lO The Daily Collegian
Lions
By VITO FORLENZA
Collegian Staff Writer
, Penn State is No. 10 in the first
ever Bowl Championship Series
frankings, and coach Joe Paterno is
[acting as if he doesn’t have a clue
•that the inaugural standings were
[even released.
; “I don’t even know what is going
■on with the poll,” Paterno said at
[yesterday’s weekly press confer
ence. “I really don’t pay much
.attention to any of that stuff. My
■feeling has been that we should not
have preseason polls, and we
shouldn’t have polls until we play
five or six games. Is this the poll
that they are going to eventually
use to pick the No. 1 and No. 2
team?”
Paterno, echoing the majority of
WNBA impacting
college programs
By DONNIE COLLINS
Collegian Staff Writer
Two years ago, the Women’s
National Basketball Association
made its presence known in the
sports world.
With its catchy “We got next!”
slogan and a handful of bona fide
star players like Houston’s Sheryl
Swoopes and Los Angeles’ Lisa
Leslie, the WNBA set out on its
maiden voyage after the NBA
Finals in the summer of 1996.
Although it is still a new league
on the block, women’s professional
basketball has made significant
strides over the past couple of
years.
Competing in a nation where
men’s sports dominate the atten
tion of the common sports fan, both
the WNBA and American Basket
ball League (ABL) have been able
to steal a great portion of the spot
light and garner notable popularity
for the women’s game.
Before the days of the WNBA
and ABL, there was no lack of
women’s leagues. However, they
were all located overseas.
As the notoriety of professional
women’s leagues in the United
States increases, most American
born players have set their sites
not on playing professionally
abroad, but staying at home.
Because of this, many coaches in
the Big Ten said high school play
ers are looking less at education,
tradition and environment when
they look for the right university at
which to play.
Now that playing in the pros and
doing it close to home is not only
feasible, but probable for the most
talented of college players, the col
lege coach’s role as a recruiter has
taken on some noticeable changes.
Penn State coach Rene Portland
said the desire for high school
players to go to a program that will
get them to the WNBA crept up on
her last season.
During her recruiting trips this
year, Portland hasn’t found any
less interest from young players
who want to end up in one of the
pro leagues.
“Last year was quite a surprise,
and this year’s recruiting class
asked the same question, ‘Can you
get us to the pro league,’ ” Portland
said. “We have some players in
there already, and it’s helped us
out.”
Darling to guide backcourt into new lady eager season
Editor's Note: This is the first in a three-part
series previewing the women's basketball team.
The story features the guards.
By WILLIAM KALEC
Collegian Staff Writer
When point guard Helen Darling walked
off the floor of the Ferrell Center last
March following the Penn State women’s
basketball team’s 59-56 victory over Bay
lor, she had done more than contribute to
the Lady Lions’ first ever Women’s Nation
al Invitation Tournament crown.
She also proved an age-old adage wrong.
In front 10,057 loud and ravenous Baylor
basketball fanatics, Darling was able to
No. 10 in first BCS standings
itjf Ha ter no's
f P¥35 k,y
conference
college football coaches, later said
he is willing to give the BCS sys
tem a chance, but that support still
hasn’t deterred him from advocat
ing a playoff system
The BCS rankings, released Mon
day night, resulted ‘"inn a com
bined effort b\ ’ .■ ■■■■-natives of
the NCAA. nball’s six
major conference • and Notre
Dame.
The rankings are an attempt to
crown a national champion witiiin
tory
Among Big Ten • ciiools. only
lowa can boast nv-r-. players com
peting professionally in the WNBA
and ABL than Portland’s Lady
Lions.
Former Lions y Masley and
Angie Pothoff are enjoying suc
cessful ABL careers with the Col
orado Xplosion and Columbus
Quest, respective!;, .
But the S.iur v
biggest impact .11 •.
leagues is Su<tie McL-iuneii Serio. a
31-year-old mother of four who
graduated from Penn State in 1988.
With the Cleveland Rockers this
past season, McConnell Serio
earned all-\V.\B,'>, lirst-tearn hon
ors, as well as the league's New
comer of the Year a; d v'ortsman
ship awards.
Portland sani Mot <■ '.ell Serin’s
accomplishrr.cn' • . television
exposure helped
of potential rec
State program.
“Suzie did wonderful things for
us this summer,” Portland said.
