Monday, October 31, 2005
Mistakes, potential evident at practice:
"Redshirt junior Cilk McSweeney contorted his body like Stretch Armstrong, inching every aching muscle upward during his frog-like vertical jump, in an attempt to pick off an errant pass.
"Problem was, the incredible effort wasn't enough -- the ball just slid over his fingertips.
"'Fingernails are too short, Cilk,' one coach yelled, jokingly.
"It may have only been one play during the practice prior to Saturday's annual Blue-White scrimmage, but it was entirely representative of the unfortunate theme of Penn State men's basketball: Close but no cigar. ..."
Full
Story
Big Ten Basketball Media Day Quotes:
"Ed DeChellis, Penn State
"
On recruiting:
"'It is a very competitive league and we have a lot of great coaches. You have to work very hard to get the players you need to compete. Other guys are out there competing and getting good players. It is harder when you are down and trying to make that climb, because kids want to go to schools where things have been put in place. We have been able to get some very good players for our team and program. Now we just need to build on it and take it one step at a time.'
"
On the Big Ten:
"'Some people last year thought it was going to be a down year for the league, but it ended up being a very good and competitive year--that's why we play in the league. There are great players and great venues to play in. There are also great coaches and the Big Ten is one of the most prominent leagues in the country.'"
Full
Story
Future looks bright for Penn State men - PittsburghLIVE.com:
"CHICAGO--Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo, whose teams have advanced to the Final Four in four of the past seven including last season, sees promise in the Penn State program.
" 'I believe Ed DeChellis is the right guy for Penn State,' said Izzo, whose team was chosen as the preseason favorite by the media at the Big Ten Conference media day at O'Hare Marriott.
"'He has the passion for it. He will get the players he can win with, and he will be successful. If I could give him one piece of advice, it would be that he can't rush the process though, because it takes time to build a program, especially in a place like Penn State which hasn't had the tradition over years and years. I can use the tradition we have had here and also (Michigan State All-American in 1978-79) Magic Johnson to sell my program, but he doesn't have that. He will get there, though.' ..."
Full
Story
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Lancaster New Era: Scovill’s risk is rewarded:
"LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Clay Scovill could have played basketball at any Division III school he wished.
"He could have been an instant starter and a leading scorer.
"The Manheim Township graduate decided he didn’t want those things. He wanted to wear the Blue and White. ..."
Full
Story
Monday, October 24, 2005
DeFazio: Only Penn State has offered Pryor in both basketball and football
From Tony DeFazio's Pittsburgh Sports Report's email newsletter:
"Two-sport star sophomore Terrelle Pryor is one of the best sophomore basketball players in the country and is getting major attention in football, too. So far, Penn State has been the 6’6” 210 pound Pryor’s lone offer in both sports. Both are verbal offers since he can not receive a written offer yet in accordance with NCAA rules. He is also hearing from Southern Cal, Michigan, and West Virginia in football; Pitt, NC State, Michigan and Xavier are showing a lot of attention in basketball. Pitt head basketball coach Jamie Dixon attended a Jeannette football game just a few weeks ago. Most, including Pryor, think he will play basketball only at the next level. The ACC and Pitt are high on his list right now.
" “I talk to the NC State coach all the time and I really like them,” says Pryor, “but if Pitt is looking really good when it’s time to decide, I will look strongly at them, too.” "
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Sports Info: Penn State basketball team loses Morrissey to knee injury
Patella tendon dislocation will cost sophomore 4-6 months
"State College, Pa., Oct. 23, 2005 - A month before its season opener with Cornell on Nov. 19, the Penn State basketball team has lost one of its top returning scorers to a knee injury.
"Sophomore shooting guard Danny Morrissey (Cleveland, Ohio), who started 10 games as a true freshman, suffered a patella tendon dislocation in his left knee at the team's practice on Friday and is expected to undergo surgery within the next week. Morrissey is expected to be out of competition for 4-6 months and will likely redshirt the season.
"The loss of Morrissey reduces Head Coach Ed DeChellis's roster to 14 players as he enters his third season on the Nittany Lion bench.
" 'Obviously it's a big loss for our team,' DeChellis said. 'Danny is one of our top shooters and top competitors and a team leader on the floor. It's really unfortunate for him. He worked very hard in the off-season to prepare for this year. But, we feel like we have some very capable players that can step in and fill the gap and a team we will continue to prepare to have a strong season.'
"Morrissey suffered a similar injury to his right leg during his freshman year of high school and had surgery to clean up that injury prior to last season. He was fifth on the team averaging 7.7 points and added 2.5 rebounds per game for Penn State in his first season. Morrissey played an average of nearly 24 minutes per game and led the team with 53 three-pointers on the year, hitting nearly 36 percent from behind the arc.
"Morrissey stepped up his game in Big Ten play posting 8.3 points per game and recorded a career-high 22-point outing against Minnesota last March. He led the team in scoring in five games last season and posted double-digit outings on nine occasions, including 16 points against Northwestern and Western Carolina and 15 at Purdue.
