Media taken to court

Most media days for college athletic teams consist of a bunch of reporters gathering for a meal at a university and asking players and coaches questions either before or after everybody eats.

Saturday was not a typical media day at East Carolina.

Local sportswriters and radio and television personalities went through a mini-practice under the direction of ECU men's basketball coach Mack McCarthy and his staff to get a taste — albeit a brief one — of what the Pirates endure on a day-to-day basis.

Judging by the sweat dripping off their brows, noses and chins not long after the clinic got under way, the media types were probably surprised by just how tough the workouts can be.

“I've seen the thing that (ECU) football does with women, which is such a success,” McCarthy said, referring to Pirate football coach Skip Holtz's ladies clinic. “Copying that was a consideration. We talked about maybe doing a clinic for donors, whether it be Mack's Mates or the Pirate Club or whatever.

“Then one day I was with (ECU Media Relations men's basketball contact) Jody (Jones) and we kicked around ideas and we said, ‘Why don't we do this?'”

The media participants went through a stretching routine led by trainer Nathan Clark, then ran some full-court passing drills. That was enough to leave most huffing and puffing, but there was plenty more to come.

With ECU's players watching, and often laughing, on the sidelines, media members proceeded to do lane shifts, agility exercises during which the player's feet are in constant motion as they shuffle to each corner of the lane, touch the floor, and return to the center with assistant coach Michael Perry conducting the action.

Next was the three-man weave layup drill, which assistant John Moseley oversaw. After finishing that exercise with varying success, assistant Larry Epperly had the participants take part in hawk shooting. Two sets of players lined up at each elbow of the lane and put up short jumpers, counting out their made shots and running to grab their own rebounds.

Once the print, radio and TV crew got to 20, McCarthy brought the session to an end before inviting the media representatives back to ECU's locker room for a question and answer session to discuss the Pirates' plan of attack and some Xs and Os.

“We did it on short notice,” McCarthy said, “but I was tickled with the turnout and I think everybody that came had a good time.”

While McCarthy declined to comment on the skill level, or lack thereof, displayed during the media clinic, East Carolina junior center Chad Wynn gave a very clear assessment of what he saw.

“Horrible,” Wynn said. “Worse than bad.”

Contact Tony Castleberry at tcastleberry@coxnc.com or (252) 329-9591.