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Internal discussions that have been ongoing
since last spring have culminated with the
announcement by East Carolina AD Terry Holland
that Ricky Stokes, pictured, has relinquished
his duties as head basketball coach and will
assume a position as associate athletic director
for basketball. (ECU SID photo) |
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Veteran Mack McCarthy, ECU's associate head
coach since 2005-06, will be elevated to acting
head coach for the 2007-08 season. McCarthy
steps into the job with significant credentials,
including winning stints as head coach at
Chattanooga (1986-97) and Virginia Commonwealth
(1998- 2002. (ECU SID photo) |
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ECU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator
Chris Ferguson will serve as McCarthy's
associate head coach in the coming season. Prior
to joining the Pirate staff in 2005-06, Ferguson
was associate head coach at Tennessee. (ECU SID
photo) |
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Speculation in the media about
the job status of Ricky Stokes transitioned into hard news Monday as
East Carolina announced a reshuffling of its basketball program's
leadership.
Stokes, head
coach of the Pirates the past two seasons, has been shifted into an
administrative position, associate head coach Mack McCarthy will be the
Pirates' acting head coach in 2007-08 and assistant coach Chris Ferguson
will assume the role of associate head coach, ECU said in a news
release.
The personnel
moves were announced by ECU athletic director Terry Holland, who is out
of the country on vacation. Holland, accompanied by McCarthy and
Ferguson, will conduct a press conference upon his return to campus on
Thursday, according to the school's sports information office.
Stokes, whose new
position will be associate athletic director for basketball, was
credited by Holland with elevating the program's academic status and
assembling an accomplished staff of assistants.
His future duties
will apparently include fundraising activities on behalf of ECU hoops
and other programs.
"Coach Stokes'
career change will allow him to continue building a first class
basketball program here at ECU by helping us plan and finance a practice
facility for our basketball and volleyball programs," Holland said in a
statement. "The important building blocks for future success are in
place at ECU because of Coach Stokes' hard work and leadership over the
last two seasons."
The backcourt
leader of Holland-coached Virginia teams in the 1980's that twice
reached the Final Four, Stokes compiled a record of 14-44 during his two
years at the helm of the Pirates.
Prior to arriving
in Greenville, Stokes served on former ECU coach Dave Odom's staff at
South Carolina (2003-05), was head coach at Virginia Tech (1999-2003)
was an assistant to Odom at Wake Forest (1989-97.)
McCarthy's
professional resume includes more Division I head coaching experience
and a greater portfolio of accomplishments than any previous ECU head
coach.
A Virginia Tech
alum, the 52-year-old McCarthy recorded a 309-177 record as head coach
at Chattanooga (1986-97) and Virginia Commonwealth (1998-2002,)including
14 winning seasons and eight 20-win campaigns.
McCarthy led
Chattanooga to five NCAA and two NIT appearances. In 1996-97, the
Moccasins won 24 games and defeated Georgia and Illinois in reaching the
NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. He was named Southern Conference coach of
the year three times and left the Mocs as the winningest coach in league
history.
McCarthy's last
VCU team finished 21-11.
