News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

03.21.06: VanSant family visitation, memorial announced ... ECU makes strong start in outdoor season ... Webcasts supplement CBS tourney ratings

03.20.06: Memphis marches on ... Former Holland aide leads team into Sweet 16 ... Cowboy grapplers lasso NCAA title

03.19.06: Morgan in charge after Hampton coach quits ... Virginia Wesleyan wins Division III crown ... Report on Title IX goes to Congress

03.18.06: The Big Dance ... literally ... DePaul legend Meyer succumbs at 92 ... Morgan out at Iowa State

03.17.06: Jackie Robinson tops NCAA list ... UTEP out of NIT ... Bomb scare delays San Diego regional

03.16.06: Dean Dome designer dies ... Buckley bounced at Ball State ... Westphal dismissed at Pepperdine ... C-USA Hoops Tournament wrap-up

03.15.06: Seahawk cagers getting it done in classroom ... Title IX update due from government agency ... C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.14.06: Tulsa draws Wolfpack in women's regional ... Henderson out at Delaware ... Temple icon Chaney says it's time to step down ... C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.13.06: Memphis gets No. 1 seed ... Villanova's Ray expected to bounce back ...
C-USA Tournament Wrap-up

03.12.06: Memphis reigns as conference champ ... Pirates' Frasure 7th in NCAA weight throw ... Arizona State ousts basketball coach ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.11.06: Special days designated for football season ... Tulsa scrimmages under Thursday night lights ... Tigers' Carney, Calipari sweep C-USA honors ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.10.06: Koonce accepts position with Packers ... ECU spring football taking spring break ... K-State shows Woolridge the door ... C-USA Tournament Scoreboard

03.09.06: Frasure throwing his weight around ... Pirates top Tar Heels in softball ... O'Leary planning to stay at Central Florida ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.08.06: Hinnant makes All
C-USA freshmen team ... ESPN nixes Vitale's commentary on CBS ... Seahawks are dancin' ...
C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.07.06: Rouse earns C-USA distinction ... Spring drills: Depth chart two-plus weeks away ... Marshall, Rice players share hitting honors ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.06.06: Tourney: Bucs set for late-night joust with UCF ... ECU spring drills: pads on, snap exchange off ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.05.06: 49ers experience technical difficulties ... Huggins returns for Cincinnati's seniors ... C-USA Scoreboard & Tournament Schedule

03.04.06: Pirates to strap on pads today ... Lady Pirates eliminated by Tulsa ... Briefs: More coaching exits; Tourney action ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard & Schedule

03.03.06: Lady Pirates nip UAB in C-USA Tournament ... UAB stuns Memphis to boost dance prospects ... Mile High hosting in-state rivals ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

03.02.06: Lady Pirates Young, Mills collect accolades ... Cover boy Redick and Duke tripped by hex ... Marlins need 9th-inning rally to edge Miami ...
C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

03.01.06: Golden Hurricane starts spring workouts ... Tulane's 'refugee' grid team returning home ... Cage coaching merry-go-round speeds up ... C-USA Basketball Scoreboard

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association released the national player of the week awards for the period ending March 21 on Tuesday and Southern Miss closer Daniel Best was a co-recipient of pitcher of the week honors, along with Texas Tech redshirt freshman right-hander Miles Morgan.

James Madison sophomore centerfielder Kellen Kulbacki was named national hitter of the week.

Best, a senior right-hander, was named the Conference USA Pitcher of the Week Monday. He made four appearances last week and finished with a win and a save. He pitched seven innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits, striking out 10 with no walks.

Best earned the win in Saturday's game against Troy, retiring 12 consecutive batters, including seven strikeouts. Opposing batters hit just .125 off of him for the week.

He has not given up an extra base hit this season. For the season, Best is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 16.2 innings pitched with five saves. He has given up one unearned run on six hits, one walk and 21 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .109 against him.

Greg McDermott, who elevated the University of Northern Iowa program to unprecedented success, including three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids, has been named Iowa State University's 18th men's basketball coach. Athletics director Jamie Pollard made the announcement at a news conference Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum, according to the university's athletic web site.

McDermott's meteoric rise in the head coaching ranks occurred in his five seasons as the head coach at his alma mater (2002-06). After taking over a program that had not posted a winning season since 1997, McDermott's recipe for success launched the UNI program into the national spotlight. In his third season (2004) with the Panthers, McDermott led UNI to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and its second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history while recording a 21-10 mark.

As the annual take from the 11-year, $6 billion deal the NCAA Tournament has with CBS has risen, so has the value of a tournament victory, Wieberg reports.

The NCAA counts the number of games played by each school — except for the national championship game — and calls them "units." Five years ago, each unit earned less than $94,000. This year, units earned from 2000-05 are worth $163,981 each.

Next year's will earn more, though the NCAA hasn't projected how much. That's when current tournament games will first be factored in. Multiply each unit by the six years it's counted in the NCAA revenue distribution to conferences and it will gross more than $1 million.

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 other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.