Thursday, March 31, 2005
Johnson looking to follow paths of former teammates:
"Forward Aaron Johnson's exit from the Penn State men's basketball program marks the seventh player to leave the team since Ed DeChellis took over in April 2003.
"Each player had his reasons for fleeing the Nittany Lion program, which compiled a 16-42 record in the last two seasons.
"Johnson said he thinks the team will be better off without him. Wisconsin guard Sharif Chambliss asked for a release when Jerry Dunn resigned at the end of his junior season.
"Chambliss considered staying when DeChellis was hired, but he knew it was unlikely the Lions would adopt winning ways in time for what would have been his final year of collegiate hoops.
"Now at Wisconsin, Chambliss started games at point guard for the Badgers en route to an Elite Eight berth.
"Center Rob Summers, who is currently redshirting at West Virginia, left Penn State after last year's 9-19 season because he simply couldn't take the losing.
"'Once the season was over and we went to Big Ten tournament, I thought it was time to move on,' Summers said. 'Losing took its toll on me.' ..."
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Wednesday, March 30, 2005
VERY COOL .. Includes audio.
FightOnState.com: FOS AUDIO: Dick Harter on PSU:
"When the Philadelphia 76ers take on the powerful Phoenix Suns in Arizona Wednesday (10 p.m. tip, ESPN), keep an eye on the Philly bench. Every so often, you will catch a glimpse of Sixers assistant Dick Harter talking to a player or giving advice to head man Jim O'Brien.
"While younger Penn State fans may not be familiar with Harter, the older generation will remember him as the head coach of the Nittany Lions from 1978-1983, during which time he fashioned a 79-61 record. While in Happy Valley, Harter also hired a student manager by the name of Ed DeChellis. ..."
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Centre Daily Times | 03/30/2005 | Departures leaving nobody laughing:
"Maybe there's a new version of the legendary Abbott & Costello routine being played in the halls of the Bryce Jordan Center.
Instead of 'Who's on First?' it's becoming, 'Who's Left?'
"With players leaving in both the men's and women's basketball programs at Penn State over the last week, one does have to wonder who will be filling all of those Nittany Lion uniforms.
"Since the end of the 2001 season, 11 men's players and nine women's players have left their respective teams with eligibility remaining. Regardless of why the decisions were made or who made them, 20 is an awful big number.
"While the men's losses are greater, that program has undergone a major coaching change. It's not uncommon for players to leave a program after a coaching change and seven have left since Ed DeChellis took control following the 2003 campaign.
"It's the exodus with the Penn State women's program that is more puzzling. That program not only has a constant leader, but it also has been a success.
"Over the last four seasons, the Lady Lions have won 96 games, two Big Ten regular-season titles and gone to the NCAA Tournament four times.
Usually, success does not breed discontent. ..."
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Johnson's departure best for all involved:
"It's kind of like that relationship, the one that ended so peacefully that you initially didn't understand why it came to an end. Then you realized a little later that both parties were better off going their separate ways.
"Well, that's the kind of love affair between Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis and Penn State forward Aaron Johnson. Only, it will take more than a year from now to realize that both parties involved made the right decision that dreary Thursday afternoon.
"There had hardly been a visible fight or disagreement in the two-year relationship. DeChellis and the program accept that Johnson thinks he deserves a better partner. In return, DeChellis wants to discover what the program can be without Johnson. And the best part of this whole ordeal is that Johnson understands. He didn't argue. He didn't plead. The fact that he didn't fight back makes the situation even harder to understand because we are so used to controversy in breakups. ..."
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Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Beaver County Times Allegheny Times - Sports - 03/29/2005 - At least Penn St. sports can't get worse ... can they?:
"In some ways, the Penn State women's basketball team's upset loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was a fitting cap to the school's 2004-05 visible sports calender.
"The football team went 4-7 and has taken up residence among the Big Ten's lower echelon.
"The men's basketball team went 7-23 and is the landlord of the conference's basement.
"And the women's basketball team spoiled an otherwise solid regular season by squandering a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, going belly up against No. 13 seed Liberty.
"Rundown the 'name' schools in the country, and it's impossible to come up with a more feeble combination than the PSU football and men's basketball teams have served up these last couple of years.
"Go ahead, try.
"Texas, Florida and Oklahoma have excellent programs in both sports. Ditto Wisconsin and even Utah.
"USC, Auburn, Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio State, LSU and Florida State have maintained excellence in football while North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Michigan State, Alabama, Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Arizona, UCLA, Washington, Louisville, Cincinnati and now apparently Texas Tech are annual NCAA tourney fixtures.
"Even the old Eastern brethren like West Virginia, Pitt, Syracuse and Boston College have more going for themselves than the Nits.
"Lump the women into the equation and Penn State can't stand up to UConn, either."
"For PSU fans, none of whom are currently satisfied, the upside is it probably can't get any worse. ..."
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PennLive.com:
"Problems continue to mount for coach Ed DeChellis and his Penn State men's basketball program.
"DeChellis said today that he granted starting power forward Aaron Johnson his request to transfer. The 6-9 Johnson led the Big Ten Conference in rebounding last season.
"DeChellis, Johnson and Johnson's father, Howard, met last Thursday and reached an amicable agreement.
"Johnson, who has one year of eligibility remaining, is the seventh player who has left Penn State before his eligibility expired under the DeChellis regime. Sharif Chambliss, Brandon Cameron, DeForrest Riley Smith, Robert Summers and John Kelly transferred while Jan Jagla opted to play professional basketball in Europe.
