Week 11

Pirate Fans,

You didn't have too many questions this week. That was probably a good thing since I was crisscrossing the country for eight straight days recruiting, but we will answer your thought-provoking inquiries as always. Our returnees have been here all summer trying to get better on and off the court. They have had a particularly fruitful summer in the weight room with coach Danny Wheel. The competition and improvement were both impressive to the strength and conditioning staff. The freshmen have been here for the second session, which ends Friday. They got exposed to the social life, class requirements, the Murphy Center, time management importance, navigating campus, and their new teammates. The NCAA passed a rule passed a few years ago that allowed freshmen to come to summer school which has helped them get acclimated to college life and be ready to go when the fall semester begins. On to your questions:

Jeffrey,
We are getting a new playing surface. I understand some photos have already been posted on some web sites. We are actually attempting to do a time-lapse photography of the process, which would be pretty cool if it turns out. It was a good year to redo the floor since we have the new three-point line (which we will talk about in future editions of the "letters"). The floor will have a "clean" look, and it will be completely different than any of the past designs. The wood area will be lighter, and I am excited about the new surface.

David,
I think playing against some of the schools I coached in the past would be fun. Virginia Tech, East Tennessee State, Auburn, Chattanooga, and VCU would all be attractive opponents. I would not be surprised if some of these appear on our schedule soon.

Chad,
You are correct in your observation about stability being a critical component of our attempt to have a successful basketball program. You are also correct that college athletics by definition is constantly in a state of flux or instability. Every year there is a graduating class and an incoming class. Coaches and support personnel change on occasion. Lack of retention appears to be statistically related to coaching changes. We HAVE to have more stability to get where we all want to go--having a sound and competitive basketball program. This is not as simple as it sounds. There is a constant effort on the part of the University administration, the athletics department, the coaching staff and other support personnel to make the experience of being a student-athlete at ECU enjoyable and successful. Winning is part of that. There are so many factors in making that happen including winning. Academic support, social life, sports medicine, strength and conditioning as well as budgets are all part of this equation. The athletics administration works hard daily to positively impact the life of our student athletes.

Mike,
You asked a very good question about our lack of size. It is a concern, but it is our job to design a plan of attack to neutralize this weakness. We have to be in great shape. We have to work hard in the weight room. We have to utilize the skills we DO have such as athleticism and the ability to shoot. We sure have to rebound as a team. There are some combinations that we can field which would be larger than the three-guard offense we have used in the past. But, we also need to get our best five players on the floor and give them a plan, which will allow them to compete against bigger lineups.

I'm getting a lot of questions about recruiting. I can't shed much light on the individuals we are involved with, but recruiting is such a fluid situation I'm not sure it would do much good anyway. It IS a good year in the areas we recruit for the positions we are targeting. That's good news. There has also been a very positive reaction to our staff getting a vote of confidence for the future in terms of a five-year commitment. I'm not sure who gets the credit for the quote about recruiting, but it is surely true--"recruiting is like shaving, if you don't do it every day, it shows."

Keep those questions coming. We've got a couple more weeks before the fall semester starts. Thanks for participating in this endeavor. I've had a lot of positive feedback.

Mack

Week 10

Pirate Fans,

I've had some questions about recruiting. Basically, the only comment we can make about recruiting is to confirm we are recruiting a young man. Any questions about our level of interest or any other details are prohibited by the NCAA. Potential walk-ons can't be spoken about until they are enrolled and even then we probably wouldn't say anything until school officially starts. They are still prospects since they haven't signed a National Letter of Intent or a scholarship.

Another question that I've had is about including the questions along with the answers. A lot of times the questions are too long and include information that we cannot post. That is the reason we have been doing without the question included. I hope it's not too confusing. I try to frame the answer so that it's fairly obvious what the question was.

We had a mid-summer media luncheon last week. It was really well attended and we appreciate everyone turning out in the "middle of football season". There was really no agenda, but we just got together to let everyone know what our summer has been like and some of our expectations for this fall. Just like the "Letters" we want to get Pirate basketball in the public eye as much as possible. We will be doing a great deal this fall to promote the program, this team, and the upcoming schedule with the help of our players and the marketing department. Our home schedule should be very attractive with a lot of the top teams in Conference USA coming to Minges Coliseum along with a strong non-conference slate. The conference schedule includes Rice, Tulane, Central Florida, Marshall, Southern Miss, UTEP, UAB, and Memphis.

