Week 6

Pirate Fans,

I got lots of great questions again this week. I got a detailed and particularly insightful inquiry from a passionate basketball fan, Dave, into some of our marketing and ticket sales policies which I didn't have the expertise to answer. I turned to our Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Ticket Operations, and resident expert, Scott Wetherbee to address Dave's suggestions and questions. Scott's response to Dave's inquiries are posted below followed by my answers to some of your questions.

Question: Mack, those of us who are season ticket holders and loyal are often discouraged to see empty seats in Williams Arena. There should be no question that we will have better results on the court if there are 7,000 people in Minges rather than 3,000.

I think we have two challenges. One, we need to make sure all of our season ticket locations are full even if the season ticket holder is unable to attend. In this electronic day and age, wouldn't it be great if we could email all season ticket holders two days before each game and ask them to either confirm their attendance or release their tickets for resale (with perhaps some type of Pirate Club credit for that gesture). Then, the ticket office could sell those tickets, which would be very attractive because they would be in the better locations. This way our crowd attendance density would improve compared to the scattered empties we sometimes see in prime locations.

Answer: The man power to take on such a task is not there to manually do what you are saying, but with the installation of ticket scanners at Williams Arena this year will allow fans to put there unused tickets on sale in a "Marketplace". This technology should be in place this coming basketball season. ECU wants to sell every ticket to every game and actually have all those fans show-up as well. We are hoping with the new technology and the direction the basketball program is headed that reaching 5,000 season tickets sold is an obtainable goal. With the new technology we also like the fact that if you are a season ticket holder that lives out of town and can not make a Wednesday night game that you will now have the capability to transfer your ticket to someone else electronically so they can use it and fill up that seat. More information about this upgrade will be out later this summer and fall.

Question: Challenge number two is selling basketball season tickets right as football season starts. For basketball diehards it is not an issue, but the fans we are trying to attract are right in the middle of football season and spending their limited dollars on football tickets, traveling to regional games, tailgating, hotel rooms, gas (!!!), etc. Even I gulp a little when my computer totals up my order for four season tickets right after several big football weekends. So, what to do? Here is my idea. We need to offer several partial season ticket options in addition to the full season ticket.

OPTION ONE- Take the entire home schedule and "divide it in half" in the most equal way possible. Half the conference games, half the non-conference games, half the Saturday games, and half the weeknight games. There would be two different "half season tickets" for folks to choose from, hopefully as balanced as possible in terms of having games of high, medium and lower expected interest. Obviously we charge half the price of a full season ticket but provide a good option for someone who doesn't want to commit to a full home schedule and the corresponding cost.
OPTION TWO- Take the entire home schedule and divide it up based on Saturday games and midweek games. I think some folks might commit more easily if they knew every game they had a ticket for was on a Saturday, especially those with families. I would think there also might be a another group of folks who are more inclined to attend just midweek games. Maybe they spend weekends at the mountains or even the beach to get away from it all. Again, two separate packages to offer for those who are day of the week sensitive.
OPTION THREE- Assuming a 16-game home season with eight non-conference and eight conference games, offer four different four game packages. Call them Purple, Gold, Black and White. Put two non-conference games and two conference games in each, balancing them accordingly. These would in essense be one-fourth of a season ticket, but if the schedule permits would allow us to get someone in Minges in November and December for two non-conference games and then back in January and February for two conference games. Again, this hopefully would become an attractive affordable option for some fans who otherwise might not come, or just come to one or two games a year. And, after enjoying four great games this coming season, they might consider the "half season ticket", or OPTION ONE, the following season.

This type of strategy would only be utilized during the time when season ticket sales do not produce a sold out arena prior to the start of the season, which is certainly a possibility once you get this thing going. If we can sell 20,000 football season tickets, there is no reason we can't sell 5,000 basketball season tickets. Until we get to that level, I think using the options outlined above could be very helpful. I know you are the coach and not the ticket manager, but I also know you know the value of a full Minges Coliseum. If you see any value in this, please pass it on to those who could make it happen.