"Because DeChellis released Johnson from his scholarship, Johnson is free to transfer to a Division I school next season but must sit out until 2006-07.
"''We just decided it was best for both of us as far as me being a senior next year and him having a great freshman class (rising sophomores),' Aaron Johnson said. 'It will help everyone. I'm happy with it. Coach is happy with it.' ..."
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Forward Johnson to leave Lions:
"Penn State forward Aaron Johnson announced yesterday that he will be leaving the men's basketball team and will transfer to play at another school.
"After an hour-and-a-half meeting with Penn State coach Ed DeChellis Thursday, the two decided it was best for the program and Johnson to go their separate ways.
"'It was a mutual decision,' Johnson said. 'I think it was a combination of a lot of things. I think they will be a better team without me.'
"The 6-foot-9, 240-pound junior was recently named honorable mention all-Big Ten this season. Johnson led the Big Ten in rebounding with 9.9 boards per game and averaged 11.8 points a contest. He has one year of eligibility remaining, in addition to a redshirt year, after being invited to walk on to the Nittany Lion team as a freshman and starting 35 games in his 73-game career.
"'At the end of this past season, I spoke with Aaron to discuss his future with the program,' DeChellis said yesterday in a press release. 'Following our discussion, both Aaron and I came to a mutual understanding that it would be better if Aaron continued his basketball career at a different institution.'
"Johnson's exit marks the seventh player to transfer since DeChellis took over for Jerry Dunn in April 2003. Penn State now returns just seven players for the 2005-2006 season, and there is uncertainty as to whether or not sophomore guard Marlon Smith will be able to play after suffering from a transient blood clot. ..."
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Centre Daily Times | 03/29/2005 | Johnson latest to leave PSU hoops team:
"UNIVERSITY PARK -- Aaron Johnson has always been about proving people wrong.
"He believes he has proven all he can at Penn State.
"The junior forward was granted his release from the men's basketball team Monday and intends to spend his final season of eligibility with another program.
"'At the end of this past season, I spoke to Aaron to discuss his future with the program,' Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis said in a statement issued by the university Monday.
"'Following our discussion, both Aaron and I came to a mutual understanding that it would be better if Aaron continued his basketball career at a different institution.'
"Johnson also said Monday the decision was in the best interest of both parties.
"'Penn State has been good to me and given me a chance to do what I want to do next,' Johnson said. ..."
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Basketball: Johnson to leave Penn State:
"For three years, Aaron Johnson weathered the losing, but in reality, the losing weathered Johnson. 'It was devastating, psychologically,' his father, Howard, said.
"As Johnson developed into perhaps the most consistent contributor on the Penn State men's basketball team, he was quietly fighting another development -- his spreading belief that Penn State would never give him the feeling of a winning season.
"Three years of mostly disappointing basketball convinced Johnson that his fourth, were it to happen with the Nittany Lions, wouldn't be any better. Yesterday, Penn State announced that Johnson -- a 6-foot-9 junior power forward who averaged 11.8 points and 9.9 rebounds in the 2004-05 season -- will leave the program.
"With the departure, the Lions are deprived of their most experienced player and their second-leading scorer. But Johnson felt the change was necessary. During his career at Penn State, the Lions changed coaches and reinvented their roster, but the end result didn't change. The past three years have produced seven-, nine-, and seven-win seasons, and the losing, as if it possessed its own kinetic power, finally pushed Johnson away. ..."
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Monday, March 28, 2005
Sports Info: Aaron Johnson Requests Release To Transfer
Nittany Lion basketball coach Ed DeChellis announced today that junior Aaron Johnson (Exton, Pa.) will not be part of the Penn State basketball program for the upcoming 2005-06 basketball season.
"At the end of this past season, I spoke with Aaron to discuss his future with the program," DeChellis said. "Following our discussion, both Aaron and I came to a mutual understanding that it would be better if Aaron continued his basketball career at a different institution."
"Coach DeChellis and I sat down following the season to discuss my future here at Penn State," Johnson said. "We came to the conclusion that I would pursue my basketball career elsewhere."
Johnson, a 6-9 power forward, averaged 11.8 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per contest this season for Penn State. He leaves Penn State with one year of playing eligibility remaining.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
The Sentinel Online - Local Sports:
"Remember the moment you realized you weren't in high school anymore?
"It could have been when the Ancient Sumerian Cultures professor slapped down a 17-page exam on your desk during the second week of classes and informed you there was a hour to get it done. No exceptions.
"It could have been the instant your parents stepped out of your dorm room and began the long trek home, leaving you independent and strangely undecided about what to do next.
"For Mike Walker, it was when he went to his first practice with the Penn State men's basketball team and spent 2 1/2 hours learning the intricacies of defense.
"'Then,' Walker says, pausing slightly, 'I knew it was a different level.' ..."
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The New York Times > Sports > Sports Special > BackTalk: Impersonal and Relentless to Take Anymore:
"They were called auditions and they defined women's college basketball recruiting in the 1970's each spring on campuses nationwide.
"Open auditions were scheduled at each university to evaluate, to recruit and, when warranted, to offer basketball scholarships.
"Gum-chewing teenagers in tube socks arrived at 8 a.m. to register at the campus recreational facility, many after driving with their parents for hours to spare the expense of a night's lodging.
"These single-day trials were the culmination of recruiting by college coaches who had compiled mimeographed questionnaires, watched Beta videotapes and made a few phone calls to the high school history teacher, who doubled as the girls basketball coach.