A big congratulations to Darrell Jenkins on his recent success in his quest to play in the NBA. I'm sure you've read by now of his successful NBDL tryouts, and we're all very proud of him.

I spoke to a great group up in Tidewater last week. You folks are amazing in your passion for ECU! Thanks for the hospitality.

Here we go with some of the recent questions:

Dustin,
Our players and coaches do a number of speaking engagements as time allows. The athletes' schedules are hectic, but they make time for many community service projects. They are our best ambassadors. If you get to know them, you will be a Pirate Fan and we encourage them to get out in the area as much as possible. Please call our office at 252-737-4592 and speak to John Moseley about our kids or coaches coming over to Rocky Mount and speaking to your YMCA.

Henry,
You know I'll be at the Nash-Edgecombe chapter kick-off event. This will be my fourth straight trip and I wouldn't miss your stew. I'm out, so have some quarts ready to go! Ya'll are the best!

Mat, APR measures two factors, which statistically are supposed to predict graduation rates. It measures eligibility and retention. The are equal for purposes of calculating the final score. Each athlete has a possible two points each semester. He gets one for being eligible and one for returning. A perfect score for a student-athlete for the year is 4-4. The final score that you see posted is a percentage of points scored out of the possible total points. The NCAA has determined that an average of 925 is the acceptable score for each sport.

Chad,
We have several goals. One is to win more games. Another one is to have the best home court atmosphere possible. We have a plan to attack this on a lot of levels. We are going to be in the community as coaches and players as much as our schedule allows. We have several events planned (such as the Fan Jam which occurs this year on a Friday night prior to a home football game) to attract more of the student body. The Student Pirate Club has been a great success as it relates to football, and we have to do more to get them further involved in basketball. As a department, we will be doing more things behind the scenes to make it easier to come to games and know about the home schedule. As always, we will try to play a competitive schedule. You can't play a top twenty team every night, but with a very attractive home conference schedule, which includes national runner-up Memphis and a good non-conference slate including Wake Forest, fans should see a number of good games at Williams Arena this season. Ultimately, we have to have a good enough basketball team, that home basketball games become the "thing to do" like football is!

Greg,
I appreciate the leads. You never know where an observation and a recommendation might lead. For the obvious reasons, I can't comment in this space on the specific recruiting comments, but rest assured we follow every thread of a lead.

Dustin,
We would love to piggyback some of the football scheduling efforts with basketball series as well. We have that with NC State, and would love to get something going with Virginia Tech, Virginia (who we have scrimmaged twice since I've been here), West Virginia, South Carolina and others. We are allowed to make our own schedule, but often the AD's office is a great help in facilitating contacts with different folks (such as the deals we have with Wake and NC State).

Brian,
There are some folks still available, but the list is slim and the competition is fierce. We're still kicking some doors in trying to get one more piece of the puzzle. Thanks for continuing to send in your questions.

We have only a few weeks to go before the start of school (August 20 is getting here quickly), and then there will be enough updates going on you won't need to hear from me each week. In the meantime, keep those probing question coming in. Thanks and talk to ya'll next week.

I don't really have a question, but wanted to say thanks for the weekly contact & updates. It is typically a quiet time (at face value) for ECU basketball, and historically we have had few positives to dwell on from the last season. Although the win over Houston was probably more impressive, the win over NC State (and ACC) has been a long time coming. The environment versus Clemson was the best I have witnessed personally. So keep beating the hedges for future hardwood Pirates and we'll continue working on a formula to instantly add 3 inches and 25 pounds of muscle to the ones in stock. Thanks again for keeping ECU basketball fun year round! - Robert Moye

I don't have a question for you, I'm sure you get enough of those. Instead, I wanted to take a quick moment and applaud you for your efforts, candidness, and apparent desire to make East Carolina University great! I especially liked your comment about building a program, not just a team in this edition of the Letter of Marque! In today's win-now environment that was a refreshing comment! To me, you also seem to bring some "Old School" mentality in your coaching style and the way you run your program, like a Renaissance Bob Knight (I love Bob Knight, so please take that as a compliment). So please keep it going! All end on this last note, I graduated in 2004, which to me was kind of the height of the recent basketball enthusiasm at ECU. In those days we were beating a ranked Marquette or Louisville every year in those big games and Minges was a rocking arena! I believe your enthusiasm and leadership has jump-started a program that was on the verge of exploding just a few years ago. I don't think their has been this much excitement since then, and I believe that is a testament to you and your coaches, and the job you are doing (and the Letter of Marque is great)! Keep it up and GO PIRATES! - Courtney Wilson

