Christmas in Myrtle Beach

The Pirates arrived in Myrtle Beach today in advance of the 2011 Carolinas Challenge in which they will face Jacksonville and the University of North Carolina. After practicing in the afternoon, the team enjoyed a dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse before returning to the Breakers Resort for its annual Christmas Party. A lot of fun was had by the players, managers and staff. Check out some pictures and video from the party!


Chareya explains her winning gingerbread house design


"Minute to win it" - ECU Style

Coach Macy's Greensboro College Team Earns Induction into School's Hall of Fame

GREENSBORO, N.C. - East Carolina women's basketball head coach Heather Macy and her 1996-97 Greensboro College teammates have earned induction into the school's hall of fame.

The squad became the first women's basketball team at Greensboro to earn an NCAA berth and only the second to win the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (DIAC) tournament. The Pride finished its campaign with a 19-9 overall record and a 8-4 mark in DIAC play. It was the first winning season Greensboro posted since 1991-1992 when it ended up 17-10 and 7-3, just one year removed from its first DIAC Tournament Championship.

"Heather was a key part of our run to the NCAA Tournament during the 1996-97 season," former Pride head coach Steve Johnson said. "What made her special was she gave the team 100 percent effort, 100 percent of the time. Her leadership as a freshman starter was paramount to our success."

Macy received a Bachelor of Science degree in sport and exercise studies (cum laude) from Greensboro College in 2000. She ended her career ranked fifth on the Pride's career three-point field goal list with 112, ninth in assists with 213 and 11th in scoring with 707 points. Macy also turned in the ninth-best season mark from beyond the arc in 1998-99, draining 39-percent of her three-point field goal attempts.

The Greensboro College 2012 Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during a ceremony held on March 31, 2012.

The National Stats Rankings

The Pirates are nearly a third of the way through their 2011-12 schedule and are still ranked high nationally in many statistical categories. Take a look below to see which ones.

Category..............Ranking

Steals Per Game...............2nd
Scoring Defense...............6th
Turnover Margin...............16th
Scoring Margin................31st

Additionally, senior Bryelle Smith is ranked 39th in assist/turnover ratio while junior Britny Edwards is 79th in blocked shots per game.

Pirate Nation - don't forget that the team will be playing within driving distance for the next five games.

Dec. 18 vs. Jacksonville (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Dec. 20 vs. No. 18 North Carolina (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Dec. 28 vs. No. 21 Delaware (College Park, Md.)
Dec. 29 vs. Lafayette/No. 5 Maryland (College Park, Md.)
Jan. 2 at Hampton (Hampton, Va.)

Recapping the Season so far

The Pirates are off to a 4-2 start to begin the 2011-12 campaign. Catch up with the team's progress with these notes and tidbits.

+ With the two victories in the ECU Thanksgiving Tournament, the Pirates continue an impressive stretch which has seen them capture 11-straight victories at Minges Coliseum and win 37 of their last 46 decisions inside the venue.
+ East Carolina has held its first six opponents under 65 points, marking the first time that has happened since the 1973-74 season. The Pirates are allowing a league-low 46.3 points per game – a mark which unofficially sits seventh nationally.
+ Junior Shala Hodges is averaging a team-best 13.4 points per game after netting just 4.5 per contest last season. She set a career high with 28 points against Virginia Intermont while also contributing three assists and five steals.
+ East Carolina Scored 109 points against St. Andrew’s which tied for the third-most in a single game in program history.
+ The Pirates tied the school single-game record for steals with 33 against the Knights as the Pirates are averaging 18.0 per contest early in the season. That average is tied with Kentucky for second nationally.
+ Smashed the program record for margin of victory with the 79-point win over St. Andrew’s. The old standard was a pair of 66-point triumphs over UNC Greensboro and Manhattan during the 1979-80 season.
+ East Carolina has forced 180 turnovers in six games so far this campaign, an average of 30 per contest. The Pirates forced 47 miscues by the Knights and 48 in the win over Virginia Intermont.
+ The 109 points scored represent the 21st time since the program’s inception that ECU has netted at least 100 points.

A Pregame Minute with Coach Macy...

