East Carolina Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Lebo will undergo hip surgery on Monday, Jan. 16, and be sidelined indefinitely, director of athletics Jeff Compher announced Friday. Assistant coach Michael Perry will assume head coaching responsibilities during Lebo’s absence, starting with the Pirates’ game at UConn on Jan. 22 in Hartford.
“I met with Coach Lebo after the Houston game and it was evident to me that the amount of discomfort and pain he was experiencing was getting worse over time to the point it was impacting his job,” Compher said. “We discussed options and quickly came to the conclusion that the only viable option was for him to meet with his doctor and schedule surgery as soon as possible. His health is our first priority and we wish him a speedy recovery.
“I know Coach Perry will do an excellent job leading the team as our acting head coach and he will have the Pirates prepared and ready to compete until Coach Lebo is able to return.”
Lebo, currently in his seventh season at ECU, is the school’s winningest Division I basketball coach with 108 wins to his credit. He is the only coach in the program’s Division I era to lead it to multiple postseason appearances.
“I put off surgery for as long as I could, but after consulting with my doctor on multiple occasions, he recommended that I have the procedure now,” Lebo said. “I’ve been dealing with this pain for a couple of years and it has become increasingly unbearable. The best thing for my personal welfare as well as my family and our team is for me to have this done right away.”
