ECU Football Preseason Camp Notebook #2
August 06, 2005 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. ? After conducting its annual media day activities indoors during the late morning hours, the East Carolina Pirates returned to high heat and humidity levels at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for a three-hour afternoon practice in shorts and helmets.
The session, which followed a one-hour mid-morning walk-through, marked the Pirates' second workout of fall camp. East Carolina will enter its next stage of preparation Sunday by progressing to shoulder pads before putting on full gear Tuesday afternoon.
Head coach Skip Holtz remained upbeat about the start of his initial preseason camp at ECU after guiding the Pirates through the introductory, but fundamental-based team and individual workout.
"Although it's awful early, I'm thrilled with the intensity and enthusiasm thus far," Holtz said. "We've got many miles to go but I can't be more pleased with the start we've had. We'll take the next step Sunday with shoulder pads and keep working toward our goals."
In addition to Saturday's practice, East Carolina also welcomed approximately 40 media members representing 25 different agencies to the Murphy Center for Media Day '05. Newspaper, radio and television personnel from local and regional outlets in North Carolina and Virginia joined a pair of national correspondents for interviews with requested players and members of the coaching staff. A total of 20 players were made available for the opening segment of interviews which began at 11:00 a.m.
NOTES: Holtz' first significant position change to open camp was moving senior Guy Whimper (6-6, 302) from tight end to the offensive line ? The Pirates are expected to utilize Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for the first 10 days of preseason camp before returning to a completely refurbished Cliff Moore Practice Facility ? Construction and ground crews are working to complete the renovation with includes two completely re-sodded natural grass practice fields, enhanced lighting and drainage capabilities ? A third field, which will feature a FieldTurf surface and run perpendicular to the existing grids, is expected to be completed later in the season ? Freshman defensive back Jerek Hewett reported to camp with a label not shared by any of his teammates ? a national champion ? Hewett captured the individual title in the 100-meter dash at the USA Track and Field Championships last week with a time of 10.43 ? He was also part of a national champion 4x100 relay squad which turned in a clip of 40.00 ? The two-time state champion also owns the fifth-best 100-meter time in North Carolina history ? Sunday's Practice Time: 3:00 p.m. ? 6:00 p.m.; Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Duke (1:00 p.m.)
EXCERPTS FROM SKIP HOLTZ' MEDIA DAY PRESS CONFERENCE
On the start of preseason camp: "When you come into camp, you have been waiting for this day for a long time. This has been about an eight or nine-month waiting period to get here. Because we have gone through it, everything we have been doing over the last eight to nine months has been without a football, with the exception of 15 days of spring practice. We got a chance to look at the players in the workouts and we got a chance for 15 days of spring practice and now for the first time we have a chance to put this team together."
Team outlook: "With all the freshmen included, we are now filtering in the upperclassmen, especially those that missed things in the spring, because of the injuries in the fall. We now have the first opportunity to put this team together and it is exciting. From an upper classmen's standpoint, they have worked extremely hard this summer. I am really impressed with the commitment that they have made to be here all summer. I made it optional to where they could go home and take care of business but all but six players came back for summer school in summer session one. Most of these guys made a commitment to be here all summer. They paid the ultimately price and I am really pleased with the progress that they have made from a physical standpoint with Mike Golden (ECU head strength coach)."
The new faces on the team: "When you put together your freshmen class, you can talk about an active signing day. We did not want to go out and chase only the high profile names, or anything else. We chased the people that we had a chance to sit down and evaluate on film. That is something that is really obvious right now. When you look at the contributions that these guys are going to make this year, there are quite a number of these freshmen that are going to play for this football team, and have a chance to help us win. We don't want to throw everybody to the wolves right away, I would like to redshirt them all. But, if they have a chance to help this football team as freshmen, then we are going to play them. There are a number of players that are in that situation right now."