ANSWER:I like these suggestions about all different kinds of strategies. We do not want to devalue our season tickets (like minor league teams will do) by offering so many "mini-plan" options. Every year we offer other packages after our season ticket sales drive. We will certainly look at doing that again this year based on the schedule and certain game nights. We have offered a variety of mini-pans over the last couple of years and we have not sold a large number of these ticket packages. Personally I like to offer fans the opportunity to pick the games they want, giving them more flexibility instead of dictating which games they can attend. To use your example, one option would to be to allow fans to pick ANY eight games for say $100 (savings of $30). This eight-pack would allow them to pick the eight games they wanted to attend instead of five that they want and three that they wouldn't be able to attend.

We will always try to work to be creative in getting fans in the seats, but we also have to be sensitive to those that are purchasing season tickets at full price. We may look at monthly payment plans like we do in football to help those families that are on a monthly budget.

Jeff and Daniel,
First, Sam Hinnant and James Legan are working on becoming more consistent. They had some big games last season, and both are working hard at diversifying their skills. DaQuan Joyner and Chad Wynn have both really bought into the weight program and are developing a great deal of confidence. Jamar Abrams and Brock Young both got significant quality minutes last season, but they both will be expected to do more this season. A talented athlete, Jontae Sherrod is improving at giving consistent effort and focus. I am expecting immediate contributions from a talented trio of freshmen who have outstanding basketball backgrounds and talents.

Joe,
Our practices ARE open. You will see more fundamentals, skill development and individual instruction early in the fall, and then more competition and team building when official practice starts on October the 17. Check with our office because practice time vary widely due to scheduling issues in Williams Arena.

Dennis,
You ask an interesting question about contrasting our talent level versus that of North Carolina. We have players capable of playing at that level and we will be doing that often this year against the likes of Memphis. One difference is that UNC starts with a more refined player through recruiting. They do a great job with individual player development and we must, too, due to the fact that we don't always get that total package out of high school. Closing that gap will be our challenge as we build our program. We have had a pretty good spring.

Rob,
We ask every high-major in the region to come to Greenville. Based on NC State, Wake Forest and Clemson appearing on our schedule, you can see we've had some success. We will continue to ask, but we also won't play anyone not willing to come to Williams Arena here in Greenville. We also have some very nice regional rivalry games on future schedules that I think our fans will enjoy.

Jim,
I have no idea why (or even if) ECU didn't recruit someone six years and three coaches ago. Players get overlooked in recruiting all the time. Ask the big boys in the area if Stephen Curry could be helping their program and how they missed on him. It happens. That being said, the more times we can identify those high school players who are going to blossom into something more then they are projected, the more games will win and the more tournaments WE will go to in the future.

Thanks again for all your comments and questions, especially to Dave for sharing his thoughts on tickets sales and to Scott for taking the time to contribute to this week's blog. I'm really having a great time getting your e-mails each week. Your passion and enthusiasm just reinforces my belief that Pirate fans are the best fans and I'm looking forward to seeing you all in Williams Arena when we take the court in November. As always I like to share what some of you are saying by posting a comment that I've received. Thanks again for all your positive feedback and ideas and sharing the visions you have for Pirate basketball. Talk to ya'll next week.

Mack

Congratulations on your recruiting this year, way beyond my expectations considering the circumstances. Coach, how about getting the current players to comment from time to time on how they see things are going. Their youthful enthusiasm would be good to hear from and allow us to know them better in a more personal way(Also it would give you a break from time to time). - David Turnage. P.S. -The other coaches and the strength coach would also be good to hear from on the progress of the team.

Week 5

Pirate Fans,

This week your questions varied a great deal as to subject matter. Therefore, I am going to try and answer as many as possible with shorter, "bullet point" answers. Keep the questions coming.

