Posts filed under 'Nittany Lion basketball'
Jerry Dunn Taking Leave of Absence from Michigan
A Penn State colleague called my attention to this news from Ann Arbor: Jerry Dunn, the associate head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team, is taking an indefinite leave of absence, citing “personal family matters.”
Dunn was the head coach at Penn State from 1996–2003 (and an assistant coach under Bruce Parkhill for 12 years before that).
After leaving Penn State, Dunn spent four years as an assistant under John Beilein at West Virginia, then followed Beilein to Michigan.
Though his record as the head man at Penn State was just 117-121, he had his moments, including two NCAA tournament appearances and that Sweet 16 run in 2001. He’s a very likable guy, and it was nice to see him land a good coaching job in the Big Ten. Everyone is hoping that his current challenges aren’t serious.
Tina Hay, editor
Add comment December 30, 2009
Another Nittany Lion Hoops Milestone
Eleven years into the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the annual early season hoops tournament dominated by Atlantic Coast Conference schools, no Big Ten team had managed to win three straight games against ACC foes.
Until Monday night.
The Nittany Lions opened the 2009 Challenge Monday at Virginia, overcoming a six-point halftime deficit to record a 69-66 win. Junior guard Talor Battle led the way with 32 points—a school-record 28 of them coming in the second half—as the Lions built a 12-point lead, then fought off a late UVA rally for the win.
Penn State’s third consecutive win in the series comes after last year’s 85-83 victory at Georgia Tech, and a 66-61 defeat of Virgina Tech in 2007. The 2009 Challenge continues with five games tonight and five more on Wednesday, and observers say the Big Ten has its best chance to finally win a majority of the games. If so, the rest of the conference can thank the Nittany Lions for showing them how to do it.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment December 1, 2009
Kelly Mazzante & Blue-Chip Recruits Shine Light on PSU Hoops
Hard to believe, but college basketball is about to tip off again. Both the Nittany and Lady Lions open their seasons Friday, and both received good news this week about the future of their programs.
On Wednesday, the first day of the national early signing period for high school basketball players, Penn State recruits were able to make their verbal promises official. The Nittany Lions got their guy when Taran Buie (right), younger brother of current Penn State guard Talor Battle, signed his letter of intent; he’s arguably the most highly touted recruit in Nittany Lion history. I’ve had a chance to see him play the past couple of summers in Akron, Ohio at the LeBron James Skills Academy, an all-star camp for some of the nation’s best prep players. Buie, a 6-2 guard, recently relocated with his family to Centre County, and I imagine I won’t be the only one showing up at State High games this winter specifically to see him play.
The Lady Lions’ strong recruiting class is led by Maggie Lucas, a 5-8 guard from Narbeth, Pa., ranked as the 14th best senior in the nation by one prominent recruiting service. And, in a rare crossover of my old and new jobs that I’m happy to share here, a Lady Lion legend is getting some ink this week, too.
Before coming back to Penn State, I spent a little more than seven years at Slam, the basketball magazine. Though I had nothing to do with it, there’s a very cool Q&A on the Slam site this week with Kelly Mazzante ’04, who’s fresh off helping the Phoenix Mercury to their second WNBA title in the past three years. The interviewer describes Mazzante as “one of the most underrated players in the WNBA,” as well as “one of the nicest, funniest, and most supportive” — a description that should sound just right to longtime Lady Lion fans.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment November 12, 2009
Penn Staters Come Home… to Mid-October Snow?
It’s Homecoming Week in Happy Valley, which Mother Nature is none-too-thoughtfully marking with the earliest recorded snowfall in State College history. Here’s the view outside my window in University House, a little after noon on Thursday…
(That’s the seating area for the URTC production of Romeo & Juliet, by the way; tonight’s final performance has been cancelled, and the chairs and set are being taken down as I type this.)
The weather will complicate things, but of course, Homecoming will go on regardless. You can check the Homecoming Committee’s site and the Alumni Association’s Homecoming page for details of the weekend schedule. In addition, a couple of points of interest from where I sit:
-Among the alumni coming back to University Park this weekend are members of the 1947 football team that went unbeaten and helped break the color barrier in college football. We’ve got a terrific feature on that team set to run in our Nov/Dec issue, which Association members will receive in a couple of weeks.
-Since this weather is already making it feel like mid-winter, why not spend part of your weekend watching some basketball? Prior to Saturday’s homecoming football game against Minnesota, the Nittany Lion basketball team is holding a preseason “Hoop Fest” at the Bryce Jordan Center. Things tip off at 11:30 with a scrimmage, followed by a three-point shooting contest, a dunk contest, and an autograph session.
Committed tailgater that I am, I had planned on skipping the Hoop Fest until my man Brian Siegrist in Athletic Communications asked me to be one of the (ahem) “celebrity” judges for the dunk contest. So, if you’re at the Jordan Center at 12:20 on Saturday, you might get to see me hold up a piece of paper with a number on it.
