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News Nuggets, 09.30.06
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Wave home after Katrina, record road trip

When Tulane plays at the Louisiana Superdome today for the first time in 665 days, it will be more than just a football game against Southern Methodist. It will be a homecoming in the truest sense, according to a USA Today story by Kelly Whiteside.

After the team's final game in 2004, the Green Wave spent all of last season on the road because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. They played 11 games in 11 weeks in 11 different stadiums. Given that the Green Wave (1-2) were on the road for their first three games this fall, they have played an NCAA record 14 consecutive away games.

"This week is a big week for us," Tulane coach Chris Scelfo said. "It's a big week for our university to be able to get back home and play in the Louisiana Superdome. We need to have a good crowd out there. I think the energy level from the crowd would be fantastic for our players. They've endured a lot to get to this point, and we're hoping a lot of people come out and have three hours of enjoyment."

More than 15,500 tickets were sold as of early this week; the school has donated about 1,300 tickets to local, police, sheriff, fire and emergency medical technicians this season. During the pregame show and at halftime, Tulane will honor those first responders and all New Orleanians who've helped rebuild the city.

In the wake of the NFL's New Orleans Saints' victory at the Superdome on Monday night, Tulane hopes to give its fans another reason to cheer with a win against the Mustangs (2-2).

"I think our players are excited about playing back at home, but the one thing we can't do is get caught up in all the hype. We've got to be mature enough to handle it," Scelfo says.

The Green Wave have been away from home for so long that more than half (50) their roster has never played at the Superdome. The team will wear its dark green home jerseys for the first time since 2004. Last year, Tulane left its game jerseys behind when the team evacuated to Jackson, MS. The floods that ravaged the first floor of the school's athletic building also ruined their home jerseys.

NIT selection committee adds two

Retired New Mexico athletic director Rudy Davalos and Gene Keady, the former Purdue basketball coach, have been added to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) LLC Selection Committee, said Greg Shaheen, president of the NIT LLC, according to a release at ncaa.org.

�Rudy and Gene bring years of experience and expertise with them to the NIT Selection Committee,� Shaheen said. �Having gone through both the NIT Season Tip-Off and the Postseason NIT, we felt it was appropriate to add two more members to the committee to further diversify the geographic reach of the committee.�

Davalos retired as athletics director at New Mexico in August after a 13-year tenure. Davalos served on the NCAA Men�s Basketball Committee twice, first as the Midwest representative when he was the athletics director at the University of Houston, and later when he became the athletics director at New Mexico. He also served on the NCAA�s Women�s Basketball Committee, Championships Competition Cabinet, as well as the Division I Baseball Committee.

Davalos has been recognized by numerous organizations throughout his career for his efforts on the behalf of student-athletes. A former head basketball coach at the University of the South, Davalos began his coaching career in 1961 as an assistant at Georgetown College (Ky.). He later had assistant coaching stints at the University of Kentucky and Auburn University.

Keady retired as Purdue�s head coach in 2005 after 25 years at the program�s helm. During that time, Keady�s teams recorded 512 victories, six Big Ten championships and won 20 or more games in 14 seasons. Keady was recognized as National Coach of the Year six times and is the Big Ten�s third-winningest coach with a .661 winning percentage. He has been cited numerous times with awards and honors and is a member of several Halls of Fame. Keady was originally named to the NIT Selection Committee but deferred joining for one year due to previous commitments.

The NIT Selection Committee includes C.M Newton (chairman) and Dean Smith, both members of the Naismith Hall of Fame, along with Don DeVoe, Reggie Minton, Jack Powers and Carroll Williams.

ECU women's golf gets underway

The East Carolina women's golf team opens the 2006-07 season this weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) under second-year head coach Kim Lewellen in the Wildcat Fall Invitational, according to an ECU athletic media relations release.

The two-day, 54-hole event, will be held at the University Club in Lexington, KY, and will feature Augusta State, Birmingham Southern, Central Florida, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Mississippi State, Murray State, Nebraska, N.C. State, Ole Miss and Richmond, along with ECU.

The teams will play 36 holes today and 18 on Sunday.

In last year's event, the Pirates finished in sixth place with a tournament score of 902, missing a top-three finish by nine strokes. The University of Florida claimed the team title with a 54-hole score of 881, followed by North Carolina (891), Miami (FL) (893), Kentucky (894) and Mississippi State (896).

Individually, Mallory Blackwelder (UF) took home medalist honors with a four-under 212 (68-71-73), followed by Amanda Mathis (Mississippi State) and Katie Miller (North Carolina), who finished tied for second with a two-over par 218.

ECU sophomore Lene Krog took a share of fourth place after carding a tournament score of 220 (73-74-73). It was the second consecutive event in which she placed in the top-five and would go on to eight top-10 finishes. Fellow Pirate golfer, Jessica Hauser, finished in 22nd place after a tournament score of 227 (79-74-74).

Live scoring for the Wildcat Fall Invitational can be seen on golfstat.com.

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 electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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