ECU signs sought-after guards

For almost the entirety of its existence, East Carolina’s basketball program has struggled to land top-tier recruits.

That appears to be changing, and Saturday afternoon’s announcement from ECU that the Pirates signed guards Shawn Williams and Elijah Hughes is further evidence of the trend.

While Williams, a 6-foot point guard from Maumelle, Ark., and Hughes, a 6-6 wing from Beacon, N.Y., do not have the ESPN top 100 ranking that sophomore Lance Tejada had when East Carolina recruited him, the pair has been labeled as a steal for the Pirates and coach Jeff Lebo.

“These two guys could be one of the top backcourts nobody knows about yet,” said Lebo, whose team opened the season with a 61-53…