With the spring sports season winding down on the Penn State campus,
it’s time again to take e-quests. That’s where you, the reader, e-mail
me with your story requests.
Is there a sport that you like that doesn’t get much attention? Just
shoot me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can do to get your story in
Morelli OnLion.
In today’s edition, we’ll take a look at Penn State grappler Brad
Pataky, the Nittany Lion football team’s latest verbals, take a glance
at one of the new Lady Lions and have our weekly non-rev roundup.
In the meantime, you can shoot your e-quests to morellionlion@gmail.com.
Pataky Update
Current Penn State and former Clearfield Area High School wrestling
standout Brad Pataky recently took part in the University World Team
Trials, which were held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Pataky won the freestyle championship in the 55kg/121-pound division
in two consecutive matches over Michael Martinez, who wrestles for the
University of Wyoming. Pataky, who also won the 2008 University
Nationals, defeated Martinez, 2-0, 5-2. Then won again, 2-2, 4-2, in
the second match. Pataky won the series, two matches to none.
Penn State coach Troy Sunderland is expecting big things from Pataky
in the near future. It looks like the former Bison is right on track.
More Verbals
The Nittany Lions now have a total of 11 verbal commitments for the
next year’s recruiting class.
Penn State coach Joe Paterno and his staff reeled in a pair of verbals
last week, netting two more. The first is 6-foot-3 164-pound Brandon
Felder, a wide receiver from Oxon Hill, Md. The second was 6-2,
250-pound Sean Stanley, a four-star defensive end, according to
rivals.com.
The Nittany Lions still have several scholarships to give. Their
biggest needs remain quarterback and wide receivers.
Future Lady Lion: Zhaque Gray
Growing up, Zhaque Gray’s name changed. She’s not exactly sure how old
she was or why it happened, but it did.
Zhaque (pronounced Zha-QUAY) got shortened to Zha Zha. Yes, just like
the famous movie star Zsa Zsa Gabor.
“It started when I was younger,” Gray said with a laugh. “I really
don’t know how it started. But (my teammates) can call me whatever.”
Gray, a 5-foot-8 point guard from John Hope High School in Chicago, is
the 37th-ranked player in the nation, according to Blue Star
Basketball. During her prep career, she led the Eagles to back-to-back
City Championship runner-up efforts in 2005-06 and 2006-07. During her
senior season, she averaged 17.1 points, 4.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds
per game in leading her squad to the championship. John Hope finished
the season 29-2 and was considered one of the top Class AAA teams in
Illinois.
After watching her play, Penn State coach Coquese Washington knew that
Gray — a three-star guard according to hoopgurlz.com — was a player
she had to have.
“In addition to her speed and athleticism, she’s a scorer,” Washington
said. “She’s very creative and very capable of putting the ball in the
basket. She excels in the transition game and can score in
transition.”
Although she was a point guard at John Hope, Gray will be asked to
play more two at Penn State. But just because Washington has two point
guards on the roster in Brianne O’Rourke and the incoming Phillips
doesn’t mean that Gray won’t be the floor general from time to time.
“With her quickness and ability, she’s someone who could play at the
point if necessary. I want to get her some looks at being able to run
the team,” Washington said.
Gray said it doesn’t matter where she plays, as long as she can contribute.
“I just want to play,” Gray said.
Gray didn’t expect to be donning the blue and white during her
collegiate career. She was being recruited by Notre Dame just a couple
of years ago, but when Washington landed the head job with the Lady
Lions, Gray’s compass dramatically shifted toward Happy Valley.
She has a close relationship with Washington, so Penn State wasn’t a hard sell.
“I have a great relationship with Coquese. When she went to Penn
State, she told me I could make them better. I visited and I liked the
players, liked the campus,” Gray said.
But in the end, it wasn’t the campus, the facilities or her teammates.
It was the woman in charge.
“Coquese played the guard position, so I know she can make me better.
I feel like I can talk to her and she can take me to the next level,”
Gray. “My all-around game can be better. She can make me better.”
Gray selected the Lady Lions over Illinois, Temple, Rutgers and DePaul.
Non-rev roundup: Baseball
It seems like the Penn State baseball team always heats up at the end
of May. The Nittany Lions did it again this season, but they just
couldn’t get over the hump at the Big Ten Tournament.
The Nittany Lions dropped two of three at the tourney and saw their
season come to an end. The final loss of the year was an 11-8 decision
to the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Nittany Lions finished the year with a 27-31 overall record.
Despite falling out of the tournament, there were a couple of
highlights from Ann Arbor, Mich. Rob Yodice ended his Penn State
career with five consecutive multiple-RBI games and tied for fourth on
the Penn State single season RBI list. Joe Blackburn’s final game was
a memorable one, as he went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs
in his final collegiate game.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor
of Blue White Illustrated, a sports publication devoted to Penn State
sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN
Radio in State College and Altoona. E-mail him at
morellionlion@gmail.com.