Pirate Nation,

Take a look at this "pregame minute" with Coach Macy taped before the Pirates grabbed a big win over Virginia Intermont. There is even a shoutout to you at the end!

Celeste is Featured in the East Carolinian!

Junior Celeste Stewart is going to be an important piece of the puzzle this year for the Pirates. Kristin Smith of The East Carolinian took a closer look at our point guard as the season is just a few days away.

Junior Guard to Make Big Impact

Kristine Speaks!

With the 2011-12 season just days away, your Pirates are ready to set sail towards a Conference USA championship. Sophomore Kristine Mial offers some words of wisdom as the opener at College of Charleston approaches.



When I first decided to come to ECU, I thought it was just another opportunity to play ball and learn. I knew I could live up to my potential under this coaching staff, but overall I was looking at the big picture as just basketball. Now that I am here, I see it is more than that.

We have a family here at East Carolina. It's not just a few coaches and some players thrown out on the court to get a job done. Since being here, I've built new relationships and have become part of something big. Everyone has two feet in with all eyes set on the same goal.

We have fun, work hard and Coach Macy brings it all together. Through everyday motivational talks before practice and through our "thought of the day," we all stay focused and inspired. With all the right ingredients in place here at ECU, all I see is success in our future.

Doing it all for a good cause

The East Carolina women's basketball team was back at it this weekend, giving its time to a very worthy cause - the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center.

There were two events held over the last few days: The Pink Ribbon 5K and the Leo Jenkins Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner. Coach Macy and the whole staff were on hand to help promote the prevention of this terrible disease.

















On a side note, don't forget to RSVP to Brenda Perkins in the women's basketball office for the preseason potluck dinner TOMORROW NIGHT. There is an open practice session beginning at 2:30 in Minges Coliseum as well.

Helping out the Greenville Community

Our women's basketball team receives tremendous support from the Greenville and eastern North Carolina communities, having led Conference USA in attendance for three-straight seasons.

The ladies took some time to give back to the place they call home by heading to the Tar River Saturday morning to help clean up the area. The Daily Reflector was on hand to document the event so check out the article below!

** Women's Basketball at the Tar River Clean Sweep **

Recapping "Meet the Pirates"

The men's and women's basketball teams came together at Minges Coliseum Saturday to give the Pirate Nation a chance to mingle with the players and coaches. There were autographs, games, three-point shooting contests and more.

Coach Macy took some time to speak with the media relations staff at the event. In case you missed it, here is a video complete with interviews and highlights.

Camera Ready

With practice already underway, the Pirates gathered Wednesday night to take a variety of pictures for the upcoming season. They were even joined by some of last year's honorary coaches. Check out some candid pictures below.

Also don't forget to RSVP to Brenda in the women's basketball office and join us for the preseason potluck Oct. 25.

It's Time to Meet the Pirates

Join us for our annual ECU Women's Basketball Pot Luck Dinner on October 25, 2011 at 6:00pm. Don’t forget to check out our open practice session right before dinner from 2:30pm-5:30pm at Minges Coliseum. Remember to bring a dish and be ready to meet the Pirates!

Please RSVP to Brenda Perkins in the women's basketball office by Oct. 14th to let us know you are coming.

Go Pirates!

The new Pirates are here!

It's almost time to get the ball rolling on another season of Pirate basketball. How do we know that? I'm glad you asked! Take a look at who has arrived on campus in the last few weeks.

Welcome Ladies!

From the Vault Again

As the calendar slowly rolls toward October and the 2011-12 season, we are going to go back in time to May of 2010 and one of Coach Macy's first media opportunities. She was a guest celebrity sportscaster for WITN. May 19th if you want to be exact. Check it out!

Recruiting Class Rankings are in...

