|
BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
-----
|
From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
-----
By Brian Bailey |
 |
Win was the perfect tonic for
Pirates
By Brian Bailey
©2007 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
|
THE BRIAN
BAILEY SHOW |
|
|
 Tune
in on the radio or catch the live Internet feed
of The Brian Bailey Show with WNCT-TV 9
Sports Director Brian Bailey, each Monday
night from 7-8 p.m. |
|
Select Live Stream |
TALK 1070 INSTANT REPLAY:
Catch
past Brian Bailey Shows, including Monday
night's program featuring guest Larry Dixon: |
|
Select Archive Clip |
|
|
It was just what the doctor
ordered.
Desperate to end a seven-game
losing streak before the start of conference play, East Carolina did just
that by
beating Division II Chowan 68-50
Saturday night in Greenville.
As bleak as things look at
times, the play of the newcomers at least offers hope. Gabe Blair and John
Fields, a pair of freshman, each picked up a double-double in the victory.
It was great to see Fields
return to the floor. Fields had missed the last three games with a bum
shoulder. He scored a career high 14 points and hauled in a career best 11
rebounds in compiling his first ever double-double.
For Blair, it was his second
double-double of the season. He scored ten points and brought down 14 big
rebounds.
Granted, you won’t confuse
Chowan with N.C. State, Wake Forest or anyone from Conference USA. Still, a
win does a lot for the attitude and general sanity of the players and the
coaching staff.
East Carolina now hits the
road to open league play. The Pirates opener is Wednesday night at Tulsa
(8:00 p.m., CSTV.)
“I refuse to let this team
lose like we have,” said junior guard Darrell Jenkins. “I think we all know
we can play better and as a captain I have to show leadership.”
The Pirates play at Tulsa, and
then come home for a three-game home stand.
“It’s exciting to start the
league season,” said Pirate coach Ricky Stokes. “It’s a chance to renew some
rivalries, and to go to some places that we don’t get to go to very often.”
Jeremy Ingram’s health is a
concern as the C-USA season opens.
“The knee feels good,” said
Ingram. “I haven’t seen a lot of film on Tulsa just yet, but I know they
have a great tradition. We just need to go out and play Pirate basketball
and come away with a win.”
Williams commits to
ECU
Credit Skip Holtz and his
coaching staff for another coup in landing J.H. Rose tailback Jonathan
Williams.
Williams chose East Carolina
over the likes of West Virginia, Maryland, Clemson and North Carolina.
Williams was one of the top rushers in the state this season despite missing
a couple of games.
Williams finished the season
with 2,804 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns. He had 93 yards and three scores
in Rose High's 26-12 win over West Charlotte in the NCHSAA Class 4-A title
game. He was named most valuable player of that contest and was also the MVP
of the Shrine Bowl.
Williams also has an “edge” to
his playing style. He was disqualified from one playoff game this past year.
He had at least a couple of “unsportsmanlike” penalties during the season.
Some say that “edge” makes him a grittier player. Look for Holtz and the
coaching staff, though, to get that “edge” under control rather quickly come
August.
With Williams and South
Central standout Tyrell Worthington, the Pirates reeled in by far the two
most talented players in Pitt County. Both players are versatile.
Williams wants to play
basketball at East Carolina, while Worthington will most likely have to
decide between Pirate football and minor league baseball after this spring.
Holtz and his staff targeted
the Pitt County pair early on. Relationships were established early, and
those relationships will pay dividends on the national signing day in
February.
BB
Send an e-mail message to
Brian Bailey.
Click here to dig into Brian Bailey's Bonesville
archives.
04/21/2008 07:06:02 PM |