"At the end of the day's drills and scrimmages, five or six lucky teenagers and their parents were asked to stick around, to take a quick tour of facilities, dorm rooms and, weather permitting, to watch the final innings of the baseball team in action.
"Oh, to recruit in the 70's! Life was good! ..."
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The New York Times > Sports > College Basketball > Sports of The Times: With Its Old Standbys, N.C.A.A. Is Not Clicking With a New Generation:
"THERE has been the N.C.A.A. tournament's brand-name face to love: Vermont Coach Tom Brennan looked as if he had swallowed organic moonbeams when his crunchy Catamounts left his state's citizens leapin' in their Birkenstocks after mercifully shortening Jim Boeheim's annual attempt at turning Syracuse U. into Persecute U.
"There has been the bracket-busting brand-name moniker to remember: West Virginia's Kevin Pittsnogle, a big lug with a chop-shop haircut, Dr. Seuss name and trailer-park roots, left a nation entranced as he feathered 3-pointers and inflicted death by a thousand back cuts on the tourney gods.
"There has also been the usual N.C.A.A. brand-name heartbreak to witness: Villanova's miracle deflated when an incredulous Allan Ray had his incandescent runner wiped out by an iffy traveling call to allow the behemoths in Carolina blue to continue their post-Dean Smith renaissance.
"So much of the tournament's brand identity is wrapped up in watching the joy register in the face of strangers, in coaches we have never seen, in players we have never known. Call it 'Bucknell Soup for the Soul.'
"And yet, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski has fretted aloud this past year about college basketball 'losing our brand' even as he becomes a bigger one. ..."
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Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/27/2005 | Gause a Star for the Ages:
"... For orchestrating the momentous season, [Schalick, N.J.'s Paul] Gause, a senior, has been chosen as The Inquirer's South Jersey boys' basketball player of the year. He edged Brian Zoubek, Haddonfield's 7-1 junior center, for the award.
"Before Gause's arrival, Schalick was a perennial loser, putting together just two winning seasons in the program's first 25 years.
"Schalick, located in Pittsgrove, Salem County, went 6-17 when Gause was a freshman - Collins' first year as head coach - and then compiled a 68-16 record in Gause's final three seasons.
" 'It's not just me,' Gause said. 'We got a new coach and this senior class was real strong. It's more the senior class than just me.'
"
Gause has made an oral commitment to play basketball at James Madison, but he also may make visits to Penn State, Maryland, Syracuse and Providence. He has made an official visit to Middle Tennessee State and recently took an unofficial visit to Seton Hall.
" 'It's probably going to come down to where I feel the most comfortable,' said Gause, who is still awaiting results from his SAT."
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Sunday, March 20, 2005
Click the "Watch PCN online" link
PCN will be rebroadcasting the Kennedy Catholic vs. Bishop O’Reilly Single A state championship game at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20 and 11:30 a.m. Monday, March 28.
Junior David Jackson, whom Penn State has reportedly offered, plays for Kennedy Catholic. Look for former Penn State assistant Tim Loomis on the sideline as head coach of Kennedy.
Live PCN stream
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Centre Daily Times | 03/20/2005 | Nittany Lions begin long offseason:
"Dan Adler slowly made his way down the corridor separating the locker rooms from the south gymnasium of the Bryce Jordan Center. A step, then crutches, then another step.
"The sophomore walk-on missed the final three weeks of the season with a stress fracture in his foot, perhaps the simplest and most telling example of the lack of depth that doomed the Penn State men's basketball team during its 7-23 season.
"Once again, Penn State had difficulty fielding a productive practice lineup, let alone five guys who could be competitive in the Big Ten. Once again, true freshmen were asked to shoulder much of the load. And once again, the on-court product left a lot to be desired.
" 'I knew it was going to have to be a perfect year for us to make any kind of improvement,' Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said a week after completing his second season on the job. 'I thought we could win a couple more games (than last season). In the non-conference, maybe 6-7 at most. I thought we'd be able to win a couple in conference. Obviously, that didn't happen.' ..."
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Saturday, March 19, 2005
Times Leader | 03/18/2005 | Kennedy star heavily recruited
Junior forward David Jackson was a third-team all-state selection last year.
By DAVE KONOPKI dkonopki@leader.net
Even if the number of fans at the Giant Center in Hershey swells to more than 7,000 at this afternoon’s PIAA Class A championship game, don’t expect the play of David Jackson to be affected. Last summer, the Kennedy Catholic junior played in front of a much more intimidating – albeit significantly smaller – group of onlookers.
The 6-foot-6 Jackson spent part of last summer playing at the prestigious Reebok ABCD Basketball Camp at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, N.J. The event features the nation’s top high school players, who display their skills in front of more than 200 college basketball coaches. Jackson drew rave reviews from nationally known basketball guru Sonny Vaccaro, who conducts the camps.
Jackson, a third-team all-state selection last year as a sophomore, is being heavily recruited by major Division I colleges. Among the schools already offering him scholarship offers are Syracuse and Penn State.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2005
NCAA Is in the Midst of a Foreign Affair (washingtonpost.com)
"ATLANTA, March 15 -- Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt knows he can count on Luke Schenscher, his 7-foot-1 center, to play well during the NCAA tournament. Last year, when the Yellow Jackets unexpectedly advanced to the national championship game,
Schenscher scored 15 points against Kansas in the regional final and had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Oklahoma State in the Final Four.