The Collegiate Girls Basketball Report has released its final 2011 recruiting class rankings. The Pirates check in at No. 79 which is the second-highest among Conference USA schools behind No. 60 Houston. ECU is also the only program to have a top-100 ranked player in JUCO All-America transfer Kristine Mial (No. 69). Check out the C-USA schools in the top 100:

(60) Houston
No. 108 Lauren Flores (Transfer: Texas)
No. 177 Danielle Parks
No. 289 Voche Martin

(79) East Carolina
No. 69 Kristine Mial
No. 212 Kyani White (TR: Virginia Tech)
No. 325 Brielle Smith (TR: Clemson)
No. 450 Courtney Melvin
No. 500 Tatiana Chapple
No. 500 Janesha Ebron
NR Dana Jones

(80) SMU
No. 197 DeAmber Wilhite
No. 325 Kristin Askew
NR Destinee McRae

(85) UTEP
No. 258 Chrishauna Parker
No. 336 Sierra Davis

(91) Memphis
No. 325 An’dra Jones
No. 350 Jailyn Norris
No. 500 Lauren McGraw

ALERT - Tune in on Thursday!

For those in the Greenville and surrounding areas, be sure to tune to 1250 on the am dial Thursday. Coach Macy will serve as a host for that day's edition of "Live at Five." You won't want to miss this! The show starts at 5 p.m.

Summer Camp is around the corner...

Join Head Coach Heather Macy and crew for the 2011 East Carolina women's basketball camps. What a great way to share your love for the game and make some great memories. Join us at Minges Coliseum this summer for the best instruction around!

Click here to learn more

2010-11 Season in Review Slideshow

Coach Hayes put together a great slideshow highlighting the 2010-11 season and it was debuted at the team's banquet in April. Check it out in case you missed it!

Another honor for CJ!

The postseason accolades keep rolling in for our signees as Courtney Melvin was named North Carolina 2A Player-of-the-Year by ncpreps.com. Janesha Ebron was also named to the 3A All-State team.

2A GIRLS ALL-STATE TEAM
Kelva Atkins, Granville Central
Kelli Bonner, Starmount
Jazmine Charles, Central Davidson
Mallary Clay, Ashe County
Tisha Dixon, Kinston
Jessica Heilig, Salisbury
Ashia Holmes, Salisbury
Shonese Jones, Brevard
Jazmine Kemp, East Bladen
Kaila Lea, Graham
Courtney Melvin, East Bladen
Jasmine Nixon, Northeastern
Olivia Rankin, Salisbury
Madi Story, Bandys
Ayana Wilson, Bertie
Jasmine Woodley, Tarboro
Courtney Melvin, East Bladen - 2A Player of the Year
Chris McNeil, Salisbury - 2A Coach of the Year

Stacking up against Conference USA

We all know that Pirate fans are the best in Conference USA, as evidenced by East Carolina leading the league in attendance the last three years. That got us thinking - How do we stack up on the court with the rest of our conference mates since the beginning of the 2008-09 season?

The verdict is in and it is quite favorable. Take a look below:

Total Wins
1. Tulane - 67
2. Houston - 62
3. East Carolina - 57
4. SMU - 54
5. Memphis - 53
6. UCF - 50
6. UTEP - 50

Home Wins
1. UTEP - 37
2. Tulane - 36
3. SMU - 34
4. East Carolina - 33
5. Memphis - 31
6. Houston - 30

Conference USA Tournament Wins
1. UCF - 8
2. Tulane - 6
3. East Carolina - 4
3. UAB - 4
5. Houston - 2
5. Marshall - 2
5. Memphis - 2
5. Southern Miss - 2
5. UTEP - 2

Points Scored
1. Tulane - 6,837
2. East Carolina - 6,803
3. Houston - 6,582
4. Memphis - 6,377
5. UCF - 6,342
6. SMU - 6,296

Scoring Average
1. East Carolina - 70.9
2. Houston - 70.8
3. Tulane - 69.1
4. SMU - 67.7
5. UCF - 67.5
6. UTEP - 66.5

Field Goal Percentage
1. East Carolina - .438
2. Tulane - .422
3. Southern Miss - .420
3. UTEP - .420
5. SMU - .409
6. Marshall - .408

Total Assists
1. Tulane - 1,610
2. East Carolina - 1,508
3. UTEP - 1,379
4. SMU - 1,304
5. Southern Miss - 1,276
6. Marshall - 1,264

Three-Point Field Goals Made
1. UTEP - 573
2. UAB - 567
3. SMU - 513
4. East Carolina - 507
5. Tulane - 488
6. Rice - 487

Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere

We all know how tough Conference USA is year in and year out. UCF and Houston made it a multiple NCAA bid league this season while UAB ran through the WBI field, defeating Cal State Bakersfield for the tournament championship.

