News Nuggets, 11.04.03
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Dozen-member committee gets marching orders for AD search

East Carolina's quest to identify and hire a new athletic director apparently is about to shift into a more active mode. Interim Chancellor William Shelton has appointed 12 members to the committee that will carry out the search, according to a source.

Stephen D. Showfety, a Greensboro real estate developer, will serve as chairman of the search committee. Showfety is also vice-chairman of the school's board of trustees.

Other members of the committee, as listed in a memo the source said was issued by Shelton on Monday and circulated on campus, are: Marvin Blount, III, David Dosser, John Hudson, Dan Kinlaw, George Koonce, Lynn Lane, Angela Sye, Margaret Ward and Walter Williams. James Talton, chairman of ECU's board of trustees, and James Smith will serve as ex-officio members, said the memo.

The memo noted that a description of the AD position has been prepared and a profile of desired skills and experiences has been defined. A notice regarding the position will be published in about two weeks, according to the memo, and a review of candidates' credentials is expected to begin on Dec. 15, though applications will continue to be received until the position is filled.

Nick Floyd, who had been a senior associate athletic director at ECU, has been serving as interim AD since Mike Hamrick resigned in August after heading up the Pirate athletic department since 1995.

Hamrick, embroiled in controversy during the final year of his tenure in Greenville, left the program in August to become AD at Nevada-Las Vegas. Hamrick was assisted in obtaining the UNLV job by William Muse, who submitted his resignation as ECU's chancellor in September in the wake of criticism over improperly handled audits.

ECU's search for a new chancellor also picked up steam during the past week. The A.T. Kearney Inc. executive search firm, based in Alexandria, Va., was retained to assist the chancellor search committee in identifying candidates to be the next leader of the school.

Shelly Storbeck, managing director of Kearney's education practice, made a presentation to the committee last Wednesday and will be the principal consultant working with the panel, according to a release from the ECU News Bureau.

The Kearney firm also worked for the university two years ago in the search that culminated in the hiring of Muse as chancellor. The ECU New Bureau's release indicated that Storbeck is not the same consultant who worked with the school during that process.

Big news expected from Big East

The Big East Conference announced it will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. today to talk about realignment issues with which the league is dealing. The session will be conducted at the conclusion of the conference's annual meeting of presidents and athletic directors.

It is expected that the league will announce that four, and perhaps five, Conference USA schools will be issued invitations to join the Big East. According to various media accounts, Louisville and Cincinnati will be extended bids as all-sports members and Marquette and DePaul will be added as members in all sports except football.

South Florida, also a C-USA school, may also be brought into the Big East fold as an all-sports member after a whirlwind courtship with the Tampa, Fla., school in the last week.

The Big East is responding to the loss of three of its football linchpins to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College have accepted invitations to join what will become a 12-team ACC.

BCS standings: Frogs hop up three notches

Here are the Bowl Championship Series standings announced on Monday. The six BCS conferences are the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, PAC-10 and ACC. The champion of each BCS conference is guaranteed a berth in one of the four BCS bowls (Fiesta, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls). BCS affiliate Notre Dame, an independent, may also qualify for a BCS bowl with a finish in the Top 12 in the standings.

Teams from other Division I-A conferences or independents other than Notre Dame can be assured of a berth in one of the four BCS bowls only by finishing in the Top 6 of the standings. Teams without direct BCS affiliation are denoted in bold:

 No. Team              Record  Rating  Prev
 1   Oklahoma            9-0    2.24     1
 2   Southern Cal        8-1    7.02     4
 3   Florida State       8-1    9.52     3
 4   Miami (FL)          7-1   10.25     2
 5   Ohio State          8-1   11.47     6
 6   Virginia Tech       7-1   12.47    NR
 7   Louisiana State     8-1   14.92     7
 8   Michigan            8-2   20.79    13
 9   Texas Christian     8-0   24.75    12
10   Georgia             7-2   25.15     5
11   Iowa                7-2   25.60    11
12   Texas               7-2   30.59    NR
13   Tennessee           6-2   33.64    15
14   Purdue              7-2   34.45    NR
15   Washington State    7-2   34.98     8

Cards spank EA Sports in preseason opener

LOUISVILLE — Luke Whitehead had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Francisco Garcia added 20 points to lead Louisville to a 90-78 win over EA Sports All-Stars in an exhibition game Monday night.

EA Sports was led by former Michigan State player Mike Chappell, who scored 19 points. Former Duke player Ricky Price had 18 points as EA Sports slipped to 0-3 on its 15-game exhibition tour.

Louisville led 43-38 at halftime and opened the second half with a 7-1 run. Garcia had a 3-pointer and Kendall Dartez, who scored his 13 points in the second half, had a dunk and a jumper in the run. Garcia shot 7-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range.

Louisville stretched its lead to 86-64 with 1:22 remaining. EA Sports scored 12 straight points late in the first half to take its only lead at 34-32.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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