"'Luke always plays his best in the biggest games,' said Hewitt, whose No. 5 seed Yellow Jackets will play No. 12 seed George Washington in an NCAA tournament first-round game Friday in Nashville. 'You're talking about a kid who left home when he was 14 or 15 years old. What's to get nervous about? He's 3,000 miles from home. What's to get shook up about?'
"Schenscher is one of an unprecedented number of foreign-born players in the tournament. Seventy-one players from 32 foreign countries and Puerto Rico are playing on the tournament's 65 teams, including 10 from Australia, 10 from Canada, five from Brazil and four from Germany. Against George Washington, Schenscher will be matched up against Pops Mensah-Bonsu, from London, and his backup, junior Alex Kireev, from Ukraine. ..."
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Friday, March 11, 2005
Centre Daily Times | 03/11/2005 | Jeff Rice | Nittany Lions looking at bigger picture after loss: "CHICAGO --
"These were not the faces of a team that had given up.
"It would have been so easy and really, so excusable, for Penn State to toss in the white flag anytime during the past month, to finally surrender to the Big Ten schedule that was far too much too soon for the youngest team in Nittany Lion history, to start worrying about next season and put this one to bed.
"These Nittany Lions didn't, though. In terms of the Big Ten standings and the Big Ten Tournament, their effort during Thursday's 72-69 loss to Ohio State and the last few games of this season might not have mattered. What it will mean for the future of the program, won't be known for a few months, if not a few seasons. But on perhaps the most disheartening afternoon of a disheartening season, it was the clearest sign yet that this team has the bigger picture in mind.
"Seventeen times in the last 18 games, Penn State has tasted defeat. The youthful Nittany Lions, who went to battle with four freshmen and two seniors every game, have worn the losses on their sleeves with varying degrees of woe. Thursday evening, in the bowels of the United Center, the faces displayed new levels of pain, of frustration, as if the players were finally feeling the full effect of the whole, dismal season.
"And that was a sign that yes, the Nittany Lions still had something very much vested in this game, a back-and-forth battle seen by maybe 11,000 of the 19,066 who attended the three first-round tournament games. A sign that every second of this season mattered to them, even though they had to abandon dreams of a postseason, a winning season, long before. ..."
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This story originally published on Bucknuts.com.
FightOnState.com: Buckeyes Rally Past Penn State:
"Four days after upsetting top-ranked Illinois, Ohio State was on the verge of elimination from the Big Ten tournament at the hands of a Penn State team that won one conference game all year. But OSU rallied from 15 down behind Tony Stockman's 25 points and took a 72-69 win. Click here for more. (This story has been updated with notes and quotes)
"Ohio State was perilously close to becoming a one-hit wonder, so the Buckeyes did something about it.
"The Buckeyes, fresh off an upset of No. 1-ranked Illinois on Sunday, had to rally from down 15 in the second half before holding on for a 72-69 win in a Big Ten men's basketball tournament opening round game Thursday at Chicago's United Center. ..."
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Thursday, March 10, 2005
Centre Daily Times | 03/09/2005 | Claxton driven to reverse Nittany Lions' losing ways:
"He curls around the chair, grabs the pass, elevates, shoots. The ball caroms off the rim. Then, around the other chair -- catch, jump, shoot. This one rattles home.
"At the opposite end of the court, his teammates are casually shooting around, joking with each other, trying to forget their nine-game losing streak and the soreness in their legs.
"Geary Claxton, though, is working. Because he doesn't know what else to do, doesn't see any other way out of this ... losing. He had dealt with it before, but never like this. So even now, before coach Ed DeChellis walks to midcourt and claps his hands to signal the start of another practice, Claxton is trying to improve his game, a drill, a shot, a step at a time.
"'That's something I never used to do,' he says. 'Like really going hard at it is something ... I don't know, it's addictive. I work hard at everything. I never used to like working hard, but I learned once I got here.'
"DeChellis knew before the season that Penn State would lean, heavily at times, on its four freshmen. He also knew that they would struggle. He couldn't have known that one of them would assert himself as the team's most productive and consistent player, improve as the competition toughened and get a group of restless fans excited about the future of Nittany Lion basketball. ..."
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"Ohio State (19-11, 8-8 Big Ten) will open the Big Ten tournament as the No. 6 six seed on Thursday, taking on No. 11 seed Penn State (7-22, 1-15) at 5:05 PM in Chicago.
"The Buckeyes won both meetings with the Nittany Lions during the regular season. ..."
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FightOnState.com: Lions Face Buckeyes in Chicago:
"Penn State vs. Ohio State
Big Ten Tournament
The United Center, Chicago
Game Time: 5 p.m., Thursday."
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Wednesday, March 09, 2005
FightOnState.com: Mamma Mia!:
"Those weren't graduate-school enrollees sitting in the front row of the student section during the Penn State basketball team's final home game. They weren't part of the university's continuing education program, either. Who were they?"
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Nittany cryin':
"If it's true that contagious winning salves any wounds, so it is that habitual losing opens them. In that respect, the Penn State men's basketball team is not a healthy unit.
"Rifts exist just below the surface that could blow the team completely apart if the losses mount next season as they did in this one. And that's why coach Ed DeChellis and his staff know it's imperative they find a way to stanch the bleeding if their six-year plan to redirect the program is to gain any momentum.
"So far, there is none. The Nittany Lions head to Chicago today for the start of the Big Ten tournament tomorrow on an 11-game spiral and lugging records of 7-22 overall and 1-15 in the league. In the last 14 years, only three other Big Ten teams have finished with one or zero league wins..."
