Bonesville: The Authoritative Independent Voice of East Carolina

News & Features from ECU, the AAC and Beyond

  • Home
  • News & Features
  • Recruiting
  • Photos
  • Audio
  • Roundup
  • Comments
  • Legacy Archives

• ECU 2022 Football Schedule
• ECU 2022-23 Hoops Schedule
• ECU 2023 Baseball Schedule

— Recruiting Thumbnails —
Football: 2023 • Hoops: 2023-24

Insights from Brett
Dooley blows whistle on AAC officiating

March 4, 2019 By Brett Friedlander Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

It might be difficult to believe now that Duke has become one of the most recognized brands in college basketball and Mike Krzyzewski has earned his niche as winningest coach in the history of the game, but there was a time early in his tenure with the Blue Devils in which Coach K’s job was anything but secure.

Battling to build his program and unhappy about what he perceived to be a bias toward his team’s rival North Carolina, the now Hall of Fame coach let his frustration be known after a loss to the Tar Heels in 1984.

Krzyzewski was angry that UNC coach Dean Smith wasn’t assessed a technical when he slammed his fist on the scorer’s table, causing a stoppage in play and sparking a late Tar Heels comeback.

“There’s a double standard in this league,” Krzyzewski said that night. “One for Dean Smith and one for the rest of us. It’s not right.”

What does this have to do with East Carolina, you ask?

ECU coach Joe Dooley (ECU Media Relations file photo by Rob Goldberg)

It’s because by getting ejected from the Pirates’ game against Houston at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday, then lashing out at the officiating — though in a much more passive aggressive way than Krzyzewski did all those year ago — coach Joe Dooley made the same kind of statement to the rest of the American Athletic Conference.

“I’ll take partial responsibilities and I think there are some other parties that should take partial responsibilities,” Dooley said after the game. “(I’m) very unhappy our fans had to witness it. (It’s the) first time in 31 years I’ve gotten tossed.

“I’ll be quite honest, I’m sick of it,” he added. “We’re not getting sand kicked in our face anymore. We’re going to stand up and play the right way, referee the right way, play the right way. All parties, we need to play better, they need to ref better.”

This is not to suggest that Dooley felt as though the Cougars’ Kelvin Sampson was getting preferential treatment or that the men in stripes cost his team the game. ECU was trailing by 16 when he was hit with two technicals and shown the door with just under 18 minutes remaining.

Nor does it mean that this incident will become the springboard that catapults ECU into basketball prominence and helps Dooley get to the Hall of Fame. We all know how unlikely that is.

But by calling attention to what he believed was a disparity in the way the game was being called — one that benefitted the nationally-ranked team at the expense of the perennial AAC bottomfeeder — Dooley let it be known that the status quo is no longer acceptable.

While it’s still up to the Pirates to earn the respect they want by upgrading their talent level, playing better and ultimately winning more games, Dooley made it clear that at the very least, his team deserves a fair shake in their effort to start turning things around.

Dooley, in the first year of his second stint as ECU’s head coach, may actually have begun that process simply by being ejected on Wednesday.

His ouster put him in some lofty company among conference coaches, including Sampson, Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, Connecticut’s Dan Hurley and Tulsa’s Frank Haith — all of whom have been sent to the showers early this season after being assessed two technicals in a game by AAC refs.

Still, there’s a lot of work left to do.

That was evident in the box score from Sunday’s 91-78 loss at Tulsa, a game that dropped ECU’s record to 10-17 (3-12 AAC). The Pirates were called for 21 fouls to just 10 for the Golden Hurricane, a disparity that allowed Tulsa to make seven more free throws (17) than ECU attempted (10).

It’s obviously going to take more than just an ejection and a postgame speech pointing out a perceived double standard in the way the haves and have nots are treated by AAC officials for the Pirates to become competitive on the hardwood.

It’s more important that ECU concentrate on the things it can control. Things such as a continued commitment to strength and conditioning, becoming more familiar with Dooley’s system and surrounding freshman building block Jayden Gardner with more and better players.

At the same time, a tree can’t grow or blossom until a seed is planted.

Consider that seed officially planted.

