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News Nuggets, 01.24.04
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Gator takes command of muscles and fitness for ECU football

The deal is done and East Carolina has officially hired a veteran of the Florida Gators' strength and conditioning staff to fill ECU's S&C position for football.

After serving the past seven seasons as strength and conditioning coordinator for Florida's baseball team and working extensively with the Gators football program, John Grieco (Grē-kō) will be in charge of overseeing the physical training of the Pirates' football team.

Bonesville.net reported earlier this week that Grieco was the leading candidate for the job, which was created when ECU athletic director Nick Floyd and strength and conditioning coordinator Jim Whitten launched a reorganization of the program Whitten has overseen since coming to the Pirates from Virginia Tech after the 2001 season.

In an era when more credence than ever is given to the role S&C regimens play in helping teams succeed on the field, Grieco's hiring represents what appears to be an expansion of the staff of ECU's strength and conditioning program and the first step in a reshuffling of the way the supervisory duties of the program are divided.

In John Thompson, Grieco will be working with a familiar face in his involvement with the Pirates' football program. Thompson was defensive coordinator at Florida before being named ECU's head football coach prior to last season.

Read a comprehensive official release on ECUPirates.com...

Alabama native Rivers finally plays at home

MOBILE — In these parts, Philip Rivers is known as the one who got away — the quarterback who spurned Auburn and Alabama for North Carolina State.

Well, he's back.

Rivers, who became one of the most prolific passers in NCAA history, will finally play in his home state again in Saturday's Senior Bowl, a showcase for NFL prospects.

"People are saying, 'I can't believe Alabama and Auburn let you get out of here,", said Rivers, emphasizing that the Wolfpack was always high on his list.

Rivers, who will play for the South, headlines a quarterback group that includes Virginia's Matt Schaub and Tulane's J.P. Losman. Michigan's John Navarre, Washington's Cody Pickett and Bowling Green's Josh Harris will play for the North.

Even though most are regarded as legitimate NFL prospects, the game will be missing the top two — Mississippi's Eli Manning declined an invitation, and Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger was a junior.

Rivers and the others get their chance to impress the pro scouts.

"While it is somewhat of a comparison, I think they want to see you and what you can do," said Rivers, an Athens, AL, native whose 13,484 career yards trail only BYU's Ty Detmer in the NCAA record books.

Asked what questions NFL teams had about him, Losman said, "There's no question marks, just can he do what he does on the field, can he do what everyone says he does? I don't have to prove anything, just that I can do it. That's about it."

Rivers turned down a scholarship offer from Alabama, which already had quarterbacks Andrew Zow and Tyler Watts. Auburn already had a commitment from current starter Jason Campbell, and wanted to look at Rivers at tight end or strong safety.

South coach Marty Schottenheimer of the San Diego Chargers was familiar with Rivers even before arriving in Mobile. Schottenheimer was on a hiatus from coaching at his Charlotte home during Rivers' freshman season, "and you read about him all the time during the fall in the local paper."

"I think that he's really an interesting prospect," Schottenheimer said.

Phog Fieldhouse mystique doesn't faze Spiders

LAWRENCE — It became somewhat of a ritual at Allen Fieldhouse, where a sign warns: "Pay Heed, All Who Enter: Beware of the Phog."

Kansas would routinely dispatch an unranked — and overmatched — opponent, who would then express gratitude for the opportunity to play in the venerable limestone barn that ranks among college basketball's most storied venues.

That scenario played out for 52 straight games before Richmond ended the run Thursday night, upsetting the 12th-ranked Jayhawks 69-68 on Tony Dobbins' fadeaway jump shot with a second left.

It was the first win in Lawrence by an unranked opponent since Nebraska beat the Jayhawks 64-59 on Feb. 10, 1999. And while he said he was glad for the chance to play at Kansas, Spiders coach Jerry Wainwright also seemed to tweak the Allen mystique.

"A building can't make a shot for you," Wainwright said.

It's not that Kansas hadn't been beaten before. The Jayhawks are 11-3, with losses to Stanford and Nevada. But the Cardinal are 15-0 and ranked No. 2, and Nevada was playing for the championship of its own tournament.

Thursday's loss came to a 10-8 team that's last in the Atlantic 10 West.

But with Kansas holding a share of the Big 12 lead and returning to conference play Sunday against Colorado, the Jayhawks can't afford to dwell on the defeat.

"This loss, to tell you the truth, means nothing," said junior swingman Keith Langford, who led Kansas with 18 points against Richmond. "It's just a big disappointment to deal with the rest of the night."

Kansas' third defeat had something in common with the other two, though: horrible shooting from the 3-point line. In their 64-58 loss to Stanford on Dec. 6, the Jayhawks were 3-for-20 from long range. Against Nevada, they were 3-for-18.

And Thursday night, Kansas missed its first eight shots from outside the arc and finished 2-for-11 (18 percent) — after shooting 30 percent or better in three of their previous four games.

Richmond was 10-for-26 from long range, with Mike Skrocki hitting four 3s and scoring 23 points. That undid the Jayhawks' dominance inside, where they outrebounded Richmond 45-32 and outscored the Spiders 36-18 in the paint.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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