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Sunday, March 06, 2005
Centre Daily Times | 03/06/2005 | Spartans blow out Nittany Lions after halftime:
"EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Tom Izzo had his head in his hands, Ben Luber was piling up points and Michigan State -- on Senior Night of all nights -- looked shaken and beatable in the Breslin Center.
"That was the first half.
"In the second half, the No. 14 Spartans brought Penn State quickly back into reality.
"Michigan State used a barrage of second-half 3-pointers and a revitalized defense Saturday night to bury the Nittany Lions 90-64.
Alan Anderson and Chris Hill had big home finales for the Spartans (22-5, 14-2 Big Ten), who won for the eighth time in nine games and own the second seed in next week's conference Tournament.
"Penn State, which led for most of the first half and by as many as eight points, dropped its 32nd straight conference road game and fell to 0-14 all-time in East Lansing. ..."
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Boston.com / Sports / Prep school glories take bad bounce:
"
NCAA sees rise, and fall, of Fitchburg hoop stars
"FITCHBURG -- In the realm of New England prep schools, Notre Dame of Fitchburg looks like a lost soul. No leafy campus. No first-rate library, arts, or athletic facility. No rich endowment. No accreditation.
"But in six seasons since the once-traditional parochial school dodged financial peril by launching a postgraduate basketball program, tiny Notre Dame (enrollment: 50) has made a big name for itself by mastering the art of helping struggling students meet the National Collegiate Athletic Association's academic eligibility standards and reap millions of dollars in basketball scholarships.
"By its own count, Notre Dame has funneled no fewer than 47 players -- nearly eight a year -- to Division 1 basketball programs. And the school's system seems nearly foolproof. Despite challenges posed by the likes of Iowa State star Will Blalock, who skipped 100 days in his junior year at East Boston High School, and Northeastern phenom Shawn James, an academic flop at a failing high school in Brooklyn, N.Y., Notre Dame officials said they have succeeded in grooming all but one of their last 30 or more basketball players to gain NCAA eligibility.
"But to what end?
"In an era when the NCAA has made improving the academic performance of student-athletes a top priority, particularly in the high-stakes hotbed of big-time college basketball, at least 18 of the 47 players (38.3 percent) who vaulted to the Division 1 stage from Notre Dame stumbled. They ran into problems ranging from losing academic eligibility to facing criminal charges for embezzlement, rioting, and rape. In many cases, they squandered lucrative scholarships, leaving them with little more than Notre Dame diplomas and frayed dreams of basketball glory. ..."
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FightOnState.com: Crash Landing:
"Penn State plays well early but collapses in the second half at Michigan State as Big Ten road losing streak extends to a fourth full season.
"Penn State began its final game of a frustrating Big Ten campaign with a roar, building an early eight-point advantage and leading most of the first half against Michigan State in East Lansing Saturday night.
"But the Nittany Lions eventually returned to form, giving up a game-changing 16-6 run late in the opening period before going out with another whimper in the final 20 minutes.
"In losing 90-64, Penn State fell to 7-22 overall and 1-15 in the conference, and extended its road losing streak in the league to four full seasons (32 games). The Lions are now 0-14 all time in East Lansing. ..."
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Saturday, March 05, 2005
FightOnState.com: Penn State Closes Campaign at MSU:
"*Penn State has lost 31 straight Big Ten road games. Including conference tournament action, the Nittany Lions have dropped 34 consecutive league outings away from the BJC. Penn State's last Big Ten road win was at Iowa (78-73) in the next to last game of the 2000-01 regular season.
"*DeChellis is 0-6 all-time against his friend Izzo. That includes two games when DeChellis was head coach at East Tennessee State.
"*Stat watch: Penn State is 0-13 all time at Michigan State. ..."
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Centre Daily Times | 03/05/2005 | Nittany Lions take on Spartans:
"Two months later, those four points still haunt Ed DeChellis.
"Penn State's men's basketball coach can't forget Turner Battle's buzzer-beater that gave Buffalo a two-point win in the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 21, or the 17-point lead his Nittany Lions squandered 12 days later in another two-point home loss to Texas A&M.
"He wonders if this season might have played out differently had a couple shots gone the other way in either game, if his young team had entered the Big Ten slate 8-5 instead of 6-7.
"'It's my job to get them to recover,' DeChellis said Thursday, 'and I don't think we ever really recovered the way we needed to.' ..."
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Penn State closes out conference schedule:
"The Penn State men's basketball team looks to break its 31-game road losing streak in the Big Ten when it faces No. 12 Michigan State (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
"The Nittany Lions (7-21, 1-14) are coming off their most impressive half of basketball against Big Ten competition this season.
"Penn State racked up 43 second-half points against a Minnesota team that needed a victory to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.
"'We're going to show them some tape of the positive things we did [Wednesday night] during our comeback,' Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. 'We're going to accentuate the positive as we get ready for Michigan State.' ..."
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Thursday, March 03, 2005
Gophers hold off PSU:
"The Penn State men's basketball team finished out its 2004-05 home schedule with its best effort in the last six games, as the Nittany Lions were defeated by a Minnesota Golden Gophers team that needed a victory to stay on the NCAA tournament bubble.
"Penn State (7-22, 1-14 Big Ten) lost to Minnesota (20-9, 10-6), 73-69, last night in front of a Bryce Jordan Center crowd that was as into the game as much as any crowd all season.