Rob,
I think post-season play over the next couple seasons is a legitimate goal. It would be a dramatic turn-around, but we have taken some really positive steps. We are still really fragile with depth of talent, but we truly believe we are primed to break through if the stars align. Also, if we are to be successful, there has to be more talent AND we have to be making decisions that lead us to having a good program, not just a good team.

Mark,
My family and I love this area. My wife is a beach nut and we are close to all of our family members, so yes I could definitely see us staying in this area for a long time.

Jack,
I'm not sure about purchasing the new style of uniforms. Nike is making a push for all our gear to be available, but Lee Workman might be more qualified to answer this question.

Dustin,
I think our sound system in Williams Arena is really good, but I'm not really listening at the time you are referencing. I have passed this along to our operations folks.

Jeff,
Thanks for your comments and for committing to purchasing season tickets for next season. The BCS label doesn't really seem to affect us in basketball recruiting, and if a prospect comes to a football game here he knows ECU is "bigtime" anyway.

Greg,
We have not recruited in New York City much, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. We hope lots of folks become aware of what's going on here in Pirate basketball.

William,
The gaps created by attrition have to be filled a couple ways. First, the returning players all need to improve. I think you will see each returnee get better and some have a chance to do so dramatically. We had five freshmen and many rookies make the most improvement between their freshmen and sophomore seasons. Secondly, the newcomers have to bring their talents and attitudes and be ready to contribute right away. They are certainly capable of having a big impact.

Brian,
Percentage-wise our APR was not affected by the defections.

Phillip,
We were penalized one scholarship, but it was subtracted from our average squad size over the past four seasons which was 12. That, in effect, was a two-grant penalty.

Dustin,
We have been in discussions with many different tournament scheduling options. There are many choices for exempt events and we are eligible to go. This season we had five road games to return and it wasn't prudent for us to consider adding two to three more games away from Greenville. However, look for us to be in some exempt event for next season.

Nick,
Our guys are pretty self-motivated in this off-season. We got just a taste of what winning can be like last year, and they are working hard in the weight room and pick up games to maximize their improvement chances.

Kendall,
All of our 2008-09 roster should be on campus for second summer session, and we can start practice the day school starts in the fall with some hourly and group size limitations.

Carl,
That's a good point about the strength and conditioning program. You are certainly seeing what Mike Golden and his staff are doing for the football program and other sports, too. We changed philosophically last season and we are seeing some carryover from the Murphy Center to Williams Arena with the priority our guys are giving to this program.

Greg,
Thanks again for your comments and observations. Last season, we improved our offensive output from 59 points per game to 68 points per game, despite some low scoring games late in the season. That's a pretty dramatic difference. The better we are at defense and rebounding, the faster we will be able to play offensively. We have more offensive weapons and I think our balanced attack will be even more effective this season. Jamar Abrams will play inside and out on defense, but he is a face-the-basket player on offense.

Paul,
Outside influences have become problem in recruiting more recently. There is so much money at stake with the highly ranked players, that there are a lot of folks trying to involve themselves. It is difficult to govern for the NCAA.

John,
We have high-end Nike gear, and guys like the baggier look. I am a little more old school, but I think our kids look good. The NCAA demands the jerseys be tucked in, and that's a good rule. I'm more concerned about how hard our kids play, but I do think there is some merit to being disciplined on the floor and in your look.

Keith,
Your question about whether we need a fourth official is setting me up to get in trouble with my answer, but. . . The game has gotten more physical, but I think calling the game more strictly by the rules is the answer. Players and coaches will adjust. I don't like the more physical game, but players in every sport are bigger, faster, and stronger.

Britt,
I haven't heard about a 30-second shot clock proposal. The college game is going pretty well--if it's not broke, don't fix it.

Val,
We are shooting the ball better (see last week's "Letters").

Thanks for all the positive feedback you guys have been sending. Without a doubt, Pirate fans are the best fans in the nation. Here is another example. Talk to ya next week.

