News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

08.18.06: Goal line work livens up flat ECU practice ... 'Pack third sacker defects to Cowboys ... Indiana's Sampson sanctioned by NABC

08.17.06: ECU kicker Lee selected to Groza watch list ... Another Pinkney gets plaudits for Pirates ... Individual ECU game tickets go on sale

08.16.06: Bucs have depth chart heading into scrimmage ... Calipari assistant named UTEP hoops coach ... Clemson gives Leggett new five-year contract

08.15.06: Get ready to "Meet the Pirates" ... Depth chart looms as Bucs continue drills ... Red Raiders dedicate season to fallen coach

08.14.06: New thumbnails: Freeney, McNeil, Perryman ... Blazers hold first scrimmage on Sunday ... NCAA clears Snider to play this season at Tulsa ... Kansas officials undergo NCAA grilling

08.13.06: Dye goes into college football hall of fame ... ECU scrimmage helps shape depth chart ... Memphis works out at Liberty Bowl

08.12.06: ECU recruiting thumbnail: Ben Herlocker ... Pirates tune up for Saturday scrimmage ... Blazers preparing for opener with Oklahoma ... SMU golfer qualifies for U.S. Amateur

08.11.06: Pirates dodge heat with nighttime drills ... ECU's Thorsen claims Norwegian amateur title ... Manning pledges $1 million to Vols

08.10.06: Thursday 'Nuggets' sacked by network glitch

08.09.06: Lou's book says Skip was promised USC job ... Humid weather doesn't dampen ECU drills ... 'Bright House' will be home for Golden Knights

08.08.06: Pirates shifting to full-gear practice mode ... Hattiesburg pro takes over USM golf program ... Sooners turn to Thompson to fill QB void

08.07.06: Pirates strap on shoulder pads ... Ex-Duke lacrosse coach has new program ... NIT will trim field from 40 to 32 teams

08.06.06: Media day no day off for Pirates ... Drew-Skip check goes to Greenville Rec. Dept. ... Coordinator of ACC refs hanging up whistle

08.05.06: Holtz likes what he sees as camp starts ... Buckeyes pegged as team to beat; WVU #7 ... Groh reinstates senior safety Tony Franklin ... Four from C-USA on Thorpe Award watch list

08.04.06: Judge: Buckeyes owe ex-coach big bucks ... Marshall takes preseason volleyball accolades ... Conference USA adds administrator to staff

08.03.06: Four Hurricanes will miss opener with FSU ... Report says Sooners QB canned ... Tigers' Tate takes aim on Women's Amateur

08.02.06: Kragthorpe lassoes new pact, new transfers ... ACC champ to Orange; makeup policy defined ... Blazers launching prep baseball league

08.01.06: C-USA releases schedule of televised games ... 'The Voice' adds morning duties on local AM's ... Huskers, Huskies set dates in 2010, 2011

07.31.06: Blue Edwards' twins' team seeking AAU title ... Bower suspends USM LB for two games ... Preseason honors piling up for Houston QB ... SMU grid luncheon will feature Forrest Gregg

07.30.06: Love, smitten with UCLA, spurns Tar Heels ... Wake won't enroll indicted football signee ... Slippery Rock backpedals after Title IX ruling

07.29.06: Whimper, Williams get multimillion-dollar deals ... Blazers DE nabs C-USA preseason honor ... TCU coach resigns over phone infraction

07.28.06: Navy game tickets available to Pirate Clubbers ... ECU grants extension, raise to Baldwin-Tener ... League football coaches visit New Orleans ... C-USA football media blitz set for CSTV

07.27.06: ECU recruiting thumbnail: Devon Wallace ... USM soph on Mackey watch list ... Scribes pick Miami to win ACC title ... New post-college football league in the works

07.26.06: "Meet the Pirates" shin-dig set for Aug. 19 ... Leukemia claims former UAB football star ... ACC honors Dukie Redick, Terp Infante

07.25.06: ECU last in poll; Allison, Graham get respect ... Former Pirate Ward joins Bulls baseball staff ... NCAA's impact lucrative for Indianapolis

07.24.06: Miami football player shot at off-campus residence ... 'Star-crossed' defensive back leaving Auburn ... Admission denied for Gamecock hoops signee

07.23.06: Accident claims life of Georgia hoops player ...
Ex-Navy quarterback Owens spared jail time ... Former Gamecock suing university

07.22.06: Blue Devils name new lacrosse coach ... Former Duke back issues $1 million challenge ... Current Duke back Harris gets tube time

07.21.06: Hoops recruiting thumbnail: Jontae Sherrod ... Tiger recruit says Irish used negative tactics ... Duke football hit by suspension, dismissals ... UK to report self over Internet shenanigans

07.20.06: ECU to hold public "celebration" of LeClair's life ... LeClair rites to be broadcast and live-streamed ... Future Pirate Fields tallies 8 points in East loss ... C-USA announces staff additions, promotions ... UCF uses buyout; Vols host Wolfpack in 2008

07.19.06: Irish fill baseball coaching vacancy ... Fork Union, Oak Hill getting review by NCAA ... Alabama cager denied fifth year of eligibility

07.18.06: ECU's Krog, Hauser recognized for academics ... UCF golfer fires record round of 60 ... Rutgers drops six sports to trim athletic budget

