East Carolina Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Lebo announced his resignation effective immediately Wednesday afternoon.
Lebo becomes the second DI head coach to resign in the past two days joining UTEP head coach Tim Floyd who announced his resignation yesterday.
Assistant coach Michael Perry has accepted the role as interim head coach according to ECU Director of Athletics Jeff Compher.
Lebo compiled 116 victories during his seven-plus seasons at the helm of the ECU program making him the winningest coach during the school’s NCAA Division I era, which dates back to 1965, and second-most all-time. Under his guidance, the Pirates recorded their first-ever 20-win season as a Division I institution, received three postseason tournament invitations and captured the 2013 CIT postseason tournament title.
The Pirates won an ECU-record 23 games en route to their 2013 CIT championship.
Lebo is one of only three ECU coaches to have recorded multiple winning seasons in the school’s Division I history. The Pirates won 56 games during his first three seasons, the second-most by any Pirate coach during any three-year period (Howard Porter, 57, 1952-55). His average of over 16 wins per season ranks first among all ECU basketball coaches.
The Carlisle, Pa. native produced six All-Conference USA selections, including the Pirates’ only first-team selection and scoring champion Maurice Kemp in 2013. He also helped a trio of players earn American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team honors.
In addition to setting records for victories, Lebo’s Pirates also established single-season marks for points, three-point field goals made, assists, blocks, steals and fewest turnovers per game. His teams own six of the top seven places on the ECU team season record list for 3-point field goals made and four of the best five assist campaigns.
Lebo departs as one of only three coaches in school history to lead the program for more than six seasons joining Howard Porter, who coached the team for 12 seasons (1947-59) and Tom Quinn, who led the Pirates’ transition to Division I for eight years (1966-74).
Perry, who served as acting head coach for 14 games last season while Lebo recovered from hip surgery, will lead ECU (2-4) into action Thursday, Nov. 30, against UNCW (2-3). Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