Mack

Coach Mack,

I am an ECU alum and huge Pirate fan stuck out on the west coast, so I have been watching the fortunes of the basketball team and program from afar through Bonesville.net and their media highlights, mainly. I had the good fortune to meet Terry Holland a couple of years ago and am convinced that he is a man of the highest character and abilities, with what is best for ECU uppermost in his decision making. I've watched with interest the unfolding of the last couple of seasons and wondered just what would happen.

After watching how you handle yourself and your many challenges lately (and reading your blog), I must say that I am convinced keeping you as the head coach was absolutely the right thing to do. Your character, knowledge, humility, sense of humor and balance, enthusiasim and confidence really do shine through. The ability to manage the challenges you face while maintaining confidence and a sense of humor is not an easy thing to do. I, for one, am very impressed. I am glad that you are directing our efforts but mostly feel grateful that our student- athletes have you as a role model. It is good to know that the Pirate ship has leaders like you. Keep up the good work and best of luck in your efforts!!!!

Sincerely,
Anthony V. Hopfer

Week 4

You all keep coming up with some interesting questions. I may have to ask some questions of you soon. Turn the tables on you so to speak. Anyway, here goes:

I continue to get questions about long-term success in the basketball program, and what steps we are taking toward that end. We talked last week about the stability needed--in all phases of the program. That will be key. The ingredient that will eventually become the overriding factor is talent. We have to identify, attract, retain, and develop talented players. Only time will tell, but we have the people in place to get this done. With this spring's signees, the indication is that we are headed in the right direction. Add those to the five freshmen from last year's squad and there is a positive trend. Overcoming the pecking order that exists in recruiting is difficult. We have to be very good evaluators as well as good salesmen. We occasionally will have to identify young men who might have been overlooked, and we will occasionally just have to beat the big boys head to head. Neither of these is easy, but they are possible. I've also been asked about the areas we recruit and recruiting junior college kids and transfers. First, we recruit all over, but we try to stay where we as a staff have contacts. Secondly, junior college players can answer some needs, even though everyone would like to have a young man for four years. Thirdly, there are transfers that make sense sometimes. We are not opposed to taking any young men from anywhere as long as they fit the standards we aspire to for Pirate Basketball.

Amazingly, I continue to get uniform questions. We had two new sets of uniforms last season. They were purple and gold and had East Carolina on the front. We will add two sets this coming season to those. One set will be white and it will be identical to the two new sets from last year. The other set will be gold and will be the style many teams wore last season, with very tight jerseys and the same old baggy shorts. This set will have the "PIRATES" script logo across the chest. The kids had a hand in picking out this set. Gold works well since we can wear it at home and away.

Our returning student-athletes are here for both summer sessions. The signees should join them for the second session. Most signees don't get out of high school in time to attend the first session. The guys are lifting four days a week with Danny Wheel and Mike Golden. We instituted a tough up-tempo program last season, which we thought generated some positive results and carryover to the court. They are working hard and then they play pickup ball about five days a week. Most of the kids also shoot a lot in the evenings. We are in and out of Williams Arena due to graduation and camps, but we at least have the Rec Center where they can go. Needless to say the practice facility in the plans is a huge deal. Around the clock access to facilities is very important to the success of any program. There are lots of dominoes that have to fall into place, but I've been told things are moving forward. It sounds like our tennis courts may move and that could be the location for the practice facility. I'm sure we'll have more updates on that in the near future.

We can practice as soon as school starts. We can do it in small groups for two hours a week until the middle of September, and then we switch to the entire squad for the same two-hour limit. The first official practice this year is October 17.

We are constantly evaluating our offensive and defensive schemes. Most coaches have some basics that they believe in and then they tweak it to fit a particular squad. We have more weapons offensively, and we need to play fast in order to best utilize these skills. Defense and rebounding are two areas we must improve in with next year's squad. How quickly the newcomers get acclimated to this level and how much last year's players have improved will dictate a lot of what we do strategically. We are anxious. It's going to be a long summer of anticipation waiting to get this group on the court.

