Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Sports Info: "Freshman Men's Basketball Player Maxwell Dubois Finds Friendly Faces at Penn StateNittany Lion Enjoying First Summer in Happy ValleyState College, Pa. - July 27, 2005 - There is a big difference between the metropolitan feel of south Florida and the calm yet bustling Penn State community during the summer. For Nittany Lion basketball freshman Maxwell Dubois (Hollywood, Fla.), the difference has been both surprising and satisfying.
'I've been surprised at how friendly everyone has been,' Dubois says quietly, answering innocuous questions in his reserved and patient manner. 'You see someone on campus or on the street downtown and they wave and say 'hi.' It's the biggest difference between home and here.'
Dubois doesn't look at this difference as a negative about home, which is Hollywood, Fla. Hollywood, essentially a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, is a fine city. Dubois believes it's the size of the place that makes it seem like more people here are apt to be outwardly welcoming. Perhaps it's just a percentage thing.
Max is a 6-4, 195-pound, guard who played high school ball at powerful Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale. If his mannerisms off the court are any indication of how he plays, Penn State fans can expect to see a very deliberate and careful guard on the perimeter. He is calm and pleasant and you can see him thinking carefully about everything he says, and with Dubois, you get very straightforward and succinct answers. Consider him the opposite of the overflowing, fast-talking, type.
Dubois chose Penn State for a lot of reasons, he says, beyond the obvious chance to play Big Ten basketball. He is an intelligent young man, with his sites set on a career - perhaps - in marketing. For Max, college is a big responsibility and he takes it very seriously. His family, and helping his family out, is his driving force.
'Whatever I accomplish here at Penn State, my goal is to be able to help my family out financially,' he says with a serious look. 'If I can play ball at another level after Penn State, that would be great. If not, I will leave here with a degree that will allow me to take care of my family anyway.' Max is the oldest of four children, having two younger brothers and a younger sister.
Sporting the 'Family' wristband that the entire team (and support staff, coaches, and anyone who works with the program) wears constantly, Dubois says that his teammates have formed a very close-knit group. 'We're close, very close,' he says. 'We hang out together, and we can push each other on the court.' Max also notes that he enjoys the fact that there are so many different personalities on the team.
One has to remember what a transition going to college can be for anyone, let alone a quiet and reserved kid from south Florida who is thrust into three new communities at once (team, school and town). Dubois is making the adjustment very well and has found his comfort level growing each day.
The friendliness of all three communities has been key to his adjustment and will allow him to focus on class and court with more ease. And with his ultimate goal of helping out his family firmly stated and in mind, one can't help but root for him, hoping for the best and expecting nothing less."
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Brandon Hassell to tour Europe with Big 10 team
State College, Pa. - July 26, 2005 - Penn State Nittany Lion basketball player Brandon Hassell (Farmersville, Ohio) will represent Penn State on the 2005 Big Ten Men's Basketball Foreign Tour, as announced today by conference officials. Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, who will serve as head coach for this year's tour, has put together a squad comprised of 12 student-athletes from 11 different league schools. The Tour, which runs from August 9-19, is tentatively scheduled to include five games in Spain.
Hassell played in 20 games for Penn State as a freshman last year, averaging 1.7 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per contest. A 6-9, 220-pound forward/center, Hassell is one of seven players on the Tour roster with two or fewer years of experience.
The 2005 Foreign Tour Team will include a pair of Weber's own players in guards Calvin Brock and Brian Randle. Brock and Randle both enter this year after sitting out the 2004-05 season as redshirts. In addition, the Tour squad will have two other guards in Iowa's Mike Henderson and Northwestern's Evan Seacat. Henderson saw action in all 33 games with 14 starts at the point guard position last season to rank fourth on the team with a 4.9 scoring average. Seacat enters his senior season after seeing action in 73 career games.
The Foreign Tour Team includes six student-athletes who play the forward position in Indiana's Marco Killingsworth, Michigan's Ron Coleman, Ohio State's Matt Terwilliger, Hassell, Purdue's Matt Kiefer and Wisconsin's Jason Chappell. Killingsworth redshirted last year at Indiana after transferring from Auburn, where he led the Tigers in scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg) in 2003-04. In his first season in Ann Arbor, Coleman worked his way into the lineup, starting in 23 of 31 Big Ten games to finish the season with an average of 7.5 points per contest. Terwilliger saw action in 15 games for the Buckeyes under first-year head coach Thad Matta.
