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'Bell' rings true for ECU
Bonesville.net staff report
View thumbnail sketches of all of ECU's known 2004
football commitments...
East Carolina stayed close to
home for its most recent football commitment, running back and free safety
Pierre Bell of West Craven High School in Vanceboro. Bell ran for 1,642
yards and 17 touchdowns for the Eagles on offense as a senior and had five
interceptions on defense.
Bell, who is 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, has been selected to play in the
Shrine Bowl on Dec. 20 in Rock Hill, S.C. He received recruiting interest
from North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest. Bell runs 40 yards in 4.6
seconds and bench presses 270 pounds.
“He’s a great kid,” said veteran West Craven coach Clay Jordan, who will
assist New Bern’s Chip Williams on the Shrine Bowl staff. “He’s a ‘Yes sir’
and ‘No sir’ type of kid. His mother has done a good job with him. He’s been
a 3-sport athlete here — football, basketball and track. He’s a very, very
good athlete.
“He needs a little work in the weight room. Being involved in three sports,
he hasn’t lifted as hard as we would have liked, but I’m sure they’ll take
care of that at ECU.”
Bell’s West Craven teammate, defensive end Gerrard Miller, has committed to
N.C. State. The Eagles were 13-2 in 2003 with losses to 4-A power New Bern
and in the Eastern 3-A final to Northeast Guilford. Jordan also feels that
West Craven quarterback Bryan Hardy (6-3,180), who threw for roughly 2,400
yards this season, is also a Division I-A prospect.
Following are thumbnail
sketches of players known to have agreed to accept scholarship offers to
play at East Carolina in 2004:
(Editor's note: A separate
'Thumbnails' page will be published in coming days and maintained throughout
the recruiting period leading up to the February 2004 signing date.)
Thumbnails sketches of ECU's football recruiting class of 2004
Zack Baker (6-2, 205), FS, Pima College, Tucson, Ariz. ... Has
electronically-timed 4.5 second speed for 40 yards, according to Storm coach
Jeff Scurran, which translates into roughly 4.3 seconds hand-timed. ... Pima
went 6-5 in its third season under Scurran, who previously coached at Sabino
High in Tucson, one of the area’s premier prep programs. ... Baker played at
Sabino and is regarded as a hard-hitter who can help the Pirates
immediately.
Pierre Bell (6-2, 205), RB/FS, West Craven High, Vanceboro, N.C. ... Shrine
Bowl selection committed to ECU on Dec. 10 after receiving recruiting
interest from North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest. ... Chose the
Pirates because he wanted to stay close to home and was attracted by the
opportunity to play early in his college career. ... Ran for 1,642 yards and
scored 17 touchdowns as a senior for a 13-2 team that reached the Eastern
3-A final. ... 5 interceptions on defense in 2003. ... Coached by Clay
Jordan. ... 4.6 seconds/40 yards, 270 pounds/bench press ... Recruited by
Jerry McManus of the ECU staff.
Zach Davis (6-4, 250), C, Trinity Christian, Jacksonville, Fla. ...
4.9-second speed for 40 yards. ... Committed to the Pirates in the summer of
2003 after considering Central Florida, South Florida and Vanderbilt. ...
Rated at the lower end of spectrum as a Division I-A prospect by rivals.com
Willie Metcalf (6-7, 260), TE, Pima College, Tucson, Ariz. ... Played
basketball at two junior colleges before arrriving at Pima where he was
regarded as a big-time blocker by coach Jeff Scurran. ... Dayton, Ohio
product originally signed with Ohio State and spent two weeks in Buckeyes’
preseason camp before he was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA
clearinghouse. ... Has one year of eligibility at ECU but is expected to
immediately bolster the tight end spot.
Antonio Miller (6-2, 195), QB, Olympic High, Charlotte, N.C. ... Committed
to ECU in July after being recruited by Kansas State, Maryland, Marshall,
Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. ... 4.5 seconds/40 yards, 225
pounds/bench press, 400 pounds/squat, 39 inch/vertical jump ... Has shown
running and throwing ability as a 3-year starter and is rated No. 13
prospect in the state by rivals.com ... Chosen for Shrine Bowl. ...
Completed 57 percent of his passes as a junior for 2,610 yards and 16
touchdowns. Also ran for 864 yards and eight TDs in earning team MVP honors.
... Trojans made the NCHSAA 4-A playoffs in 2003 despite a 4-6 record and
were seeded No. 15 in the Western bracket, losing to A.C. Reynolds of
Asheville in the first round. ... Miller is an honor roll student.
Jonathan Warren (6-1, 190), S, Madison County High, Madison, Fla. ... May be
the softest of ECU’s first wave of commitments. ... Cowboys coach Frankie
Carroll confirmed that ECU offensive coordinator Rick Stockstill said it was
likely Pirates would offer a scholarship but said Florida, Florida State,
Arizona, Iowa State, Michigan State, Auburn and Tennessee were still in the
picture. ... Team took a 12-0-1 record into the 2-A state final in
Gainesville on Dec. 12. ... Had 15 interceptions as a sophomore. Hasn’t had
as many since then because teams stopped throwing in his vicinity. ... Led
team in tackles as a junior. ... Had roughly 500 yards rushing with 10 TDs
as a senior. Also, 85 tackles, five sacks and four picks. ... Projects as an
academic qualifier. ... Scheduled to visit ECU on Jan. 9.
Mike Williams (6-3, 287), OL, Boone High, Orlando, Fla. ... From the same
program that produced ECU punter Ryan Dougherty. ... Committed early and
appears set on joining the Pirates although other programs have continued
interest. ... 2003 team was 9-1 and won the Metro Conference and district
championship. ... Played in an I formation offense for Coach Phil Ziglar.
... “He’s a good run blocker with good feet,” Ziglar said. “He’s a good pass
blocker, too. Everybody seemed to like the way he did things. He’s real
aggressive.” ... Selected to play in a central Florida all-star game on Dec.
13. ... Candidate for the Georgia-Florida All-Star clash. ... ECU defensive
coordinator Jerry Odom secured an early commitment. ... Williams knew
Dougherty and liked the prospect of making an early impact with the Pirates.
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Bonesville.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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02/23/2007 01:24:57 PM
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