The Pirates were well prepared for that gauntlet, playing a non-conference schedule that took the team all over the nation - from Richmond to Ames to Honolulu and back. Check out some of these facts and figures.

Non-Conference Opponents Win-Loss Record: 235-173 (.576)

Notes:
- Two conference tournament champions (Hampton, Prairie View A&M)
- Four NCAA participants (Maryland, UCLA, Hampton, Prairie View A&M)
- Three WNIT Qualifiers (UNC Wilmington, VCU, Charlotte)
- Two NCAA second round participants (Maryland, UCLA)
- Seven Squads reaching conference tournament semifinals or further (American, UNC Wilmington, VCU, Charlotte, Hampton, UCLA, Prairie View A&M)
- Seven teams won at least 21 games (American, UNC Wilmington, Maryland, Charlotte, Hampton, UCLA, Prairie View A&M)

Final Non-Conference Opponent RPI:
UCLA: 11
Maryland: 17
Charlotte: 49
Hampton: 78
UNC Wilmington: 83
VCU: 95
American: 118
Prairie View A&M: 143
Florida A&M: 218
Hawai'i: 235
Western Carolina: 236
Massachusetts: 265
Opponent Average: 129

From the Vault

It's been a few days since our last update so we decided to pull out some pictures and a video from this past season. Our ladies were able to spend time with the kids at Ayden Middle School and had a blast. Check it out!

Also, take a look at Celeste at the El Paso Airport as we arrived for the Conference USA Tournament. Great stuff!

More Honors for our Signees

The accolades keep rolling in for our soon-to-be Pirates as CJ Melvin and Tatiana Chapple were both recognized today. Melvin was named the Fayetteville Observer All-Cape Fear Region Player-of-the-Year while Chapple was selected to the All-City League North Division Second Team. Way to go guys!

Link to CJ's story from the Fayetteville Observer

Also...

Girls basketball All-City League North Division

First team: Symone Denham and Alexis Peterson (Northland); Travecia Franklin (Brookhaven); Shanevian Holden (Mifflin); Alana Lassiter (East); Taronna Neal (Beechcroft).

Second team: Essence Bates-Hatcher and Jasmine Johnson (Brookhaven); Tatiana Chapple (Northland); Amanda Hoover (Centennial); Whitney McKoy (East); Jasmine Smith (Beechcroft).

Honorable mention: Kandace Jemison and Jasmine Johnson (Beechcroft); Chanae' Ward (Brookhaven); Ana Bedali and Armaanii Howard (Centennial); Jade Gattis and Laquisha Hinton (East); Jessica Hoosier and Kayla Reed (Linden); De'Ottia Robinson and Torrie Ruffin (Mifflin); Ayanna Colvin and Taren Mahone (Northland); Haley Buskirk and Brittany Wilson (Whetstone)

Congrats CJ and Janesha!

Pirate fans have a lot to look forward to in the future. ECU signees CJ Melvin and Janesha Ebron were both named to the 2010-11 Associated Press All-State Team! CJ was one vote away from a unanimous selection while Ebron was on seven ballots - over half! The full team is listed below

Cierra Burdick, Matthews Butler, G/F, Sr. (13)

Megan Buckland, Bishop McGuinness, G, Sr. (12)

Danielle Butts, Winterville South Central, F, Sr. (12)

Courtney Melvin, East Bladen, C, Sr. (12)

Kristen Gaffney, Morrisville Green Hope, F, Jr. (8)

Zena Lovette, Southwest Guilford, G, Jr. (8)

Jada Payne, Hickory, G, Sr. (8)

Jamie Cherry, West Craven, G, Fr. (7)

Janesha Ebron, Winterville South Central, G, Sr. (7)

Tiffany Mitchell, Charlotte Providence Day, G, Jr. (6)

Lindsay Simpson, Franklin, G, Jr. (6)

Samantha Coffer, Northern Guilford, G/F, Sr. (5)

Ashia Holmes, Salisbury, G, Sr. (5)

Hillary Summers, Fayetteville Village Christian, F, Jr. (5)

Jordan Whitesides, Gaston Day, G, Jr. (5)

Pirate Talking Points

With the season officially in the books, we wanted to look back on some of the positive achievements accomplished by our ladies. Check back in a day or two for some new pictures and a video!