Newcomers to watch: "I don't want to leave anybody out, but I know that a number of people have been talking about Jerek Hewett (West Brunswick HS; Shallotte, N.C.) and the talent that he has, with the combination of size, speed and athleticism, those type of things. I am so excited to see him when we put on pads, because as athletic as he is, I want to make sure that he is not allergic to leather before we bring him out there and say that we are going to play him a whole lot. He has all of the physical skills to help this team in a special teams role and also as a defensive back. It is very difficult to evaluate a quarterback, for example Rob Kass (Lake Highland HS, Longwood, Fla.) and the offensive and defensive linemen without pads, because that is what they do - they play the physical game. Scotty Robinson (Salisbury HS; Salisbury, N.C.) has been a standout at defensive end, and I think that he has a chance as well. A number of these freshmen will come to battle for us, and we are excited to get on the field and see what they are going to do."
Forecast for the season and the progression of camp: Right now we have a lot of intensity, excitement and enthusiasm with these players, and we as coaches are going to have to keep that enthusiasm going through 15 to 20 practices. If we can keep this same intensity, focus and enthusiasm over the next 29 days, then I think that we are going to be pretty competitive. I have said this all along - I don't know how good we can be, and I haven't played anybody on our schedule. I look at it and at the same time, we don't have anybody on our schedule that we have beaten over the last three years. The Army and Tulane's, which are our three wins in the last two years, aren't on our schedule anymore. I don't know how we compare to everybody but I know how this team is working. I know that we have a chance to be competitive. I am anxious to see how we grow as a football team as we go through camp."
On the reinstatement of James Pinkney: "James Pinkney has been readmitted to ECU, and that was determined Tuesday morning when the news was released officially from the University. He had a great summer and paid his price from the spring semester by working here in town bussing tables. He sat out the semester with the opportunity to stay here at ECU and remain focused on what he needed to do to try and get back into school. He easily could have gone home. He said that he didn't feel like anything good for him was at home so he felt like he needed to stay around here and be around this team. He came back and did a phenomenal job this summer. I am really pleased with the commitment that he has made to be where he is right now. I told him that he has been given a second lease on life and I certainly hope that he appreciates the opportunity that he has, and that he makes the most of it. Out on the football field, James Pinkney can make us a better football team. I have been very impressed with his talent, his mannerisms and the way that he carries himself. This is my first opportunity to have him on the field and to work with him. By the way he carries himself, the presence he has and his physical talents, I think he has the ability to be really good. Until he earns it and learns our system mentally, I can't turn and give it (starting job) to him right now. But I think that he has a chance to make us a better offensive football team and I am certainly glad that we have him. The quarterback is the guy who touches the ball every single play, and if you are going to be strong somewhere that is a great place to start, at that position."
Coaching situation comparison between ECU, South Carolina and Connecticut: "I think that they all are very similar, from a win/loss record when you look at it. At South Carolina, they had won one game the year before we got there, and at Connecticut, they had won three, and now ECU, two. So, it's very similar from a win/loss record but the thing that has really encouraged me about this team is the way that they have bought into this program. At South Carolina, it took us a little longer for them to buy into it, same thing at Connecticut. As I have said before, there are two ways to strengthen the team - one is with the addition of this freshmen class and with some of the transfers. We did not want those that were not going to buy into the program. We made an emphasis that this is going to be all about this particular team and this program, not about the individual. I told the team the other day that we were going to take the names off the back of the jerseys. One of the players came to me and said that we have had the names on the back of the jerseys for a while. We have the important one on the front, so I don't care about the one on the back. I am trying to build that attitude, and the difference for being here in these eight months for me, is the attitude that the players have as a group. I think that this team has really bought into where we are going and we are a little closer group in a quicker time span than where I have been."
TICKET INFORMATION
2005 East Carolina Football tickets are currently available online at www.ECUPirates.com or at the ECU Athletics Ticket Office (adjacent to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium) from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Reserved season ticket packages can be purchased for $125.00 (reserved), $100.00 (faculty/staff), $90.00 (economy plan) and $75.00 (graduate plan) while single game tickets can also be obtained for $25.00 (adults) and $15.00 (12 and under). To reserve your seats, please call (252) 328-4500 or 1-800-DIAL-ECU.
