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Bailey's
Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
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By Brian Bailey
Sports Anchor of WNCT-TV 9 |
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ECU braced for back-to-back
bullies
�2004 Bonesville.net
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AUDIO:
Replay this week's Brian Bailey Show with guests
Dwayne Harrison, Greg Herenda & Dixon Sauls:
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The Pirates battled all year long just to make it into the
12-team field that is the Conference USA tournament. Their reward is a match
up with Louisville in the first round, and then a contest with Cincinnati in
the quarterfinals.
How�s that for a 1-2 punch!
There just aren�t many teams in the country that could sweep
that doubleheader. Still, Pirate Coach Bill Herrion and company refuse to
back down.
�I like the way this team is playing right now,� said Coach
Bill Herrion as his team wrapped up their final practice in Greenville. �We
won four of our last five games and I think we�re peaking at the right time.
Even when we went through that tough stretch, when we weren�t finishing
games, we were playing well.�
Herrion continued with his thought: �Maybe losing some of
those close games, the way we lost them, made us better down the stretch
run. Maybe we needed some of that to get us to play this way.�
Conference USA featured a
five-way tie for first when the
regular season ended. DePaul went from an NCAA bubble team a couple of weeks
ago to the top seed in one of the nation�s top basketball leagues.
As for the matchup with Louisville, the Pirates go in
playing their best basketball. The Cards have struggled with injuries, and
have limped home down the stretch.
One of the best signs that this East Carolina team might
just pull the upset came from Pirate assistant coach Greg Herenda. Herenda
was on a recruiting trip on Monday night when I interviewed him on my
Cable 7/Talk 1070 AM call-in show.
Herenda shared this short story with the audience.
�It was really neat to see how our kids reacted to the news
that they would play Louisville in the first round,� said Herenda. �A cheer
went up and the guys really seemed excited about the chance to once again
play a program with such a rich history. They want to do something special.�
The Pirates left for Cincinnati on Monday afternoon. The
team will practice at an �off site� in the morning, and then work out at the
U.S. Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati.
| Follow ECU's progress in the
Conference USA Tournament from start to finish with
daily notes and digital audio clips from
Bonesville.net's onsite reporter, Brian Bailey. |
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While the 11th-seeded Pirates have Louisville and then
Cincinnati if they advance, the 12th seeded Tulane Green Wave has Charlotte
first, and then UAB if the Wave wins its opener. At least on paper, the 12th
seed seems to have an easier road than the 11th seed.
Coach Herrion says it really doesn�t matter. This is a tough
league and you have to beat the best to be the best.
�This conference just doesn�t give you a night off,� said
Herrion. �It doesn�t matter which team you play, they are all tough
assignments.�
Best of luck to Bill Herrion and the Pirates. If any team
deserves a run of luck, after what happened during this season, it is East
Carolina.
I�ll check in from Cincinnati for Bonesville.net throughout
the tournament for as long as the Pirates stay alive with stories and audio
clips.
We�ll see you at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati�
Big news about to break
The city of Greenville has a major announcement coming up on
Tuesday.
Sports Illustrated officials are coming to town for a very
special presentation. The festivities kick off shortly before noon on
Tuesday.
I�d certainly love to tell you more, but I�ve been sworn to
secrecy! But I think that anyone and everyone with ties to Greenville will
be most proud!
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Brian Bailey.
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archives.
02/23/2007 01:29:02 AM |