•East Carolina earned its fifth winning season in the last six years and finished the campaign with a 16-15 ledger. The Pirates also secured a non-losing mark in Conference USA for the third-straight season, matching last year’s 9-7 record and fifth-place finish.

•Senior Kim Gay became the latest ECU player to earn All-Conference USA accolades with her selection to the third team. The Pirates have now had a member of the all-conference squad nine-straight campaigns. Additionally, Gay and sophomore Ariana Jackson were named to the C-USA All-Academic Team.

•Senior Allison Spivey became the first player in program history to record 200 three-point field goals, finishing her career with 201.

•In the final release of the national statistics, ECU ranked 47th in assists per game and 48th in scoring offense. •The 43 points allowed at Marshall represent the lowest total scored by an East Carolina opponent in a C-USA road game.

•The Pirates battled some of the nation’s best squads this season. According to the official NCAA RPI, ECU faced UCLA (9), Maryland (14), Houston (26), Charlotte (56), UCF (59), Tulane (72), Hampton (77), UNC Wilmington (82) and VCU (90). Additionally, the Pirates played 16 games against teams which qualified for postseason play.

•East Carolina signed two top 65 position recruits in Courtney Melvin and Ja’Nesha Ebron as well as Tatiana Chapple - the No. 102-ranked forward from Columbus, Ohio. Melvin was ranked the No. 31 post player in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz while Ebron was tabbed No. 61 among guards by the same website. Both signees have North Carolina state championship game experience, as Melvin led East Bladen High School to the last three title games (1A and 2A) and Ebron helped South Central to its first 3A championship just one month ago. Ebron was named the title game’s MVP after scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Melvin also surpassed current assistant coach Ann Hancock as the all-time leading scorer in East Bladen women’s basketball history.

•ECU owned the top two offensive outputs among C-USA teams this season with 102 points against Virginia Union and 97 vs. Massachusetts. The Pirates also boasted one of the two highest single-game assist totals - 28 against UMass.

•East Carolina led Conference USA in attendance for the third-straight season, drawing an average of 1,872 fans to Minges Coliseum.

Celebrating Our Seniors!

We had a great day celebrating our seniors Sunday against Marshall. The 48-44 win was awesome but it was also about appreciating what these three have done for the program for the past four (two in Kelly's case) seasons. Check out this video recapping the day!



As he neared death, Thomas Jefferson asked that the following be put on his tombstone:

Author of the Declaration of Independence

Founder of the University of Virginia

Author of the Virginia Declaration of Religious Freedom

A friend said “But, Mr. Jefferson, you left out the Presidency” To which Jefferson replied “No – that was a gift which the people gave to me. I wish to be remembered for the gifts which I gave to the people.”

Pink Zone 2011

Thanks to all who came out last Thursday to support our Pink Zone and breast cancer awareness efforts. It was great to see all of that pink in the stands! Check out the video below for some player testimonials as well as some behind-the-scenes footage.

Pirate Fans are the Greatest!

Check out this video of the ladies interacting with all of our fantastic fans who support us at every home game. In case you didn't know, ECU leads Conference USA and is 75th in the nation in attendance, ahead of programs like Colorado, Florida, Missouri and Syracuse.

Join the Pirates and NIKE for Summer Camp!

The East Carolina women's basketball program will offer two Nike Basketball Camps this summer, according to an announcement from head coach Heather Macy Monday.

Macy will serve as the host for the camps as well as provide instruction. The Complete Skills session, scheduled for June 20-24, is for girls ages 6-15 while the Elite Camp, slated for Aug. 5-7, is open to ages 10-18.

In attending the camps, players will enjoy and receive:

An 8:1 player to coach ratio

Daily emphasis on fundamental development, team play and more

Official NIKE Camp T-shirt

NIKE Camp Certificate

NIKE Camp Yearbook and other NIKE prizes

A handwritten coaches evaluation

Established in 1996, the Nike Basketball Camps provide focused, intensive training that is essential to improvement for all skill levels. Every facet of the game is covered with an emphasis on fundamentals to help players become valuable team members. At each location, campers are broken into groups with other players of similar age, abilities and goals. Each camp staff does their best to advance players to the next level, keeping in consideration each camper's experience and desire to improve.