I will continue to answer as many questions as possible each week. We are getting ready for summer camps. We have two individual camps for ages 7-17 and then we host a team camp in between the two-day camps. Our staff and players do a great job with the kids. We still have some spots open. Call the office at (252) 737-4592 if you are interested or know someone who is.

Go Pirates and let's keep talking positively about the future of East Carolina University!!!!

Mack

Week 3

We had great response to last week's "Letters"! We had about 30 new e-mail questions and I will continue to attempt to catch up with the ones we didn't get to last week and answer as many new ones as possible. Let's keep this communication going.

I. Recruiting
As I mentioned last week, recruiting never ends. We can sign players to scholarships right up to the day that school starts in the fall. The "signing period" for the National Letter of Intent has passed, but this doesn't prevent young men from signing grant-in-aids (scholarships) for next season. We pursue leads daily to find prospects that fit our needs. International players have had a tremendous impact on the college and pro games and we are constantly cultivating these relationships. I have coached young men from Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Germany, Bosnia, Russia and other countries. ECU has had some outstanding international players in the past and it will continue to be part of our overall recruiting efforts. We get leads from both conventional and unconventional sources. Most of our data base information comes from scouting services and personal observation. We also get many references from high school coaches, alumni, parents of players, and other friends in the business. I have probably signed players from each of those categories over the course of time.

Another question I got was about what we look for in a prospect. This is not a simple question. Assuming the young man has a sound academic background and the character that we want in the program, we turn to the basketball part of the evaluation. Skills, size, and athleticism are probably the top areas we evaluate. You would love to have a well-rounded player, who is good in all three areas. However, usually there is some compromise. Then you have to figure out how a particular player's tools fit into what you already have on the team. I've seen teams that are very athletic and not skilled, and, conversely, I have seen teams that are very skilled, but not athletic enough to compete. One message asked about our shooting. Last season, we were 10th in Conference USA in field goal percentage, which is not good and would indicate a lack of shooting skill. We were sixth in the league in free throw shooting (69%) which was a significant improvement. However, we lead C-USA in three-point field goal percentage, which was outstanding at 38 percent. We were also third in the league in assists, which would indicate that our kids played very unselfishly and shared the basketball.

II. Scheduling
Non-conference scheduling is a beast of a challenge. We, along with our administration, have actually developed criteria which we think make sense for us. The criteria we use is posted below:

Television
This is important as it relates to several areas of the basketball program. Our fans seeing us on TV is one area. Recruits seeing us play on TV is another. Fans seeing us play well and being motivated to come to more games is a factor. Television might also move games, from home to away or vice versa, or to neutral sites. This also impacts all of the other factors in our scheduling criteria.

III. The Future
Quite a few folks have asked how we are going to build a program that the University can be proud of in the future. I am not sure there's enough time or space to adequately answer this question to everyone's satisfaction. That being said, let me explain what I think has changed that gives us the very real chance to succeed when others have not. I think there is a real commitment by the University and athletic administration to compete in the league in which we play. This manifests itself in terms of finances and people and continuity. We have to spend the money in all phases that allow us to be competitive. Some of these areas which have improved are team travel, recruiting, academic support, strength and conditioning, coaching staff, equipment and supplies, video editing system, offices and locker room renovation, holiday tournaments and foreign trips. The staff extends way beyond the basketball offices, but it starts there. We have been very fortunate to assemble an experience and talented group of basketball coaches, and I think anyone who has had contact with them would affirm my thought on that subject. More than that, there are many people that have an impact on our program-- from strength and conditioning personnel to academic support to compliance to sports medicine to media relations to the Pirate Club to the business office to the facilities staff to tickets and marketing to the equipment room to the general athletic administration to the Student Pirate Club. All of these areas have a tremendous impact on the success of ECU basketball. I assure you there are quality people in all of these departments that contribute to what we are doing. The final piece of the puzzle is continuity-- in all of the aforementioned areas. It starts with the people around the program and eventually works down to the roster itself. Pirate Basketball can and will be successful. Ask the young men in the program and those coming into the program--you, too, will be convinced.