"'Look at how many people were here tonight [6,266], and it still felt like a sellout tonight, compared to when we are down 30,' Penn State freshman guard Mike Walker said. 'It's a lot easier to have energy when you are close, and it was fun to play tonight even though we lost.' ..."
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Centre Daily Times | 03/03/2005 | Gophers hold off Nittany Lions' late rally attempt in home finale:
"UNIVERSITY PARK -- No, it shouldn't have been as close as four, and Minnesota would be wise to realize just how close its bubble came to bursting.
"But under the turnovers and the fouls and the errant shots, there was a game in there, a real game, not a few brief moments of hope but a legitimate shot at a Big Ten win.
"Down 14 points at the half Wed-nesday night, Penn State mustered up whatever heart it had left in this painful season, clawing back to within three points with five minutes to play before eventually falling to Minnesota in its Bryce Jordan Center finale 73-69.
"When you've dropped 10 straight and 15 of 16, though, only four of them by single digits, pulling out the close ones requires more than heart, and the Nittany Lions (7-21, 1-14 Big Ten) didn't have the rest.
"'When it got tough and we needed to make a play offensively or defensively, we didn't make that play,' Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. 'We let them score, or we turned it over when we were trying to get a basket at a crucial time.' ..."
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GoldenSports.net: Penn State Rally Falls Short:
"Golden Gophers beat Penn State 73-69, sending Ed DeChellis' squad to 1-14 in the Big Ten. But was it enough to help Minnesota secure an NCAA tournament bid?
"Trying to play its way into the NCAA tournament, bubble-dwelling Minnesota did what it had to do Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.
"But not much more. ..."
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Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Forum post: Rebuilding numbers
These are from UncleLar posts on the forum March 15, 2003:
I looked at the record one and two years out using the list of coaching changes following the 2000-01 season.
That year there were 45 coaching changes. Again, more new coaches had a positive impact than a negative (25 vs 20) in year one.
18 coaches had a non-losing record one year out.
22 coaches had a non-losing record two years out.
11 coaches had non-losing records both years.
Only four coaches took a team from a losing record to a winning record in one year.
Only nine coaches took a team from a losing record to a winning record in two years.
Only three coaches took a team from a losing record to two consecutive winning records (Rick Pitino, Bob Knight, and Kevin Bromley).
People who expect immediate winning from a new coach at PSU need to, in the immortal words of Joe Paterno, reset their expectations.
The hypothesis that I wanted to test was that a new coach would give their new team an immediate boost that would show up in year one (in both years that I looked at, that turned out to be true - 25 vs 20 in this test group, 25 vs 17 in the other), which would be followed by a drop in year two. The results bore me out. Of the 25 coaches that showed a positive impact in year one, 14 fell back in the second year. Only 11 managed to sustain their year one results in year two.
There were four categories that a coach could fall into. Positive results from one year to the next in both years, negative in both, postive year one but negative year two, and negative year one but positive year two.
Here's how the 45 coaches break out.
Plus/plus (11)
Plus/minus (14)
Minus/plus (10)
Minus/minus (10)
I don't know if it's statistically significant but my theory seems to hold.
So, if we hire a new coach and follow the trend, we should get better next year (though not reaching .500) but follow that with a slide backward in year two.
Unfortunately, I don't think that's what the fans' expectations are and my bet is that if this were to happen the bulletin boards would be rampant with "we made the wrong choice" posts.
Here's the details:
SCHOOL WHO'S OUT (W/L) WHO'S IN (Yr 1 W/L) (Yr2 W/L) +/- +/-
Positive/Positive (11)
Northern Illinois B. Hammel (4-22) Rob Judson (12-16) (17-13) +14 +8
Louisville Denny Crum (12-19) Rick Pitino (18-12) (22-6) +13 +10
St. Mary's (Calif.) David Bollwinkel (1-25) Randy Bennett (8-20) (14-15) +12 +11
Texas Southern Robert Moreland (7-22) Byron Smith (11-17) (16-12) +9 +10
UNLV Bill Bayno (14-13) Charlie Spoonhour (20-10) (20-9) +9 +1
Florida A&M Mickey Clayton (6-22) Mike Gillespie (9-19) (17-11) +6 +16
Xavier Skip Prosser (21-7) Thad Matta (25-5) (25-4) +6 +1
Rhode Island Jerry DeGregorio (7-22) Jim Baron (8-20) (18-11) +3 +19
Old Dominion Jeff Capel (12-17) Blaine Taylor (13-16) (12-15) +2 0
Michigan Brian Ellerbe (9-18) Tommy Amaker (10-18) (17-12) +1 +13
Wis.-Milwaukee Bo Ryan (13-13) Bruce Pearl (13-13) (23-7) 0 +16
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Positive/Negative (14)
Texas Tech James Dickey (9-19) Bob Knight (23-8) (17-11) +25 -9
North Texas Vic Trilli (2-24) Johnny Jones (13-14) (5-21) +21 - 15
Northern Iowa Sam Weaver (6-24) Greg McDermott (14-15) (10-17) +17 -6
