It was another lost weekend for the Penn State men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Both the Nittany Lions and the Lady Lions lost over the weekend, and both teams are on severe slides. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll check in with both squads. We’ll also talk about adding another team to the Big Ten and feature a member of Penn State’s Class of 2010.
Let’s start with hoops.
Lost Weekend
If you’re a Penn State basketball fan, these are tough times. The Nittany Lions lost on Saturday (again), and the Penn State women dropped another contest on Sunday.
The men have already collapsed, and the women’s squad appears to be on the verge of one. The men’s team was handled by Michigan State at the Bryce Jordan Center on Saturday afternoon as the Nittany Lions lost their 12th consecutive Big Ten game. There was actually a decent crowd on hand, so kudos to you if you went and endured another loss.
The good news for the Lions is the fact that the misery won’t last much longer. There are just six regular season games remaining, followed by a game at the Big Ten Tournament.
Around Happy Valley, a lot of the discussion has centered around coach Ed DeChellis and whether or not he will be back in 2010-11. Penn State would have to eat nearly $2 million in salary if it decides that it’s the end of the road for DeChellis. That seems unlikely, because PSU rarely eats big contracts. It is, however, interesting to compare the DeChellis situation to former wrestling coach Troy Sunderland. During the 2007-08 season, Sunderland guided the Lions to a third place finish. The next season, he slipped considerably. Just like that, Sunderland was gone.
So how is the situation with DeChellis any different? Well, on the surface, it’s not. DeChellis guided his squad to the NIT Championship. This season, the Lions are the laughingstock of not only the Big Ten, but the country. So what, exactly, is the difference between DeChellis and Sunderland?
It’s money.
Sunderland made a fraction of what DeChellis does, so telling him to hit the bricks was not a big deal. With DeChellis, Tim Curley and Company will have to eat a big contract and then go out and sign another coach to a big contract.
It looks like the misery will continue in un-Happy Valley.
On the women’s side, coach Coquese Washington’s squad is collapsing as the season winds down. It’s almost a mirror image of what happened during her first season with the Lady Lions. The squad is mired in a six-game losing streak and is now 15-10.
Unlike the men, the women’s squad still has a chance to make the NCAA tournament, but Washington has to get the ship righted or the Lady Lions will find themselves playing on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament.
That’s never a good place to be.
Big Ten Expansion
Over the past couple of months, the Big Ten has talked about expansion. The universities that have been mentioned as possible candidates include Notre Dame, Pitt, Missouri and even Texas.
So, who do you want to see in the Big Ten and why? Shoot me an e-mail to morellionlion@gmail.com.
I’ll let you know who the readers selected, and I’ll give you my choice.
Class of 2010: Brad Bars
Today, we will introduce the first member of Penn State’s Class of 2010. Brad Bars is a 6-foot-3 defensive back from Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tenn.
Like a late round draft pick, Bars is probably a bit of a reach. But PSU assistant coach Larry Johnson liked what he saw when he visited Nashville and offered Bars a scholarship. Bars — who had offers from some small schools and several Ivy League schools — didn’t hesitate when he got the offer. He accepted on the spot without having made a trip to Happy Valley.
“I was really excited about Penn State because they, as I know, have a reputation of producing tough players, great defensive players, linebackers and defensive ends,” Bars said. “When coach Johnson came to the house, he said, ‘I know you can definitely play here, and I’d like to extend you an offer.’ I told him, ‘thank you very much’ and I accepted the offer.
During his senior year, Bars moved to defensive end from his familiar linebacker spot. He racked up 65 tackles, nine sacks, 20 tackles for loss and several fumble recoveries.
He’s rated as a two-star by rivals.com. Football runs in his blood, though. His father and uncle played for Notre Dame. His grandfather played at Michigan State.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers 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.