Hassell competed in 20 contests and earned his first career start against Illinois last season. Kiefer averaged 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last year, while claiming Academic All-Big Ten laurels for the second consecutive year. After sitting out his sophomore season as a redshirt, Chappell returned in 2004-05, competing in 14 games.
Weber will also have two centers to choose from in Michigan State's Goran Suton and Minnesota's Spencer Tollackson. Suton sat out last season as a redshirt, while Tollackson competed in all 32 games last season with three starts for the Golden Gophers.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Press New Nittany Lion Basketball Player Jamelle Cornley Settling In Well at Penn State:
"State College, Pa. – Jamelle Cornley (Columbus, Ohio) smiles broadly when asked about his first month at Penn State. Like his fellow new Nittany Lions, the Ohio-native is impressed with both the friendliness of the University community and the amazing speed with which the Nittany Lion basketball team is bonding.
"“It’s been great,” Cornley says. “Within days of getting here, we all started clicking. We’re still in the process of getting everyone on the same page, but is happening fast and it’s been so much fun.”
"He is echoing the sentiments of every Nittany Lion you talk to. Things, he is being told by the returning players, are different this year. From the wristbands bearing a single word – Family – on them, to the ability of the guys to push each other to work harder without fear of confrontation, these Lions seem to have gelled already.
"“This all takes time,” Cornley suggests. “I mean, where a team already, but the little things that strengthen that bond take time. We’re getting there and its happening fast.” For Cornley, this team concept isn’t all about what happens on the floor. He points to challenges laid down on the pool table, to going to the movies and to just ‘being around each other’ as signs that this year’s team is a group of friends as well as teammates.
"“It didn’t take long for us to figure out that we were going to get along,” he laughs. “And it’s surprising how much we’re finding out about what we have in common. It’s fun and it’s really making it easy to adjust to this place.”
"Cornley seems to be the type that needs that bond, the bond of friendship. When asked about high school days, he notes that much of his spare time, away from the basketball court and the classroom, was spent on the AAU circuit, where he always – always – played up a level against older and more experienced players. But he points to a group of friends from his middle school and high school days that he would always gravitate to when he was home on the north side of Columbus.
"“We would do whatever we could to stay active and to keep ourselves together,” he recalls. “It wasn’t always just basketball either. We did a little of everything, from bowling to movies, you name it. Those guys are my friends. What has been great for me is that this team is a team of friends, and that’s important.” With so many new players joining the team in the last two years, friendships and team bonding take time. The encouraging thing for Cornley is how quickly it seems to be happening.
"For Jamelle, there is also the issue of expectation and comparison to deal with. Cornley is an imposing figure, even in practice gear. Listed at 6-6 and 235 pounds, Cornley is every bit an athlete. With a frame built to put on even more muscle but also agile and quick, he does, at first glance, remind the long-time Penn State fan of former Nittany Lion great Jarrett Stephens, whom Cornley has already been compared to. But a quick bit of research will show that while they carry themselves in a similar fashion, their playing styles are vastly different.
"Stephens, who is Penn State’s only consensus first team All-Big Ten pick, was one of the best ‘natural’ rebounders to ever play at Penn State. His game was two fold and often unstoppable. He was devastating on the fast break but it was when he operated within ten feet of the basket in a set offense that he was most dangerous. He was dominating there and on the boards.
"Cornley, on the other hand, is just as comfortable on the wing as on the baseline and has an outside game that will surprise you. Time will tell where his talents will fit in to Penn State’s scheme. One thing is sure. While you will see glimpses of Stephens in his game, in his ability to jump through the roof and in his dunking ability, you will also see an outside game that may earn him time on the wing and certainly make defenders worry about the three-point line.
"When asked about the Stephens comparison and informed of Jarrett’s stature in Penn State history, Cornley is honored. “It’s definitely an honor, since he was such a loved player here,” he says. He knows that the playing styles between the two are different, but doesn’t shy from the comparison.
"Given enough time, there may come a day when a future Nittany Lion freshman is honored when he is compared to Jamelle Cornley. Time will tell. But the foundation for any legacy starts somewhere. For Cornley, that place is Penn State and the time is now."
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Coach determined to revive Penn State hoops
Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/21/2005 | Scrappy Valley:
"As a cancer survivor, Ed DeChellis wears the yellow 'Live Strong' band of the Lance Armstrong Foundation on his right wrist. Encircling his left wrist is a blue band, imprinted with Family, a word he hopes will be at the heart of a new Penn State basketball era.
"While no one, least of all the Nittany Lions' third-year coach, would attempt to equate the seriousness of those two disparate causes, his colorful wristbands represent similar virtues to DeChellis - faith, dedication to a struggle, and an abiding hope that the darkest days are behind him.
