East Carolina's Jeff Lebo to undergo hip surgery, out indefinitely

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina says basketball coach Jeff Lebo will have hip surgery Monday and be out indefinitely.

Athletic director Jeff Compher said Friday that assistant coach Michael Perry will take over starting with the Pirates' visit to Connecticut on Jan. 22.

Compher says it was obvious that Lebo was in pain after he met with the coach following East Carolina's loss to Houston on Wednesday, and the two decided surgery was the ''only viable option.''

Lebo - a former guard at North Carolina - says he's been dealing with the pain for years and ''put off surgery for as long as I could.''

The Pirates (9-9, 1-4 American Athletic Conference) have lost four straight. Lebo's last game before taking leave comes Sunday when ECU plays host to No. 22 Cincinnati.