IV. Uniforms
I said I would answer the question about the baggy uniforms. I am not a fan. The kids like them. We have deliberately ordered one set this year that are the very tight jerseys, which will address some of this. If you watch much TV basketball you see some of the same issues all over at every level. All manufacturers are different and sizing can even vary from uniform to uniform depending on where it is made. We are ecstatic about being with Nike and working through all of this with them. We are very fortunate to be working with Nike and they have really upgraded our equipment and being a "Nike" school has had a positive impact on our recruiting as well. I really want us to have the best looking uniforms anywhere and I think we get closer every year.

As I mentioned earlier the response to the "Letters of Marque" has been overwhelming, not only with questions, but a lot great and positive comments have been left. Below is one comment that was left by a professor here at ECU that I think gives you a little more insight about the kind of student-athletes we have on our basketball team. I thank everyone for their interest and support of Pirate basketball.

Talk to ya next week,

Mack

Coach Mack,
I am a professor here at ECU and my son and I attend every game. Against Rice, we forgot the game time got pushed back and showed up early. We ventured down to floor level to watch the shoot-around; you and many of your players came over to my three-year old son and slapped his hand and said hello. A little later that week my son was with me on campus and we saw Brock Young. Brock recognized us and shook hands with Brody; maybe he does this with all the kids. I just thought you should know that you have some special young men on your team and I think the community recognizes it. You and your players are class acts. From good people will spur good results. We are excited for next year. Good luck!! - Mike Behm

 

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May 28, 2008

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Week 2

WOW! You Pirate fans are something else. Your reaction to our "Letters of Marque" feature has been overwhelming. I hope this type of response continues, even though I might have to hire a ghostwriter to help out. Nope. I will answer everything that I can. Many questions are similar and I will try to respond in general in those scenarios. In this first week the queries mostly dealt with the following areas: Gabe Blair, the 2008-09 season, recruiting, long-term outlook, scholarships and APR, and scheduling.

While I will keep you updated on what our staff is doing at a particular time of the year, this week I will answer as many questions as space allows. I am sure the length of this feature will vary, so just bear with me this week as to the length.

Gabe Blair's situation is still ongoing. In my mind, it has reached the point of no return, even though he hasn't made a final decision on where he is headed. He has been granted permission to talk to certain schools and is pursuing his possibilities. Gabe has handled this difficult decision with a great deal of class. We disagree on some issues, but I wish him nothing but the best wherever he lands. Gabe has been very solid academically, which is good for him and us. More on how his departure will affect our recruiting later in the "Letters".

In general I think APR is better talked about from our athletic administration, but I do want to address a few specific questions. The APR is just in its beginnings as an evaluation tool. There have been some unintended consequences, and the NCAA is reacting to those.

One tweak the NCAA has already made in the APR evaluation is that a student leaving in good standing with a 2.6 or better GPA doesn't hurt a program like it did before the change. For example, a player who left your program and was not in good academic standing in the past was 2-4 for that season. That was tough from which to recover. If they left and they were in good academic standing, they were a 3-4 for that season. Now, if they meet this new criterion, they are a 3-3. That's still not a 4-4 like a returning player, but it is better.

I've seen our situation explained many different ways, and it is complicated. The bottom line is this for next season: We will have 11 available scholarships for this season. Our in-season practice week will be 18 hours rather than 20. This only affects us for the first couple of weeks. Once we start playing games, we usually don't find time for the full 20 due to classes, travel, study hall, tutors, etc. We had a very good year APR-wise for 2007-08, and that is good news for the future.

