An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:
 
We are heartbroken and deeply saddened by the events in Charlottesville on the University of Virginia campus Sunday.
 
ECU Athletics sends our deepest condolences to the parents and loved ones of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Charlottesville community, the University of Virginia students, faculty and staff, Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams and members of the entire athletics department.
 
Busy Week On Campus
November is crossover season in college athletics where fall sports come to a close and winter sports begin to compete. We have six events over the next five days at the Grady-White Boats Athletic Campus with men's and women's basketball, volleyball and football all in action.
 
The first event starts this morning at 11:00 a.m. with Education Day at Minges Coliseum as the women's basketball team battles High Point. We will have 28 area schools in attendance. This is always a fun event for the kids but also everybody involved with our women's basketball program. Head coach Kim McNeill and her squad will be back in Minges on Sunday at 5 p.m. against Charleston Southern.
 
Our men's basketball program hosts Hampton tonight at 7 p.m. First-year head coach Mike Schwartz and the Pirates are off to a 2-0 start. Our volleyball team will host a pair of conference matches this weekend beginning with nationally ranked Central Florida on Friday at 6 p.m. The Pirates will host South Florida on Sunday with a noon start.
 
Tickets Available For Senior Day
Head coach Mike Houston and the Pirates host Senior Day against Houston at 2 p.m. I wrote last week about my appreciation for this group of seniors who stuck it out during a challenging time and worked to restore the prominence of ECU Football. Make sure you get to your seats early as we honor our seniors pregame beginning at 1:30 p.m.
 
The Pirates are 6-4 and bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season, the first time since 2012-2014 the school has earned consecutive bowl trips. This group continues to fight as you witnessed last Friday night in a hostile environment at Cincinnati and they are determined to finish the regular season strong. We head into Saturday's game winners of seven of our last 11 conference games dating back to 2021.
 
As of this morning, we have sold a little over 40,000 tickets for Senior Day and would love to see that number increase as we hit the middle of the week. This group of seniors deserve a memorable atmosphere as they play for the final time at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
 
We are offering a special discount on tickets and encourage any individual or business to call the Pirate Club (252-737-4540) or ECU Athletics Ticket Office (252-737-4500) to purchase tickets to be donated. It has been incredible to hear about the individuals calling the ticket office over the past week to purchase tickets that we have distributed to elementary schools and charities.
 
Student Engagement Continues To Rise
I cannot say enough about our ECU students and their consistent support of our athletic teams. Not only are our students showing up, they are making a difference. We are averaging a little over 9,800 students for our six football games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and I expect that number to climb higher after Saturday afternoon.
 
Students play a vital role in creating the atmosphere at our sporting events and our student-athletes feed off the energy they receive from their peers. Our student seating area at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium holds approximately 11,000 in the lower bowl and that is a considerable number to fill. We do not have official student numbers from across the country, but there is no doubt we are in the upper tier. We should all be thankful and appreciative for our student support.
 
The student support has also not wavered for basketball. For the men's home opener against Mercer, more than 1,500 students claimed tickets and made Minges Coliseum a special place for the debut of head coach Mike Schwartz. The Minges Maniacs have been engaged and made a difference in the first two games.
 
One of the first things Coach Schwartz and other new staff members commented on after the game was the impact of the crowd. Minges Coliseum can get loud, quickly, and while it impacts our opponents, it gives the Pirates an extra boost. We had nearly 1,000 students at Saturday's win against Presbyterian.
 
I want to address the student seating in Minges Coliseum and hope to clear up any confusion. Currently, we have our students opposite both team benches. We do this for a variety of reasons. Per conference policy, we must reserve a certain number of tickets behind the opponent's bench for visiting family and we do the same for our basketball staff and player families. One of the areas we are focused on in the Pirates Unite Campaign is renovations to Minges which will include chairback seating on one side.
 
During our discussions, we are looking at building the chairback seats on the side where the students currently sit and move the student section to the opposite side. Another key element being discussed is moving both benches to the other side of the court.
 
These are all conceptual decisions that we are currently discussing as we strive to make the fan experience more enjoyable.
 
Hope to see you on campus this week!
 
Go Pirates!
Jon