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Bailey's Take on Pirate Sports
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From the Anchor Desk Wednesday, September 8, 2004 ----- By Brian Bailey

Stars finally in alignment for ECU athletics

�2004 Bonesville.net

Twenty years ago, with my career just starting at WNCT-TV 9, I sent a congratulatory note to Virginia basketball coach Terry Holland.

I was raised in Virginia, and grew up as a Cavalier fan. The Cavs had overachieved that year, and had gone all the way to the Final Four without Ralph Sampson.

In my letter, I explained that I was one of the few Virginia fans living in the Tar Heel state. I told Coach Holland that I had begun rooting for the Cavs during their ACC Tournament title run in 1976. I was 14 years old at that time.

I sent the letter, and thought nothing more of it.

A couple of weeks later, Holland sent me a card to thank me for taking the time to send a letter. He explained that he was from Clinton and that he watched WNCT as a child.

I�ve seen Coach Holland through the years at various ACC events and have shared the story with him. But little did I know that our paths would cross again, twenty years down the road in Greenville.

I can�t think of a better choice. A man with integrity, with character, with a winning attitude, set to take over a university desperate to move ahead on the college athletics landscape.

The official introduction will come in a press conference today, but we got a sneak preview of the reaction on the Pirate staff on Tuesday.

�I think he has a high profile,� said Pirate football coach John Thompson. �He is a guy filled with integrity. All of the background that I�ve ever heard, seen or know in terms of anything is that the guy is a quality, quality, person, first. It gives our institution, our athletic department, our players, our students, a tremendous amount of credibility.�

All of a sudden there seems to be a swelling of pride on campus, especially within the athletic staff. Every comment, both on and off the record, was positive about the former Virginia coach and athletic director.

�I think it�s a home run,� said ECU basketball coach Bill Herrion. �I don�t know if you can put a price tag on what it means. You are talking about a person who has a tremendous reputation, not only as a basketball coach, but also as an administrator. I think he is so well known and so well respected. He�s going to pay great dividends for East Carolina.�

I�ll admit, I was somewhat skeptical when Chancellor Steven Ballard talked about an A+ candidate. I wondered if the school was wasting money by hiring a consultant to get the perfect candidate.

But Holland seems to be the perfect fit. He�s a native of Clinton, NC. He is a tireless worker. He�s been a part of a movement at Virginia to get that football program to the next level.

He also lured in one of college basketball�s all-time great players in Ralph Sampson. Sampson�s injuries limited his professional career, but he was truly something special in college.

Herrion jovially daydreamed that Sampson could be part of the package.

�I was hoping maybe he�d bring Ralph,� joked Herrion. �That way we�d have someone in the middle.

�As a college basketball coach," Herrion noted in a more serious tone, "I think the respect that you have for older, more established coaches goes without saying. I�d be foolish not to lean on him a little bit, and pick his brain, coach to coach."

�I�m excited about him coming. I think he�ll be excited about our basketball team. But I also think he knows where we are and where we are going with our basketball team.�

Holland begins his new job at East Carolina on October 1st.

A couple of wins in football might provide a nice house-warming gift for the new athletic director.

Welcome to Greenville, Coach Holland. I�m thrilled that our paths cross once again!

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02/23/2007 01:29:40 AM