Our program and administration have been very proactive in addressing the APR situation. Major improvements have been made over the past three seasons. When Coach Stokes came here, he implemented immediate steps to improve the academic performance. Not one player has become ineligible over those seasons, and the team GPA has improved from a 2.1 to over a 2.8. That is outstanding, and a tribute to the efforts of the players, our student development staff, and the emphasis put on academics by the coaching staff. That must continue.

The next part of the puzzle is retention. Sometimes we fail to realize this is not just an ECU issue, but also an epidemic in college basketball. Young men are transferring at record rates. You don't have to look very far away to see young men even leaving programs like Duke and North Carolina. Indiana, one of the most storied programs in the country, has only three returning players for next season.

We have to do a better job of identifying young men who want to be at East Carolina. We have to do a better job of identifying young men who can be successful here. Winning plays a part, too. College basketball is tough. Playing on a consistently losing team is even tougher. Winning doesn't solve everything, but it sure makes lots of things more palatable. Stability is a huge part of this equation. Hopefully, we have that now. The more continuity in and around our program, the more progress you will see. Some changes are unavoidable and some are even necessary, but the more stability the more success we will have.

Recruiting never ends. I get asked this all the time. "Ya'll finish recruiting yet?"-- Never Happens. Recruiting is a 24/7, 365-day process. You have to be relentless and our staff is. It is a complicated, challenging part of our chosen profession. Many talents are required to be successful in recruiting, but you better be relentless. We have had a great spring, and that is half the battle. Now we've got to get on to step two--making every athlete we have a better student, person, and player. We will continue to look for players who are a good fit for this team, and barring that we will look for available transfers or hold the scholarship for next season.

Next season is on a lot of folks' minds. Good. I'm glad you all are excited because we are too. We've lost six players, five who played significant minutes. That's not usually a recipe for improvement, but we have a chance to do just that. We are solid at the point with Brock Young and Raheem Smith. We have two of the best shooters in the conference returning in Sam Hinnant and James Legan and both are better. Jontae Sherrod had a year to acclimate to college life and is a talented athlete. Chris Turner is a perimeter player who has one-on-one ability and can really shoot the basketball. Jamar Abrams gained valuable experience playing the power forward last season, but also got to step out to take advantage of his perimeter skills. We might very well play four perimeter guys around one post. I have even had a of couple teams with five perimeter players which can be a very effective attack. Chad Wynn is improving daily. Last year was really his first year of playing regularly in a while due to injuries and red-shirting his first year here. He is ready to make a significant impact next season. Daquan Joyner is learning how hard and fast he has to play, and had a great year adjusting to the rigors of collegiate life. Darrius Morrow comes from a winning program and has skills, which should allow him to contribute from day one. He also has an infectious personality that generates enthusiasm all around him.

We are not deep inside, but I like our overall talent. Many successful teams around the country are using three and four guard offenses and making it work. We have more offensive weapons than any of our recent teams--that's good news. BUT, we have to rebound the ball and defend better.

I didn't get to every question, but I will eventually address them all--even the one about the baggy uniforms and the ones about scheduling. Thanks for your participation. This is going to be fun each week.

Now let's get to work selling out season tickets. We did it in football; we can do it in basketball! You want to know how we reach our long-term goals? Selling out Williams Arena every time we play would be a great start. Talk to ya'll next week.

Mack

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May 22, 2008

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Week 1

Pirate Basketball Fans,

I have been approached by several fans about getting more updates concerning basketball during the off-season. Despite the quiet time on our website, there is still a lot of activity within our program. After talking with our media relations staff, we have decided that once a week I will post an update on the latest happenings surrounding ECU basketball on www.ecupirates.com. I will give you some insight on what we are doing to move our program forward, talk about the state of college basketball in general, or answer questions that you may have concerning the Pirates. Hopefully the response will be so great that I'll be unable to answer each question every week, but I'll make every attempt to answer all questions in a timely manner.

We will post this update on Wednesday each week. You can e-mail me your questions by clicking on the link above. I'm excited about this addition to our website and I hope it grows into something that will be both fun and informative.

Go Pirates!

Mack

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