"The bladder cancer the 46-year-old Western Pennsylvania native was diagnosed with a year ago is now under control. The ongoing basketball problems at this football-rich school, however, are not, and they reflect an ailment that, in its own way, is just as stubborn and deep-rooted. ..."
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Friday, July 15, 2005
Two Serbians adjust to life, basketball far from home:
"Nikola Obradovic and Milos Bogetic recently made the transition from the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the United States as Penn State's little-known freshman basketball recruits.
"Obradovic and Bogetic are getting a taste of everything college has to offer, like the local State College Wal-Mart. Their first time in the store was exciting, as it would be for anyone who has not experienced the wonders of a department store -- especially one with a self-checkout system.
"'It's something different for us,' said Obradovic.
"Their shopping trip was fulfilling but nothing beat Bogetic's favorite purchase -- his much needed soccer ball. Both expressed their love for soccer, and rank it first on their list of favorite sports. But most likely, the two won't have much time to do anything outside of basketball and school. ..."
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Thursday, July 14, 2005
Former Lions standout hopes to lead revival:
"Dan Earl spent six years as a member of the Penn State men's basketball team from 1993 to 1999.
"This summer he is back at his alma mater.
"Earl was hired by Penn State in June, coming on board as an assistant coach. He joins head coach Ed DeChellis and his staff for the 2005-2006 season.
"Earl arrived on campus at a pivotal time in Penn State basketball history. The Nittany Lions were in their second season in the Big Ten and getting ready to open the new state-of-the-art Bryce Jordan Center.
"The team itself was making excellent progress as well. Their first season in the Big Ten, 1992-1993, the Lions finished 7-20 (2-16 Big Ten). By 1996, they climbed to a second-place finish in the conference, finishing at 21-7 (12-6 Big Ten) and earning a spot in the NCAA tournament.
"Earl was a huge contributor in the Lions' success. He set the freshman assist record with 113, and he still owns the school record for assists in a season with 181. Earl is also fifth on the school's all time 3-point field-goal list behind Titus Ivory, Joe Crispin and Pete Lisicky.
" 'I just want to get it back to that level or higher,' Earl said. 'I know the game pretty well. I played point guard and ran the team like a quarterback.' ..."
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Friday, July 08, 2005
Kanaskie facing familiar opponents while looking at hoops prospects:
"TEANECK, N.J. -- As hundreds of Division I men's basketball coaches gathered to scout America's top high school basketball talent, Penn State assistant coach Kurt Kanaskie was scouring the courts for wins.
"Wins will only come from attracting talent to the Bryce Jordan Center, and the Nittany Lion coaching staff can only hope that some of the talent displayed by those participating in this week's Reebok ABCD camp in northern New Jersey will decide in the 18 months to don the Penn State blue and white.
"Since making a run to the Sweet 16 in 2001, the Lions are 30-84, with just nine wins in Big Ten play. Under current head coach Ed DeChellis the team has gone 16-42 in two years, with eight players transferring since DeChellis' predecessor, Jerry Dunn, resigned in March 2003. Among those leaving the program after last season were forward Aaron Johnson and guard Marlon Smith, the team's only proven players entering last season.
"But there is a sense of guarded optimism coming from Kanaskie -- the lone Penn State coach who made the trip to ABCD at Fairleigh Dickinson University -- when speaking about the players that have left the team for various reasons in his two years at Penn State.
" 'Our talent base has really improved over a year ago, there's no question about that,' Kanaskie said. 'Sometimes it's not disappointing when a guy decides to leave -- especially when they're not buying into what we're trying to accomplish.' ..."
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Centre Daily Times | 07/08/2005 | Jeff Rice | Recruits bring international flavor to PSU:
"You could blame last season's 7-23 record on a lack of talent, a lack of able bodies or a lack of experience. Or, a little of each. Discounting the inner turmoil that ate at the Penn State men's basketball team, though, would be a mistake.
"The good news? If this season's Nittany Lions want to bicker amongst themselves, they'll probably have to get an interpreter.
"About a month after post man Milos Bogetic first hit the Penn State weight room, another product of Serbia and Montenegro, Nikola Obradovic, arrived on the University Park campus, joining Bogetic and the rest of the Nittany Lions in summer workouts.
"While both have enjoyed success in summer-session classes, Obradovic is finding the full-time language transition a bit more trying than Bogetic.