P.S. My pick for the dunk contest? Freshman Tim Frazier. Here’s why (make sure you watch until the end):
Stay warm and enjoy the weekend.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
3 comments October 15, 2009
Four More Years for Ed DeChellis
Fresh off a school-record 27 wins and the program’s first postseason national title, men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis ‘82 has received a contract extension. DeChellis’ new deal will keep him on the Penn State sidelines through the 2013-2014 season.
The Nittany Lions open the 2009-10 season on Nov. 13, when they host Penn at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment October 1, 2009
Reps on the Rise: Talor Battle & Jack Crawford
Talor Battle continues to make us look good for featuring him in our Nov/Dec 2008 issue. The Nittany Lion point guard (pictured here) followed up his terrific sophomore season by leading the U.S. team in scoring at the World University Games last week in Serbia, where the Americans earned a bronze medal. Here’s hoping Jack Crawford treats us just as well. The British-born defensive end and sophomore-to-be on the Penn State football team is the “Lead Athlete” in our current (July/Aug) issue, and we’re not the only ones picking him for stardom in the near future. The Altoona Mirror ran a lengthy profile of Crawford on Sunday, coinciding with the Nittany Lions’ annual Lift for Life charity event, which raised more than $81,000 for the Kidney Cancer Association.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment July 13, 2009
Talor Battle (and His Family) Are Having Quite a Summer
Just got an e-mail from the folks at USA Basketball announcing the final roster for the World University Games. Among the names on the 12-man roster is Talor Battle, the Nittany Lions’ all-Big Ten point guard. It’s a terrific honor for Battle, who earns a trip to Belgrade, Serbia, next month for the international tournament. The U.S. team will be led by Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan — whose knowledge of Battle’s talent from conference play probably didn’t hurt Talor’s chances — and assisted by University of Miami coach Frank Haith; hardcore Nittany Lion hoops fans will remember Haith as a Penn State assistant coach during the ’95-96 season.
By the time Battle gets back from Europe, he might have a new hometown: With Talor looking at two more years in a Penn State uniform and his younger brother, Taran Buie, committed to play for the Nittany Lions beginning in 2010, Battle’s mother and kids (including Buie) are reportedly moving to Centre County in time for Buie’s senior year of high school. Buie, a top-50 recruit according to some national scouting services, is the most highly touted recruit in the history of the program. As a Penn State hoops fan who lives about a mile from State College High School, I for one am psyched.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment June 18, 2009
Ed DeChellis Live Chat on ESPN. Any Questions?
Hoops season has been over for a couple of months now, but Ed DeChellis ’82 Edu is staying busy. Over the weekend, the Nittany Lion basketball coach hosted the annual Coaches v. Cancer Golf Tournament; today, he’s at the ESPN studios in Connecticut, where he’ll take questions in a live Web chat starting at 2:30 pm. If you’d like to query the coach (or just say hello), check out the link, log in, and fire away.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment June 8, 2009
On the Couch (and In the Kitchen) with John Amaechi
When I wrote a few weeks ago about John Amaechi’s new gig as a UK reality show judge, cross-Atlantic copyright law apparently prevented me from linking to a clip of the show. Thankfully, Amaechi ’94 Lib just posted on his Facebook page a link to his recent appearance on Something for the Weekend, a mix of celebrity chat and cooking that airs on BBC Two. The first clip features John talking about his experience as a judge on The Speaker, as well as his NBA career and his work as a psychologist, activist, and speaker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xne_5qbAQyc&feature=related
In the second, John helps a chef make something called “cheesy balls.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKaNSDcAzSo&NR=1
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment April 30, 2009
John Amaechi’s New Gig: UK Reality TV
Former Penn State hoops great (and now psychologist, motivational speaker, broadcaster, and activist) John Amaechi ’94 Lib has another title to add to his CV: Reality-show judge. John will feature prominently on The Speaker, which debuts in the UK tonight on the BBC. The show features 14-to-18 year olds from throughout the UK in competition to be named Britain’s Best Young Speaker. You can check out a pretty cool promo for the show here.
This news probably doesn’t help much if you live in the U.S., as the video clips on the show’s site don’t appear to work — I assume that has to do with international viewing rights — and as the show doesn’t appear scheduled to air on BBC America. But you can get a sense of John’s acumen on his YouTube channel, or you can take my word for it: I’ve known John since I covered him as as basketball writer for the Collegian, and I’ve seen him speak on campus a couple of times over the past two years. In fact, he was a guest speaker in the feature-writing class I taught last year; as any of my students could tell you, his direct and engaging appearance was the highlight of the semester — news I did my best not to take personally.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment April 7, 2009
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