Macy is the director of the East Carolina women's basketball camps and has been a featured speaker at numerous clinics around the nation - most recently this fall at the NIKE Championship Basketball Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. She has also been invited to present at the same event this spring in Wisconsin.

Recapping Alumni Weekend

We had a great time this past weekend reconnecting with all of our alumni. These women are responsible for laying the foundation of what East Carolina Women's Basketball is today.

We hope you enjoy these two videos of Coach Macy addressing the large gathering at the alumni social as well as a great tribute to the past put together by Coach Hayes! Also check out some of the pictures from Sunday's halftime tribute. Thanks again to all in attendance. You definitely helped inspire us to play a great game and beat UCF!

The Macy Minute v.1.1

Check out some of our hidden talent, complete with a surprise ending! Who is the best singer on the team? You decide...

Pirates in the Press!

Recently, there have been a number of feature stories about the East Carolina women's basketball team. Two weeks ago, Bethany Bradsher took some time to talk with sophomore Ariana Jackson while Ronnie Woodward highlighted Kim Gay before the Pirates took on Southern Miss last Sunday.

Also, be sure to check ecupirates.com the early part of next week to catch a feature about senior Allison Spivey!

Macy System Gains a Convert in Jackson (Bonesville.net)

A Record-Setting Pace for ECU's Kim Gay (Greenville Daily Reflector)

The Macy Minute v.1.0

Greetings Pirate Nation, The East Carolina women's basketball team may be all business for 40 minutes on the court, but we also know how to have a good time! Welcome to the first episode of the Macy Minute.

The Honorary Coach Experience

Thanks to Den Dickerson, who was kind enough to share his experience as an "honorary coach" for the game against Rice this past Sunday. Den details the whole day in his blog which is linked below.

"I honestly had a tough time sleeping the night before - like a kid on Christmas Eve, the excitement was absolutely there. I had never been an Honorary Coach before & didn't know anyone who had that I could quiz beforehand about what to expect. I do prefer to be prepared whenever possible."

Den's Honorary Coach Experience

Coach Macy Hits the Airwaves...

While on the road recruiting this week, Coach Macy took some time out of her day to update the Pirate Nation on the 2010-11 season as a featured guest on the Brian Bailey Show. In case you missed it, here is the audio archive...

Coach Macy on the Brian Bailey Show - Jan. 17

Thanks Pirate Nation!

Pirate Nation,

The latest national attendance rankings have been released and you have allowed us to grab the No. 72 spot! Our average crowd of 1,844 is first in Conference USA for the third-straight season and is ahead of such teams as Oregon (74), Arkansas (75), Colorado (79), California (87), Illinois (89), Missouri (93), Syracuse (98) and Florida (104).

Don't miss our next home game against C-USA rival Rice. ECU looks to avenge a 77-74 loss in Houston last season which halted our 4-0 start to conference play. Be there and be loud! Thanks again for all of your support!

2010-11 Conference USA Attendance Ranking (Through Jan. 9)

1. East Carolina (1,844)
2. SMU (1,225)
3. Southern Miss (1,221)
4. UTEP (1,202)
5. Tulane (745)
6. Memphis (696)
7. Houston (691)
8. UCF (528)
9. UAB (524)
10. Rice (446)
11. Tulsa (399)
12. Marshall (333)

First RPI Released!

The NCAA has released its first RPI rankings of the season and the Pirates are right up there, knocking on the top 100! The list only confirms the tough schedule ECU has played in preparation for the conference season.

The path to the Conference USA title and the NCAA Tournament starts tomorrow at UTEP. Don't forget to be there Sunday as your Pirates take on rival Memphis at 1 p.m. inside Minges Coliseum.

Check out some of the teams we have played so far. Impressive!

No. 10 Maryland
No. 15 UCLA
No. 39 Charlotte
No. 76 UNC Wilmington
No. 107 Hampton