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Optimism abounds in Greenville and Chapel Hill
From Bonesville.net Staff and Wire Reports As
far as Bill Herrion is concerned, he would just as soon think Friday Night's
Midnight Madness festivities marked the beginning of an exciting new age in
East Carolina basketball.
At 10:30 p.m., ECU's head basketball coach
welcomed fans and students to East Carolina's symbolic tip off celebration
at Minges Coliseum's Williams Arena. Herrion's players couldn't take the
floor until midnight.
"I feel really confident about where we're
at and where we're trying to go with this basketball team and this program,"
Herrion said during a session earlier in the day with members of the media.
"We're ready to go and it's time for us to get going."
'It's Time' is the team's slogan and Herrion
has made it clear he intends for this year to be the time the Pirates move
upward in Conference USA and make a run at the school's first postseason
berth since an NCAA tourney appearance against North Carolina during the
1993-94 season.
"I think we have a very good mix this year
of veterans that have played a lot of college basketball here at East
Carolina and a good mix of new guys that we think are talented kids."
About two hours west of Greenville, North
Carolina fans gave Roy Williams a welcome even he couldn't have expected. A
standing-room-only crowd of more than 21,700 was on hand Friday night for
Midnight Madness in the Smith Center, the Tar Heels' first under Williams.
Williams was introduced to the crowd at
10:30 p.m. and he broke down as the standing ovation went on for two
minutes. A lot of those in the crowd bowed to Williams as he repeatedly
waved to them.
"I'm excited about tonight," Williams said.
"We're going to do some things here that I don't think Coach Smith would do,
but that's OK. All I know is on Nov. 22, it's going to be a great thrill for
me to walk through that tunnel for our first game."
Williams joined his new players in a dance
skit before the team held a scrimmage.
The Pirates and Tar Heels were two of the
100-or-so Division I schools that held a Midnight Madness to officially
welcome in the start of practice at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Kentucky held Big Blue Madness for the 22nd
consecutive year and like the others a ticket was hard to come by. The 8,700
tickets available were distributed in 47 minutes last weekend.
Most of the Midnight Madnesses featured the
stock 3-point shooting contests, scrimmages and dunking exhibitions.
Maryland coach Gary Williams suspected there
would be more dunks in the brief intrasquad scrimmage at a packed Comcast
Center on Friday night than in all the practice sessions leading up to the
Nov. 22 season opener. "That's what they like to do," Williams said of
dunking. "This is their last night for a long time."
Indiana fans got a chance for their earliest
look at freshman Pat Ewing Jr., the son of the former NBA center. The
6-foot-8 freshman has already been called a key to the Hoosiers' success by
teammates. Besides being four inches shorter than his father, the uniform
number will be different, as well.
St. Bonaventure used Midnight Mayhem to
welcome fans back to the Reilly Center for the first time since last season
ended abruptly in March when players refused to play the final two games
amid a player eligibility scandal.
02.23.07 11:03 AM
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