"Penn State will see its first competition of the year Nov. 3 when they host an exhibition game against Lock Haven in the Bryce Jordan Center at 7:00 p.m. That game is free and open to the public as is the Nov. 10 exhibition against Edinboro (7:00 p.m.)."
"Penn State's men's basketball team, struggling to escape the cellar of the Big Ten where they've dwelled for four years, suffered a damaging blow yesterday when experienced shooting guard Danny Morrissey went down in practice with what appears to be a serious knee injury.
"The sophomore from Cleveland screamed in pain when he tried to plant during a defensive drill and his knee buckled. He left practice on crutches. The extent of the injury won't be fully determined until swelling subsides and Morrissey is examined by top school orthopedic specialist Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, who is scheduled to return early tomorrow from Penn State's football trip to Champaign, Ill. ..."
Full
Story
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Sophomore Terrelle Pryor is apparently hoping to play two sports in college, according to this
pay link at Scout.com. He visited Beaver Stadium recently.
FightOnState catches Terrelle Pryor on the sidelines at Beaver Stadium...
Full
Story
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Juco transfer makes name quickly:
"STATE COLLEGE - Lots of symbolism going on in a place that needs some sort of spiritual jump start.
"Symbols are known for being employed to do just that. And two jumped out yesterday at Penn State men's basketball media day in the Jordan Center.
"First, there was the news that third-year head coach Ed DeChellis has removed the names from the backs of the Nittany Lions' jerseys. Which, considering that half the team is new, will make life more confusing for those lonely souls who straggle into the Jordan Center this season, starting with a Nov. 19 skirmish with Cornell.
"Removing names has become a happening trend at a lot of colleges lately to accentuate team philosophy over the individual.
"Second, there was David Jackson. Not the 23-year-old junior college transfer's game. His head. Not his mind, his nerve or his vocal leadership. His cornrows.
"This might seem hilarious to some, but it's sort of a big deal in the realm of Penn State men's basketball. No one in the history of the program has ever been allowed to wear them. ..."
Didn't Brandon Watkins occasionally sport cornrows .... ed.
Full
Story
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Scout.com: Hoop Media Day: "Penn State basketball coach Ed DeChellis has more than a little salesman in him. But when it came to stripping the names from the backs of the Nittany Lions' jerseys this year, it wasn't so much about peddling game programs as it was about building team pride for an outfit that hasn't enjoyed a winning season in nearly half a decade.
“I think the name on the front of the jersey is very important,” DeChellis said at PSU's hoop Media Day Tuesday. “It is the only name we should be worried about. We'll go back to old school and put focus on the name of the front of the jersey, as it should be.”"
Full
Story
AP: Rested DeChellis hopes for more positive results at Penn State:
"STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State coach Ed DeChellis and his assistants looked more rested Tuesday than they did this time last year.
"With practices already under way for the 2005-06 season, the coaching staff might have more energy because they no longer have to fill out five-on-five drills in practice.
"Entering his third season at Penn State, DeChellis finds himself with a full complement of players for the first time. With 15 bodies on the preseason roster, DeChellis can put together three five-man squads in practice, a sign to him that the program is making strides.
" 'I think we're as healthy as we've been since I've been here,' DeChellis said. 'This is the first year everyone is on the same page.'"
Full
Story
Friday, October 07, 2005
Just a little bit of football stuff ...
Wonder if there are any basketball kids coming in this weekend? A rainy afternoon could stop one gigantic tailgating day.
Post-Gazette on campus atmosphere
Can one be an "eponoymous owner" of a restuarant?- ed.
Washington Post on Derrick Williams
Thursday, October 06, 2005
CDT's Paternoville blog:
"I just got back from Paternoville, and let me tell you, it was the most incredible experience I've had in my four years at Penn State outside of actual football games and THON. No hyperbole there. As my friend Danielle Copelin put it, 'It's like THON, only you can sit down.'
"Danielle and I counted 72 tents set up, extending almost all the way to the roadway. Four more were being erected as we were leaving. There were several TVs inside the tents, most of which with DVD players. One group had an XBox and was playing Grand Theft Auto and NCAA Football '06 while I was there. One group brought out a desk, complete with a lamp. There were many electronic lanterns. Several students were gathered around a stereo, which was broadcasting the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game. Someone constructed a giant 'PSU' and paw print on a nearby wall out of signs from the Student Book Store. ... "
Full
Story
Monday, October 03, 2005
Paternoville, outside the student section entrance:
Paternoville, outside the student section entrance
This is Monday of game week...these tents were here since Sunday night..
Full
Story
Sunday, October 02, 2005
ESPN.com - NCB - Katz: Tech couldn't risk losing Pat Knight:
"'[Texas Tech athletic director] Gerald Myers called me in and said they didn't want me to leave, they wanted me to be the next coach,' Pat Knight said Saturday night, shortly after the school had officially announced he would succeed his father whenever Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight retires.
"'I signed the contract a few weeks ago and we were just waiting for the Board of Regents to pass it,' said Pat Knight, 35. Knight said he signed a five-year contract, which would start whenever he takes over as head coach. ..."
Full
Story
