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NEWS, NOTES &
COMMENTARY
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The
Bradsher Beat
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
By Bethany Bradsher |
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Stokes banks on new blood to
recharge program
©2006 Bonesville.net
Ricky Stokes counts Terry Holland as his boss,
former coach and lifelong mentor, and they are usually on the same page in
coaching theory and practice.
But on the subject of suiting up freshmen,
Stokes knows that he is deviating from Holland, who favors the idea of
making new players sit out for a while until they have earned a spot in the
lineup.
Waiting on the new Pirate talent is simply not a
luxury that Stokes can afford right now, he said.
“I’d like guys playing right away,” said Stokes,
who spoke to the media last week at an informal off-season lunch. “Not to go
against the boss, but when you’re 8-20 you don’t want to wait until the next
year. I want to suit up every available person.”
In the wake of a difficult first season at the
helm marked by 20 losses and the eventual departure of seven former Pirates
for other colleges, Stokes gathered the media to promote the new, younger
version of the Pirates that is currently on campus following a strength and
conditioning program.
“We have a lot of new faces,” he said. “We have
a lot of young men. We’ve had a full year to recruit. I’m excited about the
group we have. I think our talent level is better.”
Of the 14 players currently listed on the ECU
roster, three — Hillary Haley, Chad Wynne and Corey Farmer — are still
waiting official word of their eligibility from the NCAA. Ten out of the
remaining 11 are in Greenville this summer, many taking summer school, and
all working in the weight room and on the track with strength coach Michelle
Boswell.
They are not permitted to work out with the
coaches at this point, but they are gathering often for informal shooting
clinics in an effort to bandage their most serious wound from last season,
Stokes said.
“As we looked at our statistics from last year,
we have to shoot the basketball better, we have to shoot free throws
better,” he said. “We’re looking at shooting percentage, at getting us
better shots. We’re working hard at that.”
Only four players — senior Courtney Captain,
juniors Jeremy Ingram and Taylor Gagnon and sophomore Sam Hinnant — are
returning from the 2005-’06 squad, and of those only Gagnon has been on the
team for more than one season. Collectively, Stokes hopes they will fill the
leadership gap created by Corey Rouse’s graduation.
“We’re demanding that they provide us some
leadership, I think that’s going to be a great role for them,” Stokes said.
As for the newcomers, Stokes is sure of one
thing just by looking at them: They will add the size that the Pirates
desperately need. Justin Ramsey and Wynne are both 6-foot-10, John Fields is
6-foot-9 and Gabe Blair is 6-foot-8. They are also a largely homegrown
group, with half of the recruits and three-fourths of the returnees hailing
from the Tar Heel State.
“We’re definitely bigger, wider,” Stokes said.
“That’s what I’m most excited about. All of our guys in the paint will be
young. We don’t have an experienced guy in the front court. But I do like
each guy individually, and I like them collectively.”
Stokes also senses, from the few times he has
seen the new group together, that the recruits will spark more
competitiveness on the practice court.
While he remains mum on
the upcoming schedule — the dates and opponents won’t be released until late
August — Stokes knows that the Conference USA teams and possibly ACC teams
that will tip off against ECU this season will give an intense test of the
new squad’s mettle very quickly.
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02/23/2007 01:13:11 AM |