" 'I can barely understand half the words that come out of his mouth in English,' said sophomore guard Mike Walker. 'He'll talk for whole paragraphs and I'll be like, 'What did he just say?''
"Joonas Suotamo, currently playing for Finland's national team, will join Penn State at the end of the summer and add to what is a decidedly international flavor of a six-member incoming class.
"Fortunately for Bogetic and Obradovic, they have each other, someone to explain things to or simply empathize with. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, they have two -- and soon, three -- freshmen without the sense of entitlement or ego that has been all too common in the Penn State locker room. ..."
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Wednesday, July 06, 2005
PennStateHoops.com Message Board:
"ESPN RADIO ANNOUNCES UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF PENN STATE FOOTBALL
"ESPN Radio and Penn State Athletics announce a unique opportunity for Penn State fans to experience the “Biggest Show in the East” – a Penn State football Saturday. Fans have the opportunity to bid on a unique behind-the-scenes Penn State football experience during ESPN Radio’s first ever “Don’t Ever Give Up V Foundation Auction,” which will be held on Wednesday, July 13, 2005. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
"The Penn State football experience will open for bids at 7PM ET, and the bidding will close at approximately 7:40 PM ET. The experience includes the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the “Biggest Show in the East” at one of two games: the Cincinnati game September 10th or the Central Michigan game September 17th. The details of the experience include a chance for two people to attend Friday’s practice with Coach Paterno and the team, tour the Penn State football facilities, be at the Friday night media reception at the Nittany Lion Inn, witness and interview the number one tailgaters in the country, have a personal tour of the Penn State locker room pre-game, be on the field when the team enters in front of over 100,000 Penn State faithful, take a press row seat in the press box for the game, attend the post-game press conference with coaches and players, and file a report with the winning bidders’ byline for the October 29th Homecoming stadium program. Round trip airfare is included in the experience.
"Listeners should tune in to ESPN Radio via ESPN Radio 1450 in the State College area or worldwide via the web at www.espnradio.com. To bid on the experience, listeners will call 1-800-4JIMMYV. The two highest bidders will join GameNight hosts John Seibel and Doug Gottlieb at 7:45 PM ET to bid against each other on the air for the chance to experience a unique behind-the-scenes look at Penn State football. "
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Friday, July 01, 2005
PSU has inside track -- in Serbia:
"Not a lot has gone right for Ed DeChellis in his two years plus as Penn State men's basketball coach.
"His top assistant, a guy with major NBA experience, reneged on a commitment two months after agreeing to come.
"A tumor had to be removed from his bladder.
"A boatload of starters have trans ferred out. His most prolific recruiting as sistant bolted for a mid-major.
"DeChellis at least gets one tiny break with the arrival of new assistant Danny Earl. It turns out the former all-Big Ten point guard has some Serbian blood in him. That could come in handy. ..."
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Centre Daily Times | 07/01/2005 | Smith's departure a little bit puzzling:
"Why did he go?
"The others, you understood -- Jan Jagla wanted to turn pro, Robert Summers wanted the ball more, Brandon Cameron wanted to play more, John Kelly wanted to play, period, and Aaron Johnson just couldn't stand the losing anymore. There was more to each of those chapters in the ongoing Penn State men's basketball saga, but those departures were hardly shockers.
"This one, though, was a puzzler. Marlon Smith? One of the few bricks Ed DeChellis apparently had in place in this long rebuilding project? The fearless, undersized guard who led the team in scoring in about 38 minutes per game -- receiving little help -- as a true freshman? Who appeared to be recovering from a scary blood clot in his brain that kept him out of half of last season?
"It didn't make sense, this one. ..."
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Nittany Lion Basketball Freshman Nikola Obradovic Making Transition to Life at Penn State / Serbian Enjoys New Surroundings":
"State College, Pa. - June 30, 2005 - Freshman Nikola Obradovic (Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro) arrived at University Park Airport on Friday evening, June 24, shortly after 7 p.m. Less than a week later, the Serbian guard has settled in to college life and embraced the early whirlwind of his Nittany Lion career.
"'This is very exciting for me,' says the talented guard. 'Everyone has been so friendly and so helpful. It is something everyone at Penn State should be very proud of, that desire to help out new people. Yes, I've been busy, but it has been good.'
"From taking classes (Obradovic is taking two during the second summer session - one online) to getting to know his teammates, Nikola finds the days speeding by. 'The pace of things here is fast so far, but that is because I'm new and from another country,' he says with a smile. 'I'm enjoying the transition to being a student and really enjoying getting to know my teammates. They are, to a man, great guys.' ..."
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