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News Nuggets, 02.14.04
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Valiant effort by ECU's Willis not enough

GREENVILLE — Sandora Irvin had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 22 Texas Christian withstood an awesome performance by Courtney Willis to defeat East Carolina 125-119 in four overtimes Friday night.

Willis scored 40 points and pulled down 21 rebounds for the Pirates, who lost for the fifth time in a row. Jennifer Jackson added 29 points for East Carolina (14-9, 5-5).

Willis sent the game into overtime, making two foul shots with 31 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 83. In the third overtime, her free throw with 21 seconds remaining made it 112-all.

Tracy Wynn put TCU ahead for good, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:43 left in the fourth OT for a 120-117 lead. She later added two free throws.

In the fourth overtime, Willis hit two free throws to give East Carolina a 117-114 lead with 3:14 left. Lacy and Wynn responded with consecutive 3-pointers for TCU, sparking an 11-2 run to close out the game for the Lady Frogs.

Irvin was one of three players to exceed 20 points for the Lady Frogs (19-4, 8-2 Conference USA). Natasha Lacy had 22 points and Kim Ortega 21 for TCU, which won despite four players — including Irvin — fouling out.

TCU made 17 of 39 shots from 3-point range with Ortega going 6-of-14 and Lacy 4-of-7. Jackson, who also fouled out, was 5-of-10 from beyond the arc for the Pirates, who made 10 of 26 3-point attempts.

TCU made eight 3-pointers in the first half and led 52-48 at the break. Ebony Shaw had 16 points and Wynn finished with 15 for TCU.

Keisha Anthony also had 15 points and 10 rebounds for East Carolina, which set a school record for points in a single game. It was also the first four overtime contest in school history.

Adrianne Ross had a chance to win the game in regulation for TCU but missed a jumper in the final seconds.

Schedule for ECU-UNCA series tweaked

East Carolina's three-game baseball series with UNC Asheville will be bunched into two days instead of the three originally planned.

Sunday's game has been moved up to Saturday in an effort to get a jump on expected inclement weather. As a result, the teams will now play a doubleheader today consisting of two nine inning games beginning at noon, with the series finale to follow approximately 30 minutes afterward.

The Pirates will send junior right-hander Greg Bunn to the mound in game one Saturday. Freshman Ricky Brooks will make his collegiate debut in the second game. UNCA will counter with right-handers Aaron Rembert and Granville Gehris.

ECU won the series opener, 4-1, Friday afternoon.

Favorite son Williams leaves angst at Grambling

GRAMBLING, LA — Grambling State's avid football following took a blow this week when popular coach Doug Williams took a front-office job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Players and fans expressed disappointment at the loss of the highly successful coach, but receiver Moses Harris, who'll be a senior next season, said much of the community was just trying to be happy for Williams.

"They're not really taking it as bad as I thought they would," Harris told The Associated Press. "They put themselves in his shoes. These opportunities don't come every day. He's done his job here, changing boys to men."

Harris said he and his teammates are confident they will continue the success they've had in recent years under a new coach.

"It shouldn't be that hard adjusting," Harris said. "We'll just have to do what we have to do to get it done."

Still, Harris said he'd miss playing for Williams.

"He was honest, straightforward, direct with his players," Harris said.

Having won a Super Bowl as quarterback of the Washington Redskins, Williams had instant credibility with his players at Grambling. Harris said Williams was calm and confident in tight games, a mentality that he helped spread throughout the team.

Grambling athletics spokesman Peter Forest said Grambling was not immediately ready to discuss its plans for replacing Williams.

Earling Hunter, a 1998 GSU graduate, said he was caught off guard by the fact that Williams left for a front office job, working in the scouting department under Tampa Bay director of pro personnel Mark Dominik.

"I always expected his departure to be for a coaching job at a larger school, in a larger conference," Hunter said. "I never saw this move coming. When rumors began a few weeks ago, we all dismissed it like many of the previous rumors that developed concerning coach Williams.

"But I appreciate what Coach Williams has done for GSU. He put us back to our rightful place as one of college football's elite."

Grambling struggled through losing seasons in each of coach Eddie Robinson's final four years. Williams, who played for Robinson before a successful pro career, went 52-18 as Grambling coach in the six seasons after Robinson left. Williams coached the Tigers to three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships to go with the 17 won under Robinson.

Grambling was on track to win a fourth strait title this season until they were derailed by Southern in the Bayou Classic, ending the Tigers' season a game short of the SWAC title game.

Williams oversaw the signing of more than 20 prospects this month before the Buccaneers offered him a job.

"I know that many of our faithful fans will be outraged, but I won't be one of those," Hunter said of Williams' departure. "If he has to leave us, I want to thank him for leaving us in the position that he has placed us: A talent-loaded football team with a chance to win the SWAC every season."

Williams retired from the NFL in 1990. Before returning to Grambling State, he coached at his former high school in Zachary, was a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars, was offensive coordinator with the World League's Scottish Claymores and was head coach at Morehouse College.

"I can't say that I am surprised by the news," said Kenn Rashad, a 1990 graduate of Grambling State. "Before the 2003 season started, I always had a feeling that it would be his last as the coach at Grambling. There were just too many rumors flying around ... It was just a matter of time."

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007