CHRONICLING ECU & C-USA SPORTS
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View
from the 'ville
Thursday,
January 26, 2006
By Al Myatt |
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Holtz shifts from Hula mode
to final recruiting push
�2006 Bonesville.net
East Carolina coach Skip Holtz flew back from
Hawaii recharged and ready to return to the recruiting trail after a working
vacation as a vital
member of the winning East staff in the Hula Bowl.
The experience was deja vu � albeit a
generation removed � for Holtz, the son of coaching legend Lou Holtz. The
Pirates coach was accompanied by his family on the venture to the 50th
state.
"I can remember going to the Hula Bowl with my
dad when I was about my oldest son's age," Holtz said.
Holtz liked the structure of the all-star
game's activities, which included practice in the morning, tourist and
family time in the afternoon, and bowl events in the evenings.
ECU was represented on the field with
offensive lineman Guy Whimper and linebacker Chris Moore joining the East's
elite in a 10-7 win.
"For a lot of players, the week is like a pro
football job interview," Holt said. "I think Guy Whimper really helped
himself. He's only been an offensive lineman for one year and a lot of
people wanted to see him. Scouts want to see attitudes, work habits and
intensity and they get to do that during practice all week. Players get a
lot of exposure to NFL teams at the Hula Bowl.
"Scouts also have the opportunity to interview
players, and, I think Guy really helped himself with the week at the Hula
Bowl."
The East featured linebackers from several
nationally-prominent programs.
"It was a great opportunity for Chris to work
and he went out there and held his own," said Holtz, who added that Moore
also showed his potential on special teams.
"He made some tackles in the kicking game,"
Holtz said. "He did a really nice job."
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville was the head
coach for the East. The offense was handled by a
pair of in-state coaches, Holtz and Appalachian
State's Jerry Moore, who guided the Mountaineers to the Division
I-AA national championship in 2005.
Holtz handled skill personnel � quarterbacks,
running backs and receivers � while Moore worked with the offensive linemen.
Holtz said the short time frame for
preparation prevents elaborate scheming in an all-star setting.
"We put in three or four run plays and three
or four pass plays," Holtz said. "It's a challenge to put an offense in.
"You don't want to mess up on the snap count
and you want your guys to line up correctly. You want to establish a degree
of timing with your passing game. You don't want to be meeting six hours a
day, so it's about giving players an opportunity to show their abilities
within a set of base plays. It's not about gimmick plays or out-scheming
anyone."
The Hula Bowl was nationally televised and
Holtz got some camera time during the game as he directed the East offense.
Bonesville columnist Brian Bailey
noted the value of that exposure earlier
this week.
"Anytime you get East Carolina on national
television and gain that public exposure, it's great," Holtz said. "For East
Carolina to have a coach in the game and two players in the game � those
logos on the helmet and the coach of the sideline � anytime you're given
that national exposure, it's invaluable for you."
The football experience wasn't all X's and
O's.
"One thing that inspired me was the quality
and character of the young men there," Holtz said. "They were positive,
upbeat and outgoing. There were no problems with guys out partying or
getting in trouble. That, for me, was a bright spot. I enjoyed the
camaraderie and fellowship with the players."
The Pirates coach also was impressed by the
view of the high seas at Hawaii's North Shore.
"We watched the surfers and it was absolutely
phenomenal," Holtz said. "The power of the waves, their size and force � you
couldn't pay me to get out there."
Holtz said his sons had an opportunity to surf
on the trip. The ECU coach has his own wild ride to deal with as signing
date for recruiting approaches.
"It's going well at this point," he said.
"We're just trying to hang on to what we've been trying to build the last
eight months � the relationships with the young men. It's a mad scramble at
the end, trying to make the numbers meet. Somebody loses one and goes to the
next name on their list and it can get kind of hectic."
Glory Road
Hollywood's version of Texas Western's run to
the NCAA basketball championship in 1966, Glory Road, is in theatres now.
College basketball's exposure has increased
exponentially since that era. ECU athletic director Terry Holland, who
finished an outstanding college career at Davidson in 1964, had not seen
Texas Western until the championship game against Kentucky. The field for
the NCAA Tournament was only 16 teams at that time and hoops lacked the
exposure provided by the proliferation of television networks today.
"I really didn't know much about the team
until they played Kentucky," Holland said. "The Final Four back in those
days was a big deal to basketball guys but not much of a big deal anywhere
else.
"It was even hard to get the games on
television. I did see the championship game. I thought they played great. It
was a very emotional win, but I honestly didn't know very much about their
team.
"Obviously, we learned a lot about them in the
next little bit. College basketball was just starting to crank up a little
bit in terms of interest for the rest of the country � other than those of
us who had always loved basketball."
Don Haskins, who started five African
Americans as coach at Texas Western, and Pat Riley, a member of Kentucky's
team, which was all white, were technical advisors on the film.
Maginnes the broadcaster
Former East Carolina golfer John Maginnes will
be using his colorful personality and knowledge of the sport as a reporter
on PGA Tour coverage on XM radio.
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02/23/2007 12:29:47 AM
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