Idaho David Farrar (4-21) Leonard Perry (8-9) (12-15) +16 -2
Cal Poly-SLO Jeff Schneider (5-18) Kevin Bromley (14-12) (14-13) +15 -1
Rutgers Kevin Bannon (11-16) Gary Waters (18-12) (12-16) +11 -2
Robert Morris Danny Nee (7-22) Mark Schmidt (12-18) (9-17) +9 -2
Tulsa Buzz Peterson (21-11) John Phillips (25-6) (20-9) +9 -8
Butler Thad Matta (21-7) Todd Lickliter (25-5) (24-5) +6 -1
La Salle William "Speedy" Morris (12-17) Billy Hahn (15-17) (12-17) +3 -3
Duquesne Darelle Porter (9-21) Danny Nee (9-19) (9-21) +2 -2
South Carolina Eddie Fogler (15-14) Dave Odom (17-14) (12-16) +2 -7
George Washington Tom Penders (14-18) Karl Hobbs (12-16) (12-17) 0 -1
Pepperdine Jan van Breda Kolff (21-8) Paul Westphal (21-8) (15-13) 0 -11
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Negative/Positive (10)
Wake Forest Dave Odom (19-10) Skip Prosser (20-12) (23-4) -1 +11
Wisconsin Dick Bennett (18-10) Bo Ryan (17-12) (22-6) -3 +11
Denver Martin Fletcher (8-18) Terry Carroll (7-20) (17-15) -3 +15
Drexel Steve (15-12) Seymour Bruiser Flint (14-15) (18-11) -4 +8
Morgan State (6-23) Chris Fuller Butch Beard (3-25) (7-22) -5 +7
Northeastern Rudy Keeling (10-19) Ron Everhart (7-21) (14-15) -5 +13
Portland Rob Chavez (8-17) Michael Holton (6-24) (10-17) -9 +11
Seton Hall Tommy Amaker (16-14) Louis Orr (11-18) (17-12) -9 +12
Siena Louis Orr (19-11) Rob Lanier (16-18) (19-10) -10 +11
Tennessee Jerry Green (22-10) Buzz Peterson (14-16) (17-10) -14 +9
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Negative/Negative (10)
McNeese State Ron Everhart (21-8) Tic Price (20-8) (13-14) -1 -13
Ohio Larry Hunter (18-11) Tim O'Shea (17-11) (14-15) -1 -7
Villanova Steve Lappas (18-12) Jay Wright (17-12) (15-15) -1 -5
Towson Mike Jaskulski (12-17) Michael Hunt (11-18) (4-24) -2 -13
St. Bonaventure Jim Baron (18-11) Jan van Breda Kolff (17-12) (13-14) -2 -6
Massachusetts James "Bruiser" Flint (15-15) Steve Lappas (13-16) (10-18) -3 -3
New Orleans Joey Stiebing (15-12) Monte Towe (14-14) (13-14) -3 -1
Southern Tommy Green (11-16) Ben Jobe (7-19) (7-20) -7 -1
Stetson Murray Arnold (15-12) Derek Waugh (9-16) (6-20) -10 -7
Hofstra Jay Wright (26-4) Tom Pecora (12-20) (8-21) -30 -5
Note: I choose to view a "no change" result from one year to the next as a positive one rather than a negative. Continuing on the positive theme, I considered a .500 season as a winning one rather than a losing one.
**************
I looked at the 42 coaching changes last year. What I did was calculate the change in their +/- rate, i.e. wins minus losses (Division I wins only).
25 coaches improved, 17 slipped.
Just 13 coaches had a winning record.
Only 5 of those took them from a losing record to a winning record.
Here's the complete list, ranked from greatest positive change to biggest negative. Props to Bill Taylor at Lehigh for one unbelievable season, taking the Moutain Hawks from 4-23 to 14-12.
Some familiar names from Tim's list in the top ten - John Pelphrey, John Beilein, and Jeff Lebo.
School Former Coach (record) New Coach (record) Change
1. Lehigh Sal Mentesana (4-23) Bill Taylor (14-12) +21
2. Liberty Mel Hankinson (3-24) Randy Dunton (14-15) +20
3. Prairie View A&M Elwood Plummer (9-19) Jerry Francis (17-11) +16
4. DePaul Pat Kennedy (9-19) Dave Leitao (16-12) +14
5. South Alabama Bob Weltlich (5-20) John Pelphrey (12-14) +13
6. West Virginia Gale Catlett (7-20) John Beilein (14-15) +12
7T. UAB Murry Bartow (13-17) Mike Anderson (17-11) +10
7T Evansville Jim Crews (7-21) Steve Merfeld (12-16) +10
7T. Chattanooga Henry Dickerson (14-14) Jeff Lebo (19-9) +10
10T. Fresno State Jerry Tarkanian (18-14) Ray Lopes (20-8) +8
10T. Norfolk State Wil Jones (10-19) Dwight Freeman (14-15) +8
12. LIU Ray Martin (5-22) Jim Ferry (9-19) +7
13T. Wofford Richard Johnson (7-18) Mike Young (10-15) +6
13T. Florida State Steve Robinson (11-17) Leonard Hamilton (14-14) +6
15T. College of Charleston (20-8) John Kresse Tom Herrion (22-7) +5
15T. Saint Louis Lorenzo Romar (15-16) Brad Sodderberg (16-12) +5
15T. UNC-Wilmington Jerry Wainwright (22-9) Brad Brownell (24-6) +5
18T. Arkansas-Pine Bluff Harold Blevins (2-26) Van Holt* (4-24) +4
18T. Bradley Jim Molinari (9-20) Jim Les (11-18) +4
18T. Oregon State Ritchie McKay (9-17) Jay John (12-15) +4
21. Middle Tennessee Randy Wiel ( 12-15) Kermit Davis Jr. (14-14) +3
22. UW-Green Bay Mike Heideman (9-21) Tod Kowalczyk (9-19) +2
23T. Washington Bob Bender (10-18) Lorenzo Romar (10-17) +1
23T. Boise State Rod Jensen (12-17) Greg Graham (12-16) +1
23T. Nicholls State Rickey Broussard (1-25) Ricky Blanton (2-25) +1
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26. VCU Mack McCarthy (20-11) Jeff Capel (18-10) -1
27. Albany Scott Beeten (8-20) Will Brown (7-21) -2
28T. Richmond John Beilen (19-13) Jerry Wainwright (15-13) -4
28T. Montana Don Holst (14-14) Pat Kennedy (12-16) -4
30. San Jose State Steve Barnes (9-20) Phil Johnson (5-21) -5
31. Radford Ron Bradley (14-16) Byron Samuels (10-20) -6
32. Valparaiso Homer Drew (24-7) Scott Drew (20-10) -7
33T. Arkansas Nolan Richardson (14-15) Stan Heath (9-19) -8
33T. Bethune-Cookman Horace Broadnax (11-17) Clifford Reed (8-22) -8
35. TCU Billy Tubbs (14-15) Neil Dougherty (9-19) -9
36T. Kent State Stan Heath (26-5) Jim Christian (19-8) -10
