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News Nuggets, 01.28.04
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Pitino hopes to mend quickly

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

01.27.04: 'Excruciating' ailment sidelines Pitino... .. Spike TV gets in on NCAA tourney action... .. AP hoops poll: U of L ascends to No. 4... .. More...
01.26.04: High-flying Cards too much for Volunteers... .. NCAA nixes FSU allegations against Gators... .. C-USA basketball standings & scoreboard... .. More...
01.25.04: Rivers puts on Senior Bowl show for pro scouts... .. Frogs about to hop to MWC?... .. Colorado, Colorado State confer on new pact... .. More...
01.24.04: Gator takes command of muscles and fitness for ECU football... .. Alabama native Rivers finally plays at home... .. Phog Fieldhouse mystique doesn't faze Spiders... .. More...
01.23.04: Rimpf, C-USA Senior Bowl mates on display for NFL scouts... .. Suit claims Petrino reneged on scholarship... .. Majerus gets a pass on discrimination charge... .. More...
01.22.04: 2003 was good year at ticket office for C-USA football... .. UNC-CH brings in former Nebraska assistant... .. Diener on rebound after neck injury... .. Cards make Cincy's first loss a doozie... .. More...
01.21.04: Lawhorn named league's best, ECU picked for upper division... .. Diener goes down in Marquette loss to 49ers... .. Pitino assistant pleads guilty to DUI... .. Foes feasting on depleted South Florida... .. More...
01.20.04: Tigers' 2004 football slate includes journey to Greenville... .. Even Hawaii's mascot draws fire for loutish antics... .. Five C-USA, Carolinas juggernauts gang up in AP Top 10... .. More...
01.19.04: Ref dies during Wesleyan-Shenandoah game... .. Louisville assistant nabbed for DUI... .. Memphis adds three years to Calipari pact... .. C-USA basketball standings & scoreboard... .. More...
01.18.04: Auburn CEO resigns over secretive plot to change coaches... .. Nutt demands on-air apology from 'goofball' Alberts... .. Drunken fan cuffed after beheading mascot... .. More...

LOUISVILLE — Louisville coach Rick Pitino might rejoin his team by this weekend after treatment Tuesday for an undisclosed condition that has caused him pain for months.

Pitino, 51, said Monday he was taking an indefinite leave of absence to determine the cause of the ``urological-related'' pain in his left side. He arrived at the Cleveland Clinic late Tuesday morning for a battery of tests.

``I hope to be back coaching by this weekend and resuming full responsibility with our team,'' Pitino said in a statement Tuesday. ``It is not a cancer-related or life-threatening matter.''

Assistant coach Kevin Willard is leading the team in Pitino's absence. The No. 4 Cardinals (15-1) have home games against Houston on Wednesday and Marquette on Saturday.

Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard, Kevin's father and one of Pitino's best friends, said Pitino has been complaining about the worsening discomfort for the past month.

``I told him, `Get it done. You have to get to the bottom of this before it becomes debilitating,''' said Willard, who talks to Pitino daily. ``That's what concerned me.''

Willard said Pitino had tests for prostate and bladder cancer at a Louisville hospital earlier this month. Both turned up negative, Willard said.

The Cardinals beat Tennessee 65-62 in Knoxville on Sunday for their 15th consecutive victory. Pitino told Willard after the game he was going to take a leave and put Kevin in charge of the team.

Ralph Willard said his 28-year-old son was reluctant to embrace the sudden opportunity.

``Kevin loves Rick. He's like a second father to him, as well as being his mentor as a coach,'' Willard said. ``Rick being ill is something nobody wants. It was more a matter of holding down the fort and keeping things together and praying he'll be back.''

Kevin Willard was not immediately available for comment. He was scheduled to fill in for Pitino on a local radio show at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday. Louisville's players also were unavailable for comment.


Buccaneers gear up for grabs

JOHNSON CITY — Starting a football team, or just need some extra shoulder pads, game pants or tackling dummies? East Tennessee State has equipment for sale.

For budget reasons, the Buccaneers ended their football program in November after the final game of the 2003 season. Now the university is preparing to auction off all new and used equipment starting Feb. 5.

"We determined this was the fairest method," said David Collins, ETSU vice president for business and finance.

Collins said a few high schools and small colleges starting new teams had contacted athletic director Dave Mullins. Each member of the school's last team was allowed to keep his helmet and a home jersey after the final game Nov. 22.

But the school has new and used athletic shoes for turf and grass, shoulder pads and other protective gear, jerseys, game pants, practice shorts, practice shirts, face masks, tackling dummies, sleds and coaches' communication systems.

All proceeds will be used to fund the Buccaneers' other teams.


Finley Stadium to host more I-AA title games

CHATTANOOGA — Chattanooga will remain host of the I-AA national football championship game for the next two years. The city beat out bids from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and San Antonio, Dennis Pope, the NCAA's managing director for football, said this week.

The NCAA I-AA Football Committee, which chose the site, was impressed with the city's support of the 2003 championship game, Pope said. Chattanooga first hosted the game in 1997. "The community acted positively," he said. "The committee believes it has a first-rate facility."

The game is played at Finley Stadium, which is home to the Moccasins of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Delaware beat Colgate 40-0 in the 2003 title game.


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.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007

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