GREENVILLE, N.C. � East Carolina has turned to former Auburn coach Jeff Lebo to lead its long-struggling men�s basketball program.

The school announced Monday it had hired Lebo to replace Mack McCarthy, who spent three seasons on the sideline for the Pirates before stepping down to take a fundraising job in the school�s athletics department. Lebo had spent the past six seasons at Auburn, going 96-93 overall and leading the Tigers to the NIT last season before he was fired earlier this month.
The 43-year-old coach played at North Carolina under Dean Smith in the late 1980s and had coached at Tennessee Tech and Chattanooga previously.
The school has scheduled a news conference for Lebo on Tuesday.