ECU 2018-19 BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
DOOLEY CALLS FOUL ON AAC OFFICIATING
PIRATES SHARE LECLAIR TITLE
ECU TOPPED AT TULSA
LECLAIR CLASSIC: PIRATES NET SATURDAY SPLIT
PIRATES, UTAH SUSPENDED
TEMPERS ERUPT AS NO. 8 HOUSTON WINS IN MINGES
SOPHS MAKING THEIR MOVE FOR SOFTBALL PIRATES
FAST START SENDS PIRATES PAST ELON

Related

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin

Filed Under: News & Features

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent News & Features

Basketball News
Pirates rally past Tulsa to snap losing streak

ECU Recruiting News
Portal delivers blue chipper RaRa Dillworth

VIEW FROM THE EAST: CHARLOTTE
The new American

Basketball News
Owls pull away from ECU in second half

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review (UPDATED)
Pirates tap transfer portal for more talent

Basketball News
Small matter costly in ECU loss

VIEW FROM THE EAST
The new American

Basketball News
Bearcats beat ECU from long range

Basketball News
Memphis run tops ECU

Basketball News
Kelly leads UCF past Pirates

More News & Features

ECU Schedules

  • ECU 2021 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2020-21 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2021 Baseball Schedule

ECU Recruiting

  • Football Recruiting Class of 2021
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2020
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2019
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2018
  • Football Recruiting Class of 2017
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2021-22
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2020-21
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2019-20
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2018-19
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2017-18
  • Hoops Recruiting Class of 2016-17

Past Football Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2014 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2013 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2012 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2011 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2010 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2009 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2008 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2007 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2006 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2005 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2004 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2003 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2002 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2001 Football Schedule
  • ECU 2000 Football Schedule
  • Historical Schedules

Past Basketball Schedules

  • ECU 2019-20 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2018-19 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2017-18 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2016-17 Basketball Schedule
  • ECU 2000-2015 Basketball Archives

Past Baseball Schedules

  • ECU 2020 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2019 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2018 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2017 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2016 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2015 Baseball Schedule
  • ECU 2001-2014 Baseball Archives

Recruiting Class Profiles

ECU Recruiting News
Portal delivers blue chipper RaRa Dillworth

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review (UPDATED)
Pirates tap transfer portal for more talent

AAC Early Signing Review
New members dive into AAC recruiting wars

Class of 2023 Early Signing Review
First wave of recruits just the beginning

ECU Recruiting News
Brown finds way to ECU through portal

ECU Recruiting News
Transfer safety McDaniel destined for ECU

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates land coveted Spartanburg quarterback

ECU Recruiting News
Swift ECU recruit ‘in a class of his own’

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates win out for Georgia prep linebacker

ECU Recruiting News
Linebacker with pedigree charts path to ECU

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates find a gem in Palmetto State receiver

ECU Recruiting News
Official visit swayed North Mecklenburg star

ECU Recruiting News
Physical Georgia receiver poses tough matchup

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates project lineman Durant as center

ECU Recruiting News
ECU spotted potential in Conley lineman

ECU Recruiting News
ECU lands fleet-footed Georgia defensive back

ECU Recruiting News
‘Football town’ helps draw Short to Pirates

ECU Recruiting News
ECU targets edge rushers

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates aim high for interior line talent

ECU Recruiting News
Well stocked Pirates enter fray for O-linemen

ECU Recruiting News
ECU faces uphill battle in hunt for tight ends

ECU Recruiting News
Pirates cast wide net for wide receivers

ECU Recruiting News
Loaded Pirates still courting running backs

ECU Recruiting News
ECU targets quarterbacks of the future

AAC Football Recruiting News
Transfer portal reshaping AAC football programs

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, January 26, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, January 23, 2023

Writer Archives

  • Bonesville Staff
  • Brian Bailey
  • Sammy Batten
  • Bethany Bradsher
  • Brett Friedlander
  • Al Myatt
  • NFF
  • Greg Vacek
  • Danny Whitford

Recent Web Roundups

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Thursday, January 26, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, January 25, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, January 23, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Saturday, January 21, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Wednesday, January 18, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Monday, January 16, 2023

GREG VACEK'S WEB ROUNDUP
Sunday, January 15, 2023

More Web Roundups

Copyright © 2023 Bonesville.net · Website by Seaport Webworks. · Log in · Privacy Policy