GREENVILLE — East Carolina basketball coach Jeff Lebo hasn’t been shy to lean hard on his team’s freshmen. If a player is talented and can contribute to the team, Lebo is going to let him do just that. Such was the case with B.J. Tyson last season. The young, slashing guard led the team in scoring last year with 12.5 points a game while adding almost four rebounds a game, too.

This season, the Pirates have another breakout star on their hands in the form of Kentrell Barkley. The young guard-forward combination has played just north of 24 minutes off the bench in all 13 of ECU’s games this year. That’s good for third on the team, despite the fact that he has yet to start a game.

“His ability to rebound the ball and handle the ball in space and out in transition,” Lebo identified as some of Barkley’s strengths. “He can finish like B.J. He’s crafty around the rim. The biggest thing, and it’s been an added bonus with (Barkley), is that he makes the right decisions.”

Playing so many minutes as a freshman can be a bit of a rollercoaster. While Barkley has enjoyed plenty of success early on, he’s had his quieter games, too. That’s nothing that some of the elder Pirates haven’t experienced. Barkley is more than willing to consult them for advice.

“Me and him talk about everything in practice and after a game,” Tyson said. “I look back and I see how I played and he’s got a similar game to mine, except his is a little more aggressive. It’s exciting to play beside of him.

“I’ll tell him that sometimes when you’re a freshman, you’ll make mistakes and you’ll get down. I’ve told him a lot of times to just keep his head up.”

One difference between Barkley this season and Tyson last year is what Lebo counts on him for. Barkley is consistently the top scorer off the bench, but his defensive contributions are what make him especially valuable on the floor. He leads the team in rebounding (6.6 per game) and blocking (eight this season). His 15 steals are also good for second on the team.

“I just go out and do my job,” Barkley said. “I do whatever to help my team win.”

Tyson’s playing time from last season is already paying off in spades. While there can be some detriments to rushing a player into large roles, Lebo has found that, more often than not, it leads to good things.

“He can develop faster. He learns the game he’s playing and that’s helpful,” Lebo said. “There’s not many freshmen playing in this league … He’s a guy that I think is going to be able to build upon this and grow his game earlier than someone who hasn’t played.”

Lebo has already noticed improvements in Barkley’s perimeter shooting, among other things.

This is just the beginning. Barkley’s hardest tests are ahead of him now that the non-conference portion of the season is done. The American Athletic Conference is, once again, pegged to be a tough league. Cincinnati and Southern Methodist are both ranked in the AP Top 25.

Barkley will be important to the Pirates’ success in conference play. However, the freshman can’t let himself get down when he’s matched up against the big players he’ll see in the coming months.

As Lebo says, “the bodies are coming.”

“Guys like Nzege, Prince (Williams), B.J., Caleb are all guys that have been through conference play,” he said. “They know what’s coming.We’ll lean on those guys as we go through it.”