I think Hollidaysburg Area High School boys basketball coach Mike Pentoney should not have been suspended because he spoke the truth about colleges and high schools in general.
All the coaches have to do is talk to some of the school's alumni, telling them a few players he or she could use to help them contend in their divisions, and the alumni will contact the players' family to see what it will take to get their son or daughter to that area.
A good example is years ago when Altoona lost Danny Fortson to Shaler High School in Pittsburgh after his mother suddenly got a job in that area. It had nothing to do with Danny playing on the McDonald's All-American High School team who just happened to be coached by a prominent Shaler supporter during that summer.
There is a high school in Scott County, Kent., that is always one of the top teams in the state. It seems they are always having star players coming to play for them from surrounding states, and that one of their parents is always getting a job with a certain factory in Georgetown Ky., right close by that county.
But the coach is always telling the newspapers that he does not recruit these players. Scott County is just down the road from the University of Kentucky, but I'm sure none of their alumni would have anything to do with the recruiting.
I lived in Kentucky for 10-plus years and had a relative play against some of these recruits in AAU basketball tournaments.
Charles Miller
Altoona
State College gets too many transfers
I have often wondered what the State College Little Lions' records would be if they had to use State College-born players only.
Too many good athletes born in other school districts end up in State College playing for the Little Lions. One way to stop this unfairness is if all schools on the Little Lions' schedule forfeit all their games with them until they learn (if ever) to go by the rules.
If Taran Buie would have stayed home and graduated where he should have, in Albany, N.Y., you could give Bishop Guilfoyle another win.
State College a big AAAA school. BG is only a Single-A school. This is the big trouble - big State College competing with too many little schools.
Will the PIAA ever put a stop to it? Don't count on it.
I follow Tyrone football and had an uncle who worked at Tyrone Area High School. He was able to get me all the football scores between State College and Tyrone. Tyrone is much smaller than State College, yet the Golden Eagles hold a 10-game advantage over the Little Lions.
My senior class was 1947. I guess in those years, State College was unable to get any transfers to move to State College to help them.
Marty Turnbaugh
Tyrone
PSU needs to pull plug on DeChellis
We now know last season was a pure fluke for the Penn State men's basketball program.
Coach Ed DeChellis is in his seventh season and has only one winning season. That is not good enough to keep his job. Ed is a classy gentleman and a great "Xs and Os" coach, but he can't recruit well enough.
I watched the game against Wisconsin and told my wife the Nits would not win the game. She asked why. My answer was they can't finish 40 minutes and be competitive. This has become a mental thing with these players. They know deep down they will lose when the buzzer sounds. They have simply stopped buying into DeChellis' way to do things.
I would hope Tim Curley and Graham Spanier take responsibility and force Ed to resign at end of season and pay off the remaining years of his contract (through 2014). Somewhere out there is a star on the horizon and might be able to make this program competitive.
All of us who have complained about the Nittany Lion Club raising its fees shouldn't complain.
You can't expect the football program to carry the full load for all 29 sports programs. The plan was for the men's basketball program to become the second revenue earner. This program has failed in its responsibility. And now I am beginning to see why AD Curley went out and hired Cael Sanderson to take over the wrestling program.
Pennsylvania has the best high school wrestlers in the nation, and Sanderson knew what a gold mine he had when he took the Penn State job.
This wrestling program will become the second revenue contributor behind the football program.
Les Hart
Duncansville
