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Dynamics beyond the sidelines
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2005 Bonesville Magazine: Sneak Peek #2
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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By Ron Cherubini
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Recruiting
Avenues Still Open in All Directions
Out-of-state prep coaches applaud veteran Holtz
regime
©2005 Bonesville.net
Many Pirate fans worried that
the firing of former East Carolina coach John Thompson might have a negative
impact on the program's recruiting outside the state of North Carolina,
particularly Florida, where the prep coaches loved Thompson and his mostly
Florida-related staff.
In discussing the incoming
recruiting class with many prep coaches from outside the Old North State for
the forthcoming 2005 Bonesville Magazine, it is clear that when Skip Holtz
and his staff cross the state line, they are still well-recognized,
well-respected, and well-liked.
Here is a sampling of feedback
from some of those coaches:
— Coach Gary Cantrell,
of powerhouse Atlanta Douglass High School in Douglass, GA, was more than
happy that his defensive star, Jeremy Chambliss will be a Pirate next year.
“Jeremy’s recruitment was
smooth,” he said. “I have known Rock Roggeman for years, when he was at
Alabama State. He was impressed with Jeremy and, honestly, we were impressed
with ECU. It worked out well and I expect that ECU will be coming around
here more and they are welcomed to.”
Veteran coaches on Holtz’s
staff are having a great impact on how prep coaches perceive ECU. Take
Fairfield High (OH) coach Scott Datillo, whose center Bryan Gibson will be
gray-shirting for ECU this fall.
“Greg Hudson did the
recruiting from Minnesota and Coach (Steve) Shank(Shankweiler) from South
Carolina," Datillo said. "That is how it got started and they compared notes
and liked the kid. Communicating and networking. Hudson came up and Bryan
liked him a lot and decided to take a visit and fell in love with the ECU
campus. He originally went with not a whole lot of expectations as far as
commitment, but he was just going to go. And the Sunday he got back (he)
couldn’t stop talking about it. Hudson and Shank did a great job and it
validated what a player Bryan has been for us.”
Another Ohio coach, Vince
Suriano, who coaches powerful Anderson High School, had nothing but positive
things to say about ECU’s recruitment of his star lineman Stephen Heis.
“Greg Hudson was smart enough
to see that the kid was playing with a torn ACL and was better than he was
playing," Suriano said. "He wants to be a player and Hud saw that. When a
recruiting coach goes beyond the numbers and really sees the talent, you
know that good things are going to happen (in the program). East Carolina
did a great job on Stephen.”
For Griffin High (GA) coach
Steve Devoursney, continuity of recruiting was a big positive for ECU. He
noted that when Coach Shankweiler left South Carolina for ECU, he didn’t
leave behind the players he was recruiting and that meant everything for his
star fullback, Ahmad Mayo.
“They were looking for a
tailback, they don’t really have a strong kid who can run, block, and
catch," Devoursney said. "They thought he was the best one out there that
they had seen and Coach Shank and Holtz came after him. When they left USC
for East Carolina, they kept recruiting Ahmad and I think that was the big
thing.”
Again, Coach Shankweiler, was
huge in the recruitment of another Georgia product, John Battle, a fierce
offensive lineman from Love Joy High.
“Coach Shankweiler was
recruiting him from (USC),” Lovejoy coach Al Hughes said. “I’ve known Shank
for a long, long time, and in my opinion, from a high school coach’s
perspective, I think he is all that. Shank has got the touch to work with
high school kids and recruit them. ECU will do well around here with Shank
(in the recruiting trenches).”
The excitement about the
veteran recruiters on the Pirates staff extends beyond the realm of high
school coaches and into the junior college and prep school ranks.
Coach Bert Williams of Georgia
Military College has been sending players to ECU pretty consistently over
the years. Players like Keith Stokes, Derrick Collier, Demetrius Hodges and
others have moved from Georgia Military to the Pirates. This year, Williams
has sent another stellar wide receiver to the Pirates in junior Aundrae
Allison, a product of Kannapolis.
“We played South Carolina’s
junior varsity team and we have always been heavily recruited by USC,”
Williams explained. “They knew of Aundrae and when Holtz and Shank, who I
have known for many, many years now, Aundrae was one of the first guys they
called about. (ECU) will do well recruiting with the staff they have
assembled there. That they are brining a North Carolina guy back home is
also a good thing for their program.”
