What are some possible combinations we might see on the floor this season? Do you think you'll play a bigger lineup most of the night or a three-guard lineup?
You will see more of a traditional lineup with a point guard, a scoring guard, a real small forward, a power forward and a post man. It's a national trend to go with three guards (especially late in games), partly because (quality) big people are so hard to find. Many of the good post players leave early. We will also go small sometimes. We could play a big lineup but it would probably necessitate playing zone, which I'm not opposed to doing sometimes.

After two weeks of practice, who or what about the team has stood out to you and how much do you think the freshmen will help you this season?
We are beginning to see more consistency. Our defense is not where it needs to be, but the team seems to have an understanding of the concepts we are trying to implement. The diversity of the offense has been in evidence earlier than I anticipated, but outside competition is the only true measure of where you are. We have a couple of closed scrimmages coming up that will tell us a lot about Pirate basketball and where we are right now. I think all four freshmen can contribute right now in limited roles, but I'm anxious to see them against someone other than us, too.

What do you see as this team's biggest challenge through the first month of the season?
The answer to this question is easy. To pull it off will be hard. We must learn to work consistently harder and keep believing in and trusting each other and ourselves through this rough early season slate. We are facing some huge challenges in terms of so many road games in hostile environments and tough opponents. We have to keep our eye on doing the intangibles every night that will allow us to have a chance to win and where we are headed in January and February, continuing to improve in order compete in conference play.

Pirate Fans,

The first day of practice is behind us and now we are moving ahead and looking forward to start of a new season. We've been practicing since classes began with individual groups, but it was good to finally have the entire team together. We're still young and a little fragile, but we're deeper and bigger than we've been and probably more skilled than we've ever been. The upside for this team is pretty good.

Thanks again for all your questions and interest. The first Mack's Mates meetings are coming up. Come on and bring a friend. The season is getting here in a hurry. I hope you are as excited as we are. Now let's dive into the mailbag and answers some of your questions.

Go Pirates!

Coach Mack

Can you share some pleasant surprises you see in both the new and returning players now that you've had the chance to have the whole team together?
There have been many observable positives concerning our personnel situation through the fall workouts. The returnees all appear to be improved. Chad is stronger, more confident and more assertive. Darrius is more consistent in his production, has improved his body, and seems to want to increase his role on this team. Brock is in the best shape of his career and understands the game at a higher level. DaQuan is healthy as well as stronger and more mature. Jamar picked up where he left off last year when he finished last season so strongly with his consistency, improving and mirroring his outstanding work ethic. Jontae has eliminated distractions and worked hard on his skills, which were already very good. Chris is fully healthy and attempting to understand how to effectively use his talents. Greyson is stronger than ever and really has the respect of his teammates because of his attention to detail and work habits. I'm not sure how surprising the freshmen are to us since we learned a great deal about their games through the recruiting process. Erin is skilled and as instinctive a rebounder as I've coached. He truly, as the old cliché goes, has a nose for the ball. Darius Morales is very long and a talented shot blocker who needs to get stronger. He has a very nice touch around the basket, which surprised me a little. Wakefield is very confident and can score in bunches at times. A big point guard, Corvonn is a high level passer and defender who is improving his shot and ball handling versus pressure. All four of these guys are good people and students and really coachable. They want to learn everything they can to make them better.

Which player or players you see as being the most improved and in what areas?
Each of the returnees has had some significant improvement in their game, DaQuan might still be the candidate since we only got to see him briefly last season. I think he has a chance to be the guy we saw against VCU in his last game on a consistent basis if he continues to work hard.

Will this be the first time East Carolina has had 13 basketball players on scholarship since you arrived with coach Stokes?
Next season could be our first with the full complement of scholarship players. Thirteen is not magic number (unless you are superstitious), but having the full complement does give you some margin for error in case of injuries or a desire to redshirt someone to help their career. We are in a very nice position where we can be very selective with whom we add to this returning group.

What do you see as the biggest area that needs improvement for the 2009-10 team to compete for the conference crown?
There's no question that the biggest difference between last year's team and the teams at the top of the conference was defense. We have to be better individually and collectively. We have adjusted our scheme to fit our personnel and we think we are giving ourselves the best opportunity possible to show improvement. Hopefully, our gains in athleticism and depth along with even more emphasis will pay dividends on that end of the floor.

