ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 17, 1997 TAG: 9702190032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
TIM BASHAM SAYS East Carolina has been good for him, and he's certainly been good for the Pirates.
Four years ago, when Tim Basham was trying to decide where to play his college basketball, he wanted to meet two criteria.
He wanted to win, and he wanted to play. At East Carolina, he's done both.
The Roanoke native will finish his career next month with a fourth consecutive winning season for the Pirates. A three-year starter, the small forward is one of only 19 players in ECU history to score 1,000 points.
``I picked the right place for me,'' Basham, 21, said by phone from Greenville, N.C. ``It was a great opportunity to play as soon as possible. Being away from home, I was used to that already.''
Basham has missed the Pirates' past two games with a flu, but is expected to return to the lineup when ECU visits Richmond tonight.
His absence, particularly at the offensive end of the floor, was very obvious in ECU's 63-60 loss Saturday at James Madison. Basham's teammates shot a season-low 35 percent.
``The thing about Basham is, if he's coming toward the goal, if he's facing, and you let him shoot, he's automatic,'' said VCU coach Sonny Smith. ``He's been a good player for them.''
East Carolina coach Joe Dooley, who as an assistant personally recruited Basham, said the former Patrick Henry High School player is unappreciated at the other end of the floor, too.
``The fact Timmy hasn't been voted to the [Colonial Athletic Association's] all-defensive team is a travesty,'' Dooley said. ``He's excellent defensively, mostly because he knows how to play the game.''
Basham has played a different game this season, too. The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder was ECU's leading scorer as a junior, averaging 13.5 points. This season, he's scoring at 8.8, and his 28 minutes per game are three fewer than a year ago.
``We have more talent, more depth,'' Dooley said. ``Maybe it isn't so much that his game is different, it's just more balanced because the way the roles have evolved. He's given a lot of himself and he's evolved as a player.''
Basham helped PH win its 1992 Group AAA championship, then left town and the Patriots with teammate Curtis Staples to play at St. John's at Prospect Hall in Frederick, Md. If he had that to do over again, Basham said he would.
``It helped me getting away from the crowd,'' Basham said. ``It helped me learn about being on my own. I think I matured a lot, and when I got to college, it's wasn't that big an adjustment. It got me concentrating on my books a lot more, too. I came a long ways up there.''
Besides ECU, Basham considered opportunities at North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Towson State. The Pirates were coming off an upset title in the CAA and an NCAA Tournament bid under coach Eddie Payne, for whom Dooley was an assistant. Payne moved to Oregon State after Basham's sophomore season.
``They told me they liked my rebounding skills and my passing skills, and I've improved as a shooter since I got here,'' Basham said. ``I've always liked making nice passes. I used to watch Magic [Johnson] and Larry Bird do that. I was a kid, and it impressed me.''
After making the CAA's all-freshman team in 1993-94, Basham averaged 10.6 points as a sophomore starter. He ranks second in ECU history in 3-pointers with 202, behind the 229 by Lester Lyons from 1991-94.
Success isn't only measured in points, however. Basham's class will be the first to leave ECU with four consecutive winning seasons since the early '60s.
``When we recruited him, there was something about the way he played,'' Dooley said. ``There's just something there, that he knows how to win.
``He's matured in a lot of ways. At the end of summer school, he'll have his degree [in communications]. His ability to think and react quickly is a big plus.
``In practice, he's very thorough in the way he approaches things. He might have the best understanding of the game of anyone I've ever coached.''
When Basham reached the 1,000-point mark, it wasn't a special moment. ``I didn't realize it until after the game,'' he said of the Jan.29 victory over Old Dominion at Minges Coliseum. ``Besides I wouldn't have wanted it to interfere with the game.''
He's taking an average of three fewer shots per game this season, but his accuracy has risen from 40 to 42 percent. His primary responsibility now is stopping the best mid-size opponent.
Basham said the '92 state title at PH remains his biggest basketball thrill, although a tournament title in the very balanced Colonial and an NCAA trip could challenge that.
``I'm kind of a shy person, but what I've tried to do this year is be a leader,'' Basham said. ``I always try to think positive. When I'm done playing here, I would hope I'd be remembered for being consistent, for playing the best I could every night.''
Basham would like to play pro basketball in a foreign country, but if he can't, he wants to use his degree in communications to become a journalist.
He's already penned himself into the record books at ECU.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. (headshot) Basham. 2. EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY. Timby CNBBasham (right) has been a three-year starter at East Carolina and is
one of only 19 players in school history to score 1,000 points.
color.