Sending a couple of North
Carolina guys back to the state is also a high mark that Hargrave Military
Academy coach Robert Prunty gives the Pirates who are welcoming two of his
prep players in highly-touted defensive linemen Brandon Setzer and Marcus
Hands, of Thomasville High and Laney High respectively.
“I really like the new staff
there at East Carolina,” Prunty said. “You know, I knew Skip and Steve when
they were at South Carolina. Really, my loyalty is with any coaching staff
that is loyal and honest with the players. The East Carolina staff are all
veteran, hard-working football guys and will get it done and get it done
right at East Carolina. I have absolutely no problem sending players to East
Carolina.”
Coach Steve Gaddis at Trinity
Valley Community College in Texas didn’t get too involved in ECU’s
recruitment of his star kicker, Robert Lee, but he did have some positive
things to say about the staff.
“Robert got involved with ECU
on his own,” Gaddis said. “He pulled up Division I rosters looking for a
school who would need a kicker and found East Carolina. We put together
tapes and got them out during the Christmas Holidays. And ECU responded.
“I wasn’t real involved in the
recruitment, but I can say that Robert was very excited about it and really
liked the staff. I know that Coach Holtz has a very veteran staff there and
we look forward to any future relationship that ECU and Trinity might have
following Robert’s recruitment.”
Coach Carl Beach of Chaffey
College (CA) was impressed by the speed and lightening-like recruiting style
the Pirates exhibited in getting in late on his star running back Brandon
Fractious.
“The East Carolina staff was
on Brandon a bit late,” he said. “But, once they got started they came at
him. Once they got the tape of him and once the academics were cleared, they
had him locked up. I am really hopeful there will be a relationship we ECU
going forward. We have PAC 10 and other C-USA schools coming through here a
lot and to have a guy at ECU is a good thing for us. I hope this generates
more interest (from ECU).
“Coach Junior Smith was
instrumental because not only had he played at ECU, he was a running back
there in a passing offense. Brandon was going to go to San Jose State, but
that changed quickly after ECU got involved.”
And, what of the Florida prep
coaches and the fear of backlash for the dismissal of a largely
Florida-centric coaching staff? Well, at least a pair of Florida prep
coaches have no problem with the new staff.
“Honestly, we run into more
trouble with our own schools like Central Florida,” Lake Highland Prep coach
Tim Borcky said. “You really have to take care of home grown talent first
and I respect that Coach Holtz is doing that. After you take care of your
home base, then spot recruit in different areas like down here in Florida or
out in California for your speed guys and up in Pennsylvania, Ohio and over
in Texas for your linemen.”
Borcky is thrilled that his
big quarterback Rob Kass is headed to ECU.
“It does upset the high school
coaches when the local schools ignore you,” he said. “I think Skip did an
excellent job getting Connecticut ready for Division I and did come down
here when he needed a specific player. East Carolina recruits with a lot of
great schools in the Carolinas and has to. He and his staff are always
welcome here. They have proved their ability to find talent, recruit
honestly, and work well with the high school coaches for my 12 years here,
which can’t be said for a lot of schools, some right here in Florida.”
For North Fort Myers coach
James Iandoli, who is sending his center Larry Lease to the Pirates in the
spring as a gray shirt signee, the last staff was very well-liked. However,
he believes that the Florida prep coaches are first and foremost
knowledgeable about football and that knowledge tells them that Thompson was
not getting it done at ECU. He is well aware of the Holtz legacy and the
veteran staff assembled at ECU and has no problem welcoming the Pirates his
way.
“We knew the old staff,” he
said. “We had a great rapport with Noah Brendise and Thompson was well-liked
down here. But, we also have a great deal of respect for the new East
Carolina staff. Greg Hudson has made a particularly good impression on us
down here. You got a great catch with Hudson… he is such a straight shooter
and we are very comfortable with Greg and I believe it is a good
relationship.
“We are loyal first to our
players and with ECU’s staff there, I feel good about the future
relationship and I think they will do just fine here in Florida.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: This
article is just a sample from the dozens of pages devoted to recruiting
in the forthcoming 2005 Bonesville Magazine, which features articles and
timelines on ECU recruits — past and present — and an eye-opening story
about the Pirates' new recruiting philosophy.
 Send an e-mail message to Ron Cherubini.
Click here to dig into Ron
Cherubini's Bonesville archives.
02/23/2007 02:06:04 PM
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