DATE: Wednesday, March 19, 1997             TAG: 9703190716
SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.              LENGTH:   80 lines

ECSU'S GOT A WHOLE NEW ATTITUDE THE VIKINGS BRING A FRESH OUTLOOK TO TODAY'S DIVISION II REGIONAL TOURNAMENT GAME.

As Maurice Mincey's game-winning shot attempt rimmed out in last month's CIAA Tournament semifinal, the Elizabeth City State senior thought his college career was over. No way, he figured, the Vikings would earn an at-large berth to the Division II Tournament.

``I didn't even want to go,'' Mincey confessed of advancing to the regional tournament. ``I hurt my back again and when we came back here, I didn't even ride back with the team.''

His lack of enthusiasm was the prevailing attitude of the old ECSU teams. A mindset that contributed to an 8-19 record two years ago. And a plague that second-year coach Barry Hamler has all but eradicated as the Vikings advanced to the Elite Eight of the Division II Tournament.

ECSU (22-6), the South Atlantic region champion, plays Salem-Teikyo (27-2) in the quarterfinals today at 3 p.m. And no way would this be possible if the Vikings players thought the way they did prior to Hamler's arrival.

``One thing that is important is the players believe in the attitude of the coach,'' said guard Adrian Bell, just one of two players on the current team that played for the previous coach. ``That year, some players did not believe in Coach (Claudie) Mackey.''

The 1994-95 Vikings, who were serving the first year of a two-year probation, were symbolic of some previous ECSU teams: talent with the lack of drive to match.

``That year, we still had enough talent to produce a 20-win season,'' Bell said.

But there was no consistent fire and desire to be the best. At least not until Hamler arrived.

The former Booker T. Washington high coach knew exactly what he wanted. And it didn't include a losing record, or a losing attitude.

``When he came in, he came in almost like a drill sergeant,'' athletic director Edward McLean said. ``Screaming. Trying to get them to understand the right way of doing things.''

And explaining to his players the idea of cohesion.

``The first time I met Coach Hamler, I just had so much respect because of the way he talked,'' said Mincey, who transferred from Hampton University. ``He really cared. Sometimes, coaches just want you to sign with them. But he came at me and said he had a plan and that he wanted me to be a partner.''

And in just two years, Hamler's partnership has formed perhaps the most successful ECSU team in school history.

This year's CIAA Northern Division title was the school's first since 1981. This is the first time since 1978 the Vikings had earned a South Atlantic Championship. No other ECSU team had advanced to the Elite Eight of the Division II Tournament. The 1969 team under coach Bobby Vaughan advanced to NAIA Tournament Championship semifinals.

``This team has a higher work ethic than any other group of basketball players I have been around in quite some time,'' said Hamler, who makes the 50-minute drive to the campus from his home in Virginia Beach.

The Vikings' record alone could not symbolize the program's turnaround. A dissection of the record, however, gives a clearer understanding of the new fighting spirit within the Vikings.

Eight of the team's victories have been by five points or less. In a three-game stretch in the final two weeks against Northern Division contenders Virginia Union, Norfolk State and St. Paul's, ECSU walked away with three victories by a combined 10 points.

During the Regional Tournament at North Carolina Central, ECSU overcame a 40-27 halftime deficit in the first round and a 24-4 first-half deficit in the second round to advance to the finals. In the final, the Vikings defeated CIAA Tournament champion St. Augustine's 95-78. The Falcons had beaten ECSU the previous two weeks.

Not only did the Vikings display their tenacity and drive in earning the title, but Marcus Riddick also illustrated the type of performance Hamler figures could be the cornerstone of several successful teams to come.

Riddick, a Bayside alumnus and the first ever ECSU player named to the conference's all-rookie team, was 10 for 11 from the floor, had 11 rebounds and finished with 25 points in the championship game. Yet, none of this would have been possible if the Vikings' attitudes at N.C. Central were comparable to Mincey's initial reluctance. ILLUSTRATION: Coach Barry Hamler taught ECSU players to believe in

themselves. The result is a spot in the NCAA Division II Elite

Eight.

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