VIEW THE MOBILE ALPHA VERSION OF THIS SITE

News Nuggets, 03.23.06
 —  —  —  —  —
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

Previous Day Nuggets...             Next Day Nuggets...

Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Pirates fine-tune for Friday night scrimmage

After a rust-shaking performance Monday which followed an 11-day layoff, East Carolina responded with a sharp two-hour workout at the Cliff Moore Practice Complex Wednesday afternoon, according to a release from the university's athletic media relations office.

The Pirates finished preparations for their first official intra-squad scrimmage on Friday night.

Wednesday's session was the Pirates' eight practice of the spring period and leaves seven more to go, including two scrimmages and the annual Purple-Gold Spring Game set for April 8.

"I thought today's practice was another solid effort," said ECU coach Skip Holtz. "We were a little sharper and got a lot accomplished heading into our first scrimmage. We passed the halfway point and I believe we've made a lot of progress. There has been a lot of individual work done and now we're starting to put the team aspect together."

East Carolina worked on assorted sets and schemes with varying personnel. For the second straight workout, the Pirates carried out many 11-on-11 drills. The session ended with third-and-eight and third-and-two situations inside the redzone.

"I think it's natural for us to want to see both units click a little more," Holtz added. "Yet, I was happy to see guys like (tight end) Davon Drew come out and compete like he did. We still have a long way to go but at least we'll get a good look at where we are exactly at after Friday."

Holtz indicated the Friday night scrimmage, scripted for approximately 100 plays, would consist of a series of 10-play possessions for each unit and conclude with a set of goal line drills. All levels of the Pirates' current personnel chart are expected to experience action for evaluation or game tape purposes.

After the completion of Friday's scrimmage, which is open only to Pirate Club members in several area chapters as part of a special event, ECU will take the weekend off before opening its fourth week of work Monday, March 27.

A two-deep depth chart is scheduled for release after the Friday night scrimmage.

Alford seeks to defuse Indiana speculation

Iowa coach Steve Alford, a former star as a player at Indiana, issued a statement Wednesday saying that he didn't have any interviews scheduled and that he looked forward to continued success as the head coach at Iowa.

Multiple sources confirmed that Alford is still waiting to be ruled out as a candidate at Indiana, which is expected to start moving on the opening created by the resignation of Mike Davis by the end of the week.

Sources also told ESPN.com that Missouri has strong interest in Alford.

A source close to the search told ESPN.com that Alford is one of four candidates high on Missouri's list. Others include UAB's Mike Anderson, West Virginia's John Beilein and Creighton's Dana Altman.

Cincinnati is also shopping for a coach. Interim appointee Andy Kennedy guided the Bearcats past Minnesota, 76-62, in the NIT on Tuesday night. George Washington's Karl Hobbs and George Mason's Jim Larranaga have both been mentioned as possibilities for the Bearcats' post.

Citadel forms hoops coach search committee

Director of Athletics Les Robinson on Monday announced that he has assembled an advisory committee to help select The Citadel's new basketball coach, according to the institution's athletic web site.

Named to the advisory committee are Dr. Harris F. "Sam" Pearson '55, a retired radiologist from Fort Worth, TX; William B. "Bill" Sansom '64, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Tennessee and president of the H.T. Hackney Company in Knoxville, TN; Gene Moore III '50, an attorney from Boynton Beach, FL; Xavier Starkes '84, a former Bulldog basketball player and an attorney in Columbia; Julian Frasier '59, a former Citadel Board of Visitors member who is president of Frasier Tire Service in Sumter; Tom McQueeney '74, a State Farm Insurance salesman in Charleston and chairman of the Johnson Hagood Stadium Revitalization Committee; and Bobby Cremins, former Georgia Tech basketball coach who resides on Hilton Head Island.

"We have a solid group of individuals who will serve in an advisory capacity, and their insights will be utilized to the maximum," said Robinson. "We are seeking the perfect fit to lead our basketball program for the long term."

The new coach will replace Pat Dennis, who resigned March 9 after 14 years at the helm.

Robinson stated that there is no specific timetable for the search and added that finding the right individual to guide the Bulldogs is paramount.

Until a new coach is hired, Robinson will continue to act as The Citadel's interim basketball coach. He stated that he would not take the coach's position on a permanent basis.

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.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:46 PM