At this time of year, the annual Blue-White Game is normally the top story in Happy Valley. That’s not the case this year.
Penn State basketball and wrestling took center stage over the past week for completely different reasons. The Nittany Lion basketball team captured the NIT championship and wrestling coach Troy Sunderland resigned.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at Sunderland’s resignation, look at why the NIT will always play second fiddle to the NCAA tournament and go in depth with another member of the Penn State football Class of 2009.
Let’s start with the big wrestling news.
Troy Sunderland was forced out the door by the Penn State administration.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated)
Sunderland Done
After finishing 17th at the NCAA championships this spring, the Penn State brass apparently had enough of wrestling coach Troy Sunderland. About a week ago, Sunderland was given a choice — resign or be fired.
On Saturday, word came that Sunderland chose to resign.
After finishing third at nationals just a year ago, Sunderland was expected to make that type of run again. When the Nittany Lions didn’t perform, he was pushed out the door.
Isn’t it funny how certain coaches are held to different standards at Penn State?
Former Penn State women’s basketball coach Rene Portland had back-to-back losing seasons and was then pushed out the door despite a legendary career. Sure, there were some storm clouds circling overhead because of the Jen Harris lawsuit, but instead of defending their longtime coach, the university decided it would be easier to kick her to the curb.
The Lady Lions haven’t enjoyed a winning season since.
Sunderland had to deal with injury and dismissals this season. There was no way his squad was going to be able to repeat the third place finish of a year ago. Forget that the Big Ten is one of the best wrestling conferences in the country. It’s not easy to recruit, not easy to win. But Sunderland did the best he could, despite the hurdles.
Until this season, Penn State men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis had not won a postseason tournament game. In fact, he had a dismal winning percentage of .383. After making the NIT a few seasons back, DeChellis was given a contract extension. We’re certain another extension will be forthcoming considering the Nits actually won several postseason games this year.
Sunderland’s resignation is a big loss for the wrestling program and for Penn State. It will be interesting to see if the new coach (whoever that may be) can live up to the high expectations set by the administration.
NIT vs. NCAA
First of all, we have to congratulate the Nittany Lions for a nice run through the NIT to capture the school’s first-ever basketball title.
But now that the NIT and NCAA tournaments are in the books, we thought it would be fun to look back at the two and how they differ. Why is the NIT the second best tournament in March? Why has it become the butt of the joke? Well, here are just a few of the reasons why the NIT has become the “Not Important Tournament.”
Final Four Venues
NCAA: The NCAA Final Four has been played at some of the nation’s greatest sports venues. This year, it was staged at Ford Field in Detroit. Next year, it’s slated for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. These are state-of-the-art facilities that have hosted some of the biggest games in sports. Ford Field was the site of Super Bowl XL. Super Bowl XLIV is being played in Indianapolis.
NIT: The NIT Final Four plays at Madison Square Garden. MSG has a lot of history, but that’s about it. it’s a tired old building in New York City that needs to be put out of its misery, just like the team it hosts, the Knicks.
Television
NCAA: Each and every game of the NCAA tournament is on CBS. Most of the games air in prime time and often thump the competition, even if it is “American Idol.”
NIT: The NIT airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN360. If you can’t find the game you’re looking for there, bust out your radio, put up the antenna and cross your fingers.
Announcers
NCAA: CBS has an arsenal of top-notch play-by-play and color commentators as its disposal. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg called the NCAA title game Monday night.
NIT: ESPN usually scrambles to find someone to call its NIT games. However, there’s a chain of command at the Worldwide Leader and the NIT announcers are usually named after they’ve filled slots for rodeo, the World Series of Poker and the World’s Strongest Man competition.
Sponsors
NCAA: In case you missed it, Vitamin Water was the major sponsor of this year’s NCAA tournament. The cups and bottles were everywhere.
NIT: The NIT Final Four was being sponsored by Miller High Life, but after finding out what the cumulative RPI of the four teams was, the Miller High Life delivery driver went to MSG and revoked their right to sell the High Life.
Souvenirs
NCAA: There are plenty of Final Four souvenirs to choose from and can be obtained at the game, online or in your local sporting goods store.
NIT: There’s a guy named Mel who sits in a van just around the corner from Madison Square Garden. Tell him Pinky sent you and make sure to wash the T-shirt before you wear it!
Dates
NCAA: The NCAA Final Four was held over a weekend in Detroit so fans could enjoy the whole experience.
NIT: The NIT Final Four was held on a Tuesday and a Thursday so it wouldn’t conflict with a couple of big-ticket shows. On March 30, Anderson Cooper interviewed Arianna Huffington, D.L. Hugley and Mike Huckabee at MSG. On April 1, it hosted the April Fools Comedy Show.
Extracurricular Activities
NCAA: In addition to the Final Four, fans were invited to participate in a variety of events including Final Four Friday (team practice), NCAA Hoop City, a youth basketball clinic, The Road to the Final Four 5K Run/Walk, NCAA Final Four Dribble, NCAA Middle School Madness and the Hershey’s College All-Star Game.
NIT: According to the NIT Web site, in addition to the games, there was also well, um, nothing. Drive home safely, everyone!
Swag Bag
NCAA: Players who attended the NCAA Final Four got a “Swag Bag” with all sorts of goodies from an iPod to a Fossil Watch.
NIT: Players who played in the NIT Final Four didn’t get a “Swag Bag.” However, all lockers at MSG were equipped with combination locks so Larry the Custodian can’t use wire cutters and a backpack to make his own “Swag Bag.”
Curtis Drake is a two-star recruit, according to rivals.com.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Class of 2009: Curtis Drake
He’s a two-star, but he’s good.
West Catholic athlete Curtis Drake may only be rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, but Penn State fans are still thrilled to have him.
Having made his verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions in early June, Drake became the 12th commitment for Penn State’s Class of 2009, having declined an offer from Northwestern and interest from Georgia Tech, Maryland, Minnesota and Pittsburgh.
At just 6-0, 175 pounds, Drake isn’t locked into any one position for when he arrives on Penn State’s campus in June, but according to him, he’d like to come in and make an early impact at the receiver position.
“When I played Little League, I actually started out at receiver, but that was only for about two years,” Drake said after committing. “Then, I went to running back and moved to quarterback, and I’ve been playing quarterback ever since, for seven years now.
“Once I started talking to Penn State, and started realizing that there might be a chance that I may have to play wideout, every camp I’ve been to I’ve played wide receiver. So every camp I’ve been to, I’ve gone from quarterback to wideout, and, for me, I feel that I have a lot of athleticism, so it wasn’t a hard transition.
“I can go out there and do what I have to do. I went to a camp at Rutgers, and (Andre Rison) was there, and he saw me run some routes or whatever. He said I was just really impressive to the coaches and the staff out there. He told me that I definitely have what it takes to play at wideout.”
This season, Drake did a lot of everything at West Catholic and was honored as the Pennsylvania Class AA player of the year, in addition to being named first team all-state.
With 1,639 yards on 115 carries for a 14.3 yards per carry average, Drake scored 21 rushing touchdowns. Of course, that was just in addition to his 1,354 yards and 15 touchdowns he totaled through the air as the West Catholic Burrs’ quarterback on 63-for-104 passing.
In all, his season was enough to lead his squad to the PIAA state championship game, where the Burrs eventually fell to Wilmington.
Chris Morelli is the award-winning editor of Blue White Illustrated, a weekly publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. This column does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BWI’s writers or publisher.