Week 9

Pirate Fans,

Many of you have asked about what our guys are doing this summer. Without naming names to protect the "innocent", below is the schedule for a typical day for one of our student-athletes:

•7:30 a.m. - Wake-up and breakfast
•8:05 - Catch bus to campus
•8:15 - Catch bus to Minges Coliseum
•8:30 - Meet with Psychology tutor
•9:35 - Catch bus back to main campus
•9:45 - Communications class
•11:15 - Lunch
•1:15 p.m. - Psychology class
•2:50 - Catch bus back to Minges Coliseum
•3:00 - Relax and shoot on their own
•4:15- Strength and conditioning with Coach Wheel
•5:30 - Play pick-up games
•6:45 - Catch a ride with teammates to dinner
•7:30- Catch a ride back to Ward Sports Medicine Building
•8:00 - Math tutor for placement test
•9 - Return to apartment

As you can see, the kids' time is very structured. They also find as much time as possible to get shots up and play additional pickup games late at night and weekends. We are really proud of having the highest GPA of any basketball team in Conference USA, and this kind of schedule is why this was achieved. It takes a great deal of discipline to succeed on and off the court and our guys are making the effort. We need to do better in both areas and our team is aware of that. You can't always guarantee results, but we can guarantee that the young men will work hard.

We are off the road for five days before heading back on the recruiting trail for the July evaluation period. All the while our guys continue to work diligently in the classroom and on the court preparing to finish the second summer session August 1st. We'll get back to your questions next week. Thanks again and keep sending those good queries. Go Pirates!

Mack

Week 8

Pirate Fans,
Thanks for all the great questions again this week. The recruiting and evaluation period has begun once again. Our coaching staff is scattered all over the country in search of young men that will help us build the Pirate basketball program. These next few weeks are essential to our future success. Several of you asked questions in regards and I've addressed those below. Thanks again for all the questions and comments. Keep `em coming!

Mack

Austin,
As we evaluate prospects, first we determine the needs for a particular recruiting class. After we determine our needs, then we look at the young man's character and his academic resume. If either of those two is missing, going forward is not an option. Next we look at the basketball piece of the equation--skill, athleticism, and basketball IQ are some of the factors.

Thomas,
Our top three priorities as we build the Pirate Basketball program are:
1. Stability
2. Talent
3. Consistently improving performance

Travis and Josh,
This question hasn't been overlooked, but most D-I teams do not have tryouts. Walk-ons are often determined by having invited young men fill our roster. These are usually players we have observed and evaluated during our ongoing recruiting efforts. On occasion, situations make tryouts necessary and even helpful. There are many limiting factors to the number of young men on our roster such as gender equity, Title IX, budgetary considerations and the makeup of the scholarship roster. The compliance and medical staff work alone is a huge undertaking just to have the tryouts We have had tryouts here at ECU in the past, and probably will again in the future. I coached a team to the Sweet Sixteen that had two starters who were walk-ons. It's possible, but it takes a very special person and talent to be able to do that. The decision whether to have tryouts or not is usually made early in the fall semester.

Brian,
The "rolling four year average" addressed in the APR does drop one year of evaluation each time. Next year we will be evaluated on 04-05, 05-06, 06-07, and 07-08. Our team set yet another record with their academic performance last season. We will work hard to make sure that continues.

Gray,
I'm not sure we know yet what style of play best fits this group. We know we have improved (both in the returnees and recruits) our offensive skill level. We must get better at all phases of defense, and rebounding is a big part of that. We're not going to be real big or real deep, but, so far, I like our improved offensive skills and our confidence and work ethic.

Mac,
Some of what you asked is addressed in my answer to Gray. I do think we've got adequate depth at each spot. We are a little thin at the post positions, but we can vary the way we play and disguise that most nights. Interior defense and rebounding will have to be assisted from other positions on the floor. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to do that and I think our athleticism overall will be helpful in that regard. A lot of games over the past couple of years, we were always reacting to our opponent. I think for the first time we might be able to make the opponent do the adjusting.

