Just because a coach won the NIT last year should not give him a free pass to build a program. Ed DeChellis is now in his seventh year at Penn State so the question is: How many years does a college/university/professional team allow their coach to turn a losing program?
Last year DeChellis had his first winning season in conference play - 10-8. The 27 wins for the season is a little misleading since the preconference schedule was weak. DeChellis' Big Ten record stands at 29-78. You can have the best tactical coach who can't recruit, and the program does not win. Penn state needs a dynamic recruiter/coach to bring in the players.
Penn State has a lot of positives for recruiting players. Such as:
1. The university name and 40,000 students; 2. The Big Ten; 3. Television exposure plus the Big Ten Network; 4. The Bryce Jordan Center
The callers to Cory Giger's radio show say the Jordan Center is not ideal for basketball fans must not go to other arenas. Go to any NBA arena, and you'll see the same.
How long will it take Graham Spanier and Tim Curley to pull the trigger? Perhaps it's time to make a change at the top, too.
Jeff Tyler
Altoona
Lions miss Cornley
Some PSU thoughts ...
It sure is gloomy reading about the Penn State basketball program.
Ed DeChellis needs to get more recruits like Jamelle Cornley with plenty of heart and can bang it on the inside. Finesse doesn't work in the Big Ten.
This should be a very happy time with the winter weight program.
The quarterback mix is going to be very intriguing with Brett Brackett in there. I think he could be the "darkhorse" and become a lot more valuable than people think. He has a lot going for him.
An 85-year-old coach who has a top 10 recruiting class in the wings is doing okay. Joe is like the energizer bunny... just keeps going.
PSU wrestling is on the return. Cael Sanderson will have program competing in top five in next two years on a yearly basis.
Les Hart, Duncansville
Not so special
I can't quite agree with some of Neil Rudel's grades on the Capital One Bowl.
I thought the special teams' horrible decision to kick short was a nightmare - a disaster in waiting. Call it what you will, but it was just plain pathetic as was this aspect of our game all year.
I can't believe we continue to have some of the worst special teams in the NCAA, especially with the personnel and coaching experience we have. To me this falls, for the most part, on one person: Joe Paterno. However, I do think Tom Bradley has a hand in this fiasco as well.
I think JoePa's belief in the Lions having dominating defense is also a big factor. What happened to the freshman (Anthony Fera) with the strong leg, at least on kickoffs?
I sure wish Navorro Bowman had stayed around for his senior year. There's lots of talent in the wings and coming in, but Bowman was really becoming something special. Jared Odrick's loss will hurt, too.
Barry Rex
Poquoson, Va.
Guilfoyle's PCIAA team worthy
Congratulations to the 1984 Bishop Guilfoyle High School girls basketball team for being elected into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame.
It was a well deserving team that did epitomize the total unselfish attitude it takes to win a state championship.
When I read the story in the Mirror, I could not help to think about a similar team from 1967-68.
On a cold March night at the War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, the 1967-68 BG boys basketball team united together to win the first state championship in this city's history. (BG won the Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association title in 1968).
We did it just like the BG girls did - using a variety of players on any given night. We were a team on a mission and all the hard work and sacrifice paid off.
I hope the Hall of Fame Selection Committee does not forget about the team that started it all.
Bob Eger, Altoona