07.17.06: LSU paying baseball coach $450K per year ... Kruger uses rule change to play for dad ... MAAC adopts new hoops tourney format

07.16.06: UTEP track athletes achieve in classroom ... Former George Mason cager gives up on NFL ... Jury hears tape of Navy quarterback's call

07.15.06: GMAC Bowl in Mobile moves to January ... Louisville ponies up to lock down Petrino ... Tulsa names McCombs women's golf coach

07.14.06: N.C. prep hoops star re-routes to Memphis ... ECU's Flye, Ray land in CPL All-Star Game ... UNC-CH's Miller receives Clemens Award

07.13.06: Logan to have daily show on "The Bull" ... Marshall hires former Blue Devil as hoops aide ... Redick 'backs' out of Team USA workouts

Bonesville.net will be implementing logistical changes related to some of its network equipment today and Sunday. As a result, the only new content that will be posted on the site Sunday morning will be the "Web Headlines Roundup" page, compiled by staff member Greg Vacek.

Bonesville is scheduled to resume its standard rotation of columns, news, "Nuggets" and other features on Monday morning.

East Carolina coach Skip Holtz put the finishing touches on his team's final preparation effort for Saturday's scrimmage with a short and light practice session Friday afternoon at the Cliff Moore Practice Complex, according to a release from the university's athletic media relations department.

Holtz indicated all levels of the Pirates' current personnel list would be utilized during the closed contest, which is tentatively scripted for a minimum of 90 to 100 plays depending on ECU's injury situation during the scrimmage.

"It'll purely be game conditions," Holtz explained. "This scrimmage will be ones-on-ones and twos-on-twos with the balls and chains out. This is the one where we hope to put our entire offense and defense together. We want to continue to stress the importance of third down and work on our physical and mental development in a game mode, which in turn, will be another important step in developing our depth chart."

Unlike Wednesday and Thursday's sessions that saw the Pirates total over 250 scrimmage plays during extended team-on-team work, East Carolina spent the majority of the helmets and shorts practice conducting mostly individual polish drills. Holtz also hoped the light practice would serve as a rejuvenating tool to recharge batteries prior to the scrimmage.

"It was a great day in shorts with a lot of running and flying around," Holtz said. "We got some of the excitement back today as guys were much more vocal out there. I'm pleased with the way they have continued to learn and work."

Saturday's scrimmage will be followed by the 12th Annual Meet The Pirates Night, ECU's preseason football fanfest, which will begin at 6:00 p.m. (dinner) and 7:00 p.m. (fan session, autographs) at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Senior offensive tackle Eric Graham (back) returned to work after missing Thursday's practice.

Saturday's scrimmage is scheduled from 2:25 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. ECU opens its season at Navy at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 2.

NATIONAL RADIO: Conference USA announced Friday that two East Carolina games will be featured on Sirius Satellite Radio this season — vs. Virginia (Oct. 7, 6:00 p.m.) and vs. Southern Miss (Oct. 28, 8:00 p.m.).

Marshall has announced the hiring of Jeff Waggoner as the Thundering Herd's new head baseball coach, according to a release on the Conference USA website.

An Alliance, Oh, native, Waggoner, 30, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the nationally-ranked North Carolina State baseball program.

While with the Wolfpack, Waggoner was a part of two N.C. State teams that had a combined record of 81-41 and played in two NCAA Tournaments. In 2006, N.C. State finished second in the ACC Tournament and was runner up in the NCAA Austin Regional. The Wolfpack ranked as high as seventh in the nation last season while finishing third nationally in hitting (.333) and second in the ACC in fielding percentage (.970).

Waggoner's responsibilities with the Wolfpack included player development, recruiting, academic support, travel and directing N.C. State's summer baseball camps.

Before his arrival in Raleigh, Waggoner spent two seasons as the recruiting coordinator at Kent State University. The Golden Flashes captured the 2004 MAC Tournament Championship during his tenure and also had seven players selected in the Major League Baseball draft.

He was also an assistant coach at George Washington University from 2000-2002, where he helped guide the Colonials to a school record for wins in a season (42) in 2002 and the Atlantic 10 championship in 2002.

The Winston-Salem Journal has reported that Philip Stitt, the basketball coach at Winston-Salem State for the past five seasons, has resigned.

Stitt will become the coach at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, FL, his hometown. He said that the opportunity to return home was too good to pass up.

Stitt compiled a 94-51 record at WSSU, took teams to the NCAA Division II playoffs twice and did not have a losing season. The Rams have left the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and are preparing to move to the Division I level.

Before taking over as head coach, Stitt spent three seasons as an assistant to Rick Duckett. During the eight seasons Stitt worked at WSSU, the Rams were a combined 165-67 with five NCAA playoff appearances.

Stitt also was an assistant coach for the Rams' CIAA championship teams in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

Stitt made school history after Duckett resigned in the summer of 2001 when he was named WSSU's first white head coach in a major sport.

After taking over, he instituted guidelines about study halls for players and was strict about a dress code on the road and how players interacted with each other.

Although it probably won't become official until next week, the Journal reported that David Brown, who has been Stitt's top assistant, will be the next Rams head coach. Brown, a graduate of Fayetteville State, played for Duckett and has been at WSSU the last three seasons.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.