Isaac Fleming at that position. 7’0 center Charles Coleman is another newcomer to keep an eye on for a Pirates team that was pretty small a year ago.

There are two returning players that will lead East Carolina this upcoming season. Sophomore forward Jayden Gardner is an All-Conference contender after his 16.3 ppg and 8.5 rpg seasonal performance and Seth LeDay is a solid forward piece. If the guards can compete at a high level out the gate, the Pirates can surprise some folks in the AAC and not be at the bottom. Otherwise, it’ll be Gardner putting up numbers for a team who will struggle big time.