There seems to be no pattern in how men's and women's basketball teams and volleyball team get access to Minges for practice. How is your practice time and use of Minges determined?
The schedule for the three teams which use Minges for practice and games is a daunting and difficult puzzle. It would be best if each team could have a consistent time slot. Let me list some of the issues (many that literally change daily) that have to be taken into consideration by our administration when making the schedule: Classes held in the building vary each day, daily class schedules; games, visiting team practices, study hall, tutor availability, travel schedules (ours and our opponents), concerts, graduation, recruiting, different setup requirements for each team, weight room availability, exam schedule, high school regional tournament, overlapping seasons, maintenance issues, priority based on in or out of season workouts. After consideration of these issues, we each request what we think would be an ideal time. J.J. McLamb, the operations staff, and other administrators then take each of our requests and try to address our needs. It all works out, but it isn't easy.

Pirate Fans,

In less than two weeks the "official" start of practice begins, but we've been hard at it since the semester began. Our guys have been putting a lot of time in individually to making themselves better. I've seen a lot of improvement from our returning players during the individual workouts and I'm very excited about bringing them all together on October 16. It's going to be a lot of fun watching this team grow in 2010.

Thanks again for submitting questions to the mailbox. As always, you guys are very insightful and have some great queries. Keep them coming, I look forward to reading your comments and answering your questions. The next edition of the "Letters" will come out after the opening weekend of practice. Look forward to seeing everybody during the Homecoming festivities.

Go Pirates!

Coach Mack

What are the chances that we could host a weekend tournament in December?
Good idea. Coach Holland has, on many occasions, broached the subject of an in-state tournament rotating to different neutral sites or among home sites of the teams involved. We have so many Division I teams in the state; I think it makes great sense. Rather than play each other one at a time, bring a group together in a tournament format. The old North-South doubleheader was a similar concept and successful for many years. The state of Virginia had a similar event in Richmond sponsored by the Times-Dispatch for many years. I like the concept.

When is the early signing period and do you anticipate signing one or more players this year?
We are trying to sign two players in the early signing period. Fortunately, we will have everyone except Greyson Sargent back for the 2010-11 season. We can, therefore, be extremely selective. Our staff has us involved with some outstanding prospects, and there is more and more interest in ECU Pirate basketball. The early signing period runs November 11-18.

Is it true that Chad Wynn injured his foot, if so what is the timetable for his return?
Chad does have a foot injury, but we don't anticipate him missing any official practice time. He has had a great off-season and is playing the best basketball of his career. He is stronger and more confident than last season. This year we expect him to be a more productive and consistent contributor.

Are there any plans for a "Fan Jam" this season?
The opening weekend of practice is also Homecoming Weekend and there are a lot conflicts with Minges Coliseum. (i.e. volleyball matches, women's basketball practice, etc.). However, we will scrimmage in Williams Arena about 90 minutes prior to the football game on the Saturday if any tailgaters want to stop by the coliseum. That's just one of several scrimmages that will be open to the public. The Purple-Gold Fan Jam has been very successful the last couple of years, but we were unable to find a date that worked for everyone this season.

What part of being a head coach would probably surprise the average fan the most?
Our lives get pretty well chronicled for the public. If I had to project what might be surprising to the average fan, it would be the amount of time we spend doing other things than coaching-speaking, dealing with academics, compliance, recruiting, team and individual travel, personnel matters (managers, trainers, coaching staff, administrative staff, strength and conditioning coaches, players), budget, camp, television and radio, media relations, fund raising, discipline, equipment, facilities scheduling, scheduling games, officiating evaluation, conference meetings and obligations, correspondence, attending other ECU sporting events, student-athlete health issues, housing, team nutrition, strength and conditioning efforts, tryouts, etc.

What challenges has this year's team presented in comparison to your past two ECU squads and what is the developing personality of this team?
We still have to deal with a young team, but we have enough returnees to have increased expectations. That's new. We don't have the proven shooters of the past, so even with more offensive weapons this is a new challenge for us. I'm not sure we have an identity yet with this group. We are trying hard to be mentally and physically tougher and a better defensive team. We certainly have a more cerebral group and I think this will pay dividends as we continue to build this program.

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