Men's Basketball Officially Opens Practice With Two Sessions
October 13, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 13, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. --- After concluding preseason workouts with its final team session Friday afternoon, East Carolina, under the direction of new head coach Mack McCarthy, officially opened practice for the start of the 2007-08 season Saturday with a pair of two-hour sessions inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Saturday.
"We've had a couple of good days of practice," said McCarthy. "We want to challenge them physically and mentally so we're putting a lot of stuff in early. We want them to get an understanding of our whole style of play before we set out to perfect it."
Fans will have their first opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Pirates on Friday, October 19; at the Purple-Gold Fan Jam. ECU will conduct a brief scrimmage as part of a festival of activities to celebrate the arrival of the new season. The Purple-Gold Fan Jam will be hosted by actor Dennis Haskins, best known for his role as Mr. Belding on the hit TV show Saved By The Bell.
The Pirates open the 2007-08 campaign against Limestone on Saturday, November 10, at 2 p.m. inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. It'll be the first of a school-record 19 home games, which includes first-ever visits from Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) members Clemson and NC State.
McCarthy, who was elevated from associate head coach over the summer, will lead the Pirates into their eighth season in Conference USA this year. McCarthy's resume includes over 300 career victories, five trips to the NCAA Tournament, two NIT appearances and eight 20-win seasons in 16 years as a head coach.
Leading the Pirates this season will be a trio of seniors, including guard Darrell Jenkins. Jenkins led Conference USA in assists per game last season with 5.5 helpers per game, while setting a school-record with 166 total assists. The Anaheim, Calif. native also led ECU in scoring with 12.3 points per game. He is one of the tri-captains on this year's team along with his fellow seniors that include a pair of North Carolina natives: Cory Farmer (Charlotte) and Taylor Gagnon (Greenville). The Pirates return eight lettermen, including four of its top five scorers.
