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News Nuggets, 05.24.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Report: New Hampshire job offered to Herrion

Arkansas' hiring of former East Carolina and Drexel head basketball coach Bill Herrion as an assistant to Stan Heath may have been too good to be true.

Herrion has been offered the head job at the University of New Hampshire, The Manchester (NH) Union Leader has reported.

The newspaper said Herrion, 47, visited the New Hampshire campus in Durham, NH, last week, and was deciding if he should accept an offer from Wildcats athletic director Marty Scarano or stay at Arkansas.

Herrion's hiring as an assistant by the Razorbacks was viewed as somewhat of a coup in light of his extensive head coaching experience. His appointment was announced by Heath on April 18th to fill a vacancy created by Rob Flaska's departure from Arkansas to become Centenary's head coach.

Herrion was ECU's coach from 1999-2005, a period which included the Pirates' difficult transition from the Colonial Athletic Association to Conference USA.

He was relieved as head coach by new ECU athletic director Terry Holland at the end of last season after his team went 9-19. He compiled a 70-98 overall record with the Pirates.

Prior to his stint at ECU, Herrion coached Drexel to a 167-71 record in eight seasons, including three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Herrion said at a news conference after being hired at Arkansas that he was looking forward to helping the Razorbacks return to the NCAA Tournament and that it wouldn't be a tough adjustment being an assistant coach.

``This is coaching. This is basketball,'' Herrion said. ``This is something that's been in my blood since I've been a little kid. My dad was a coach. All I know is being in a gym. So, to me, coaching is coaching.''

A native of Worcester, MA, Herrion would be returning to his home area of New England if he took the New Hampshire job.

The Wildcats coaching post opened up when Phil Rowe resigned May 5 after six seasons and a 45-125 record, including 9-19 last season.

New Hampshire has finished with a winning record just eight times since the 1951-52 season and the Wildcats most recent winning season was in 1994-1995, when they were 19-9.

Historic Reynolds Coliseum damaged by fire

Reynolds Coliseum, the venerable old structure at North Carolina State that once served as the home of the Dixie Classic, the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament and some of the Wolfpack's best teams ever, was damaged by fire Monday after a transformer blew up.

The morning incident forced the evacuation of about 50 people from the coliseum, according to campus police dispatcher Katie Runner.

A firefighter was treated for heat-related injuries, Raleigh fire chief Tommie Styons said.

A transformer on the east side of the building exploded and began shooting out sparks, Runner said. The fire burned in the basement for more than an hour before firefighters brought it under control.

Basketball coach Herb Sendek and his staff were evacuated from their nearby office building as a precaution.

``Obviously, there's a lot of nostalgia and history and a lot of special memories,'' Sendek said. ``I think right now we just have to wait and see what the damage is.''

N.C. State won two NCAA basketball championships while playing in the coliseum — in 1974 and 1983 — but the Wolfpack quit playing there several years ago to move into the larger RBC Center.

The school's women's basketball team continues to play there. The building also houses offices for gymnastics, volleyball and women's golf.

The coliseum was built in 1949 and named for William Neal Reynolds, the brother of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company founder.

Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball Polls

Released 05.23.05.
(View previous week's rankings)

[For both polls below, Conference USA teams — including future members — and Carolinas teams are in bold; East Carolina opponents are in red.]

BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 25

DURHAM — The top 25 teams in the Baseball America poll with records and previous rankings (voting by the staff of Baseball America):

 1. Cal State Fullerton 40-13 1
 2. Tulane 47-9 2
 3. Oregon State 41-9 3
 4. Nebraska 46-12 7
 5. Texas 43-12 5
 6. Arizona 36-17 8
 7. Georgia Tech 38-16 6
 8. Tennessee 39-17 11
 9. Louisiana State 38-18 13
10. Florida 38-18 15
11. Long Beach State 36-19 10
12. Miami (FL) 38-15 4
13. Baylor 36-20 9
14. Mississippi 40-16 19
15. Rice 38-17 12
16. Alabama 37-19 16
17. Missouri 37-19 20
18. N.C. State 39-15 22
19. Florida State 48-16 14
20. Clemson 37-19 NR
21. Coastal Carolina 44-12 23
22. North Carolina 40-15 24
23. St. John's 39-14 25
24. Southern Cal 34-18 21
25. Arizona State 31-22 17

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL TOP 30

TUCSON — The top 25 teams in the 2005 Collegiate Baseball (Baseball News) poll with records and previous rankings (voting by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors):

 1. Tulane 47-9 1
 2. Cal State Fullerton 40-13 2
 3. Oregon State 41-9 3
 4. Nebraska 46-12 5
 5. Texas 43-12 4
 6. Arizona 36-17 9
 7. Florida 38-18 12
 8. Tennessee 39-17 11
 9. Georgia Tech 38-16 6
10. Baylor 36-20 8
11. Louisiana State 38-18 14
12. Clemson 37-19 24
13. Miami (FL) 38-15-1 7
14. Florida State 48-16 10
15. Long Beach State 36-19 13
16. Mississippi 40-16 21
17. Alabama 37-19 16
18. Rice 38-17 15
19. North Carolina 40-15-1 25
20. College of Charleston 44-11 20
21. Southern Cal 34-18 17
22. Arizona State 31-22 18
23. Louisiana-Lafayette 45-15 19
24. Coastal Carolina 44-12 23
25. South Carolina 37-19 —
26. N.C. State 39-15 —
27. Texas Christian 37-18 26
28. St. John’s 39-14 28
29. Cal Poly SLO 34-19 29
30. Creighton 42-13 30 —

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:24 PM