Freshmen aren’t usually guaranteed playing time, but the rookies on East Carolina’s men’s basketball team are at least assured of having an opportunity to get as many minutes as they can earn this season.

Production off the bench has been lacking for the Pirates all season, and the list of reserves was cut by one when 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Chris Turner was ruled academically ineligible earlier this week. Turner won’t suit up the rest of the season.

With four of ECU’s starters averaging at least 30 minutes per game, Pirates coach Mack McCarthy, whose team takes on N.C. Central today at 3 in Minges Coliseum, would probably like to lean on his bench a little more in the hopes of not running the starting five ragged. While 6-7 sophomore forward DaQuan Joyner has stepped into the sixth man role, freshmen Erin Straughn, Wakefield Ellison and Corvonn Gaines are the most likely candidates to be rewarded with additional playing time — if they can earn it.

“I’m ready to take on the challenge,” said Straughn, a 6-6 guard from Pensacola, Fla., who’s still getting back to full strength after injuring his ankle a few weeks back. “I just need to play hard and just play my role.”

Straughn’s versatility should help him get on the court more. He mostly plays shooting guard, but his size also allows him to spell starting swingman Jamar Abrams, who can play shooting guard or small forward. Once he’s back to full strength, Straughn should become a part of McCarthy’s regular rotation again.

Ellison, a 6-5 guard from Asheville, and Gaines, a 6-4 guard from Madison, Wis., haven’t cracked that rotation with great regularity yet, but they could each play an important role before season’s end.

Gaines in particular has an opportunity to get more playing time since he’s Brock Young’s backup. Young, East Carolina’s dynamic junior point guard, is averaging a team-high 34.5 minutes per game and leads the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game.

He’s also the Conference USA leader, and fifth in Division I, in assists per game (6.5).

Young regularly approaches 40 minutes of playing time, but he’ll need to get more rest if he wants to finish the season as strong as he’s started it. Those minutes could belong to Gaines, the younger brother of former Louisville All-American Reece Gaines.

Ellison’s quickness and tenacity perhaps surpass his importance to the Pirates during games at this point, but what McCarthy mainly wants from his bench — energy — is what Ellison says he’ll bring.

“I’m a high-energy player who’s going to come in and play as hard as he can for however long he’s in the game,” said Ellison, who’s played in eight games and is averaging nearly six minutes per contest. “I want to be able to give us some scoring and play good defense. (The reserves) need to do whatever we can to help the team.”

Contact Tony Castleberry can be reached at tcastleberry@reflector.com or (252) 329-9591.