Jack,
First, thanks for buying season tickets. Secondly, bring some friends along. In regards to your question, we do our best to play our home games when students are here. However, during the non-conference portion of our schedule we have to deal with Thanksgiving break, exams, and Christmas break. Every other school in the country is trying to do the same thing. The ideal situation is to play on a Saturday night while school is in session. We have exactly two of those dates available this year to try and play thirteen non-conference games! Complicating the issue is that other schools have different exam dates. There is not question that students make the atmosphere in Williams Arena special. Our challenge, as a basketball program, is to make the atmosphere awesome no matter when we play, no matter who we play. Now we are back to the same ole question--do we win and then the fans come on a regular basis or do the fans come on a regular basis and then we win? We got some glimpses of how special our home court advantage can be last season. When that happens consistently, we will have something special.

Week 7

Pirate Fans,

We are preparing to hit the road the month of July. Fear not, the "letters" will continue although they may be more ramblings from me rather than responses to questions some weeks. We are out recruiting for 10 days, then back in town for five days, before going back on the road for another 10 days. This is an evaluation period where we see prospects play. It is a very valuable time, because many of the prospects will play against some of best competition they've ever faced. It is also a tough time to evaluate since some of them perform better in the structure of their high school teams. Coaches Perry, Epperly, LaBarrie and I will be on the go from coast to coast trying to find some special young men to come in here and represent ECU and Pirate basketball in the manner you expect and deserve. As always thanks for your interest and support of the program. I got some great questions again this week and have tried to answer them to the best of my knowledge. I'll chat with you next week from the road. Happy Fourth of July!!!

C-Bass,
Sorry we skipped your questions last week. We're still getting quite a few questions every week and sometimes we are unable to answer them all. To answer your question we may or may not have tryouts. This would be a year that we will consider it since we have fewer scholarship players. We already have one returning walk-on and a couple more that have been invited. I think you're going to like the competitiveness of this year's squad. Two hungry seniors along with five sophomores who got valuable experience last season, and three talented and ambitious freshmen should make a nice mix for a competitive practice atmosphere.

Carl R,
Recruiting starts very early. We have seen quite a few `prospects for next year play in person already. While most contact doesn't occur till they are seniors, a lot has already been done--such as mail outs, evaluations, unofficial campus visits, academic due diligence and other measures. Deciding whom to recruit, whom you can get, and who is good enough are the critical factors determining success or failure.

Brian,
We have improved our APR every year. That is part of the criteria by which we are evaluated. Many of our problems will rotate off the four-year rolling averages of the APR each year. We are always looking for available players, but we are trying to build a program, not necessarily a team; making long-term decisions will benefit us in the future. The plans, as I understand them, involve moving the tennis courts for the practice facility. I know very little about the timetable for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. However, we are excited about the commitment to get the facility, which will improve ECU basketball. We are working on our non-conference schedule and the only thing I can share right now is that it will be very challenging. I dare to say that this may be the most difficult non-conference schedule ever put together at ECU; one that will require a tremendous effort on our part every night.

Carl E,
We have recruited better free throw shooters. Last year Brock, Jamar and James all shot more than 77 percent at the foul line. In fact, Brock had the sixth highest free throw percentage in the league. Defense and rebounding also have to be addressed. I've mentioned before that those are the two biggest areas of concern from a coaching perspective. We have to have a plan that fits our personnel and our players really have to buy into being better defenders and rebounders both individually and collectively. One more post player would make me feel better about our interior depth, but the bigs we have and the wings with better size can get it done if they buy into our ideas.

Nick,
Attrition in college sports is epidemic. It seems particularly so in basketball and football. The numbers nationally are staggering. Having more success on the floor will help with this issue. Stability in the program will perpetuate itself as we win more. This was a topic of discussion at our national convention, and something we all face as coaches.

Travis,
I have had a JV team in the past. It can be very helpful in many facets of the program. Assistants get to coach games. There is a steady flow of walk-on candidates who might help with practice. Junior college and prep schools visit your campus and further develop those relationships. There are more people involved with, buying into and selling your program across the campus. There are problems, too, though. Our facilities are stretched to the max. When would they practice? Budgets are always tight. You have officials, game operations staff, uniforms, shoes, travel to local junior colleges and prep schools, as well as other expenses. All that being said, I'd love to have that as part of Pirate basketball sometime in the future.

Gary,
Reinstatement of scholarships depends on this year's score. The most likely scenario, as I understand it, is a gradual reinstatement. We are doing better.

Go Pirates!!

Mack

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