VIEW THE MOBILE ALPHA VERSION OF THIS SITE

News Nuggets, 03.04.06
 —  —  —  —  —
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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

Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Pirates to strap on pads today

East Carolina conducted its second spring workout with a 2.5-hour practice late Friday afternoon, according to a report from the university's media relations department.

After opening camp with a pair of introductory workouts in shorts and helmets, Pirate head coach Skip Holtz and his staff will direct the Pirates' first full-pad session this morning.

ECU continued to stress positional fundamental work throughout Friday's practice, which was held in cool and breezy conditions with temperatures hovering in the mid-50s, a stark contrast to the 80-degree weather which greeted the Pirates during Thursday's opener.

After opening the practice with traditional individual work, both units engaged in team drills for the remainder of the session and re-introduced concepts of Holtz' offensive and defensive schemes.

"We got in a lot of reps in the two days with shorts," Holtz said. "Things have moved very quickly but I expect things to slow down a little beginning tomorrow when we come out in pads. I think we're all excited to move on and get back to playing football again."

Before closing the practice with a brief special teams kicking period, the Pirates wrapped up the team portion of the workout with an 11-on-11 drill which featured all four quarterbacks on the team's active roster and involved short-to-mid-range passing exercises along with plays utilizing the running backs and receivers.

"Perhaps what has impressed me the most so far has been all of the coaching that's been done on the field by our seniors," Holtz added. "One of the keys to our success and chemistry will be our leadership, and although it's awful early, I've been exceptionally pleased with what I've seen in the first two days. This group appears to have that ability, and that is special."

Saturday's session is set to begin at 10:00 a.m.  The Pirates will begin their second week of workouts Monday and will also conduct sessions Wednesday and Thursday before departing for Spring Break next Friday.

Lady Pirates eliminated by Tulsa

DALLAS — Point guard Kara Pongonis-Paslay tied a championship record with 10 assists and Tulsa's four other starters all reached double figures as the top-seeded Golden Hurricane defeated No. 8 East Carolina (17-12), 77-60, in the first quarterfinal of the 2006 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship at Southern Methodist's Moody Coliseum on Friday.

Tulsa (23-5) forward Emily Jaskowiak registered a double-double with game-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Jasmine Young, who moved into fourth place on the single-season three-pointers made list (50), led East Carolina with 16 points. LaCoya Terry added 12 points and a team-high six rebounds for ECU.

Briefs: More coaching exits; Tourney action

• Rod Barnes will not be returning as basketball coach at Ole Miss, according to reports, and Danny Nee has resigned as coach at 3-23 Duquesne, effective at season's end.

• The Penn Quakers prolonged their season with a 57-55 win over Yale for the Ivy League tournament championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

• Eighth-seeded Appalachian State kept its NCAA tourney hopes alive, stunning Southern Conference regular season champion Georgia Southern in the league tournament quarterfinals on Friday in North Charleston, SC.

C-USA Basketball Standings, Scores & Schedule

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