36T. Tennessee Tech Jeff Lebo (21-6) Mike Sutton (17-12) -10
38. Hampton Steve Merfeld (25-6) Bobby Collins* (18-10) -11
39T. Long Beach State Wayne Morgan (11-17) Larry Reynolds (4-22) -12
39T. Portland State Joel Sobotka (11-16) Heath Schroyer (4-21) -12
41. Army Pat Harris (10-16) Jim Crews (3-22) -13
42. New Mexico Fran Fraschilla (16-13) Ritchie McKay (9-18) -18
Letter to the Editor - Men's basketball coach asks for fans' support:
"
Letter to the Editor
"
Men's basketball coach asks for fans' support
"This evening, the Penn State men's basketball team will play our final regular season home game at the Bryce Jordan Center. Whether you plan to attend or not, I wanted to make sure our team thanked you for your support during a challenging, difficult season. Our team wants to win as badly as you want to come and cheer a winner.
"We'll be busting our tails tonight against Minnesota, in next week's Big Ten Tournament and throughout the off-season to continue the development of a winner. We absolutely, positively will not give up on our dreams of building the Penn State program. You will play a large role in our success. Your influence on our games continued to improve this season, and we are optimistic about what we can accomplish together going forward. Whether later tonight or at next season's home opener, I look forward to the next time we're together at the BJC.
Ed DeChellis
men's basketball head coach"
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What can a Penn State athlete take away from four years of unsuccessful results at the collegiate level?
"We're going to graduate," Penn State men's basketball senior Jamaal Tate said, referring to himself and fellow seniors Jason McDougald an Kevin Fellows. "We're doing something different. In a time when graduation rates are down, we are getting out of here with our degrees. We're just proud to be graduating." ...
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For the few remaining fans of the Penn State men's basketball team in Happy Valley, have no fear: you will soon be put out of your misery.
Yet another painful and forgettable season is nearing its end as the Nittany Lions (7-20, 1-13 Big Ten) have their final home contest of the season at 8 tonight when the Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-9, 9-6) come to the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Lions are on pace to have one of their worst records in school history. If Penn State loses its final three contests of the year (the Lions close out their season at No. 14 Michigan State on Saturday and will play at least one contest in the Big Ten tournament), the Lions will set a single-season school record with 23 losses. Penn State finished with 22 losses in 1983-84 when it had a record of 5-22 overall.
But after four blowout defeats in a row, Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said his team isn't ready to give up just yet. ...
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Penn State vs. Minnesota
Bryce Jordan Center
Game Time: 8 p.m., Wednesday.
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"He knows.
"He knows that at the end of the day, he is accountable for his team's continuing struggles. That even the most loyal fans are looking for some sort of answers.
"And Ed DeChellis knows that the few answers he has provided have varied about as much as the temperature in Greenland.
"'I come down here sometimes and I sound like a broken record,' the Penn State men's basketball coach said during Monday's press conference. 'I say the same things. I leave there and I try to think of things that are constructive that I can say differently ... and every week I say the same things, because it's the same things that continue to haunt us over and over again.'..."
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Tuesday, March 01, 2005
DeChellis questioning self as frustrating losses pile up:
"Prior to Saturday, he'd done a nice job of tucking away the emotions and shedding as much light as possible on a team that has snagged just one conference win.
"But it was only a matter of time -- or losses -- until the frustration, disappointment and impatience started to seep through the usually upbeat and well-composed Ed DeChellis.
"And for the Penn State men's basketball coach, the most recent loss might have been his breaking point. After his team turned in another superbly subpar performance in a 78-56 beating from Iowa, DeChellis addressed the media just as he did after the 19 previous losses. But this postgame press conference was different. Even DeChellis was questioning himself and his underachieving team.
" 'You can only preach and preach and preach about what we have to win games ... and sometimes guys have to step up and be able to do it,' DeChellis said. 'We haven't gotten that done, and that's my responsibility.'
"It's obvious Penn State's 7-20 season has taken its toll on DeChellis. On Saturday, his expressions suggested that he's drained from trying to figure out how his Nittany Lions have gotten themselves into this mess. It seems he's even more frustrated by trying to figure out if and how the Lions can wiggle their way out of this slump before the season's end. ..."
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