“Every time they talked about
Suzie, they talked about her being a
mom, as well as being a Penn State
point guard. (WNHA commentator
and Connecticut coach) Geno
Auriemma did a v.nnderful job of
always talking about Penn State
when he talked about Suzie."
The WNBA is no; ;.!y having an
effect on high school seniors and
juniors. It is reacting a much
younger audience
At her instructional camps,
Michigan coach Sue Guevara said
girls preparing to enter high school
already have hopes of playing in
the WNBA.
“At your crip ud n year
olds are wearing rro uniforms.”
Guevara said
tions you are always a.stxd is. 'How
many players do you have in pro
leagues?' I think it’s been great.”
Coaches like Portland, Guevara
and Minnesota's Chi. ,-yl I.ittlesjhn
all use the WNBA a - recruiting
tool. It’s an especially useful tool
for Littlejohn, who stresses to
recruits that Minnesota received a
WNBA franc) lise whid, begins play
next summer
Littlejohn said, b. a e ver, that it
isn’t the collegiate program that
Please see WNBA, Page 18.
keep her poise She didn’t let the crowd
noise bother her - as she continued directing
traffic from the point guard petition she
was the one running the show.
And when till was said and done, Darling
disproved the saying “Great leaders are
born, not made."
“The postseason did a lot for our confi
dence and leadership,” coach Rene Port
land said. “You saw Helen, who gives peo
ple fits at point guard, but still a growing
point guard, start to understand what lead
ership is And she was only a sophomore.”
Now 7 a year older and wiser, Darling will
be the focal point of this year's Lady Lion
backcourt that is as deep with talent as any
in the Big Ten Her exploits in the postsea
she present bowl system as
opposed to shaping a playoff for
mat.
The Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1 Big
1 en) are still three wins away from
qualifying for any of the BCS par
ticipants (the Rose, Sugar and
Orange Bowls and the Fiesta Bowl
■— site of this year’s national cham
pionship), but meet the alliance’s
second condition, a top-12 ranking.
A second-place finish in the Big
Fen wouldn’t guarantee the Lions
in alliance bid.
If No. 1 Ohio State finishes atop
Nne polls and plays for the national
itle, the second place Big Ten
earn does not get an automatic
invitation to the Rose Bowl.
Bowls that lose teams to the
championship game, the Rose Bowl
ncluded, get to choose from the
Cager guard takes court for first time since injury
By MICHAEL LELLO
Collegian Staff Writer
All eyes were on Dan Earl last
night as he took the floor of the
Bryce Jordan Center for the first
time since Dec. 7 of last year,
when he and what was supposed
to be his senior season came
tumbling to the hardwood with a
torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Earl, granted a sixth season by
the NCAA after taking a medical
redshirt last season, started last
night’s annual Blue-White scrim
mage and looked like the same
point guard Nittany Lion fans
remembered, scoring 12 points
in a losing effort for the Blue
team, which was outscored 68-52
bv White.
Earl was not as satisfied with
his performance as most of his
observers were, but he admitted
it felt good to return to competi
tion.
"I think you can say I’m fairly
| rusty,” Earl said. “But it’s nice to
jjj run around and go up and down
(the court). I’m just a little wind
ed and my leg needs to get more
strength.”
If Earl had any cobwebs sur
rounding his offensive game, he
|| dusted them off early, drilling a
| three-point shot at the top of the
S arc on the third Blue possession
i of the first half. On the next two
i. Blue drives, Earl shot both times,
|l nailing a shot just inside the
I; three-point line and barely miss
jj ing a three-point attempt that
just bounced out of the basket.
Earl said he didn’t favor the
knee, but was aware during the
game that he has not yet
regained the ability to push and
drive off the knee.
“I got to be able to jump off it
like its not even there," he said.
“Maybe 1 was a little tentative,
I but with repetition it’ll get
■ there.”
m a :ne
the pro
tho interest
i he Penn
Coach Jerry Dunn was pleased
with Earl’s 1998-99 debut, consid
ering the team has just begun
practices.
“I think that Danny played sur
prisingly well,” Dunn said. “He’s
practiced three of nine days, and
never the whole practice.”
Earl will continue to push him
self a little further every day he
does practice, in hopes of not
only practicing a full session but
also participating in every prac
tice rather than going every
other day as he has been doing
thus far.
The team’s only senior enter
ing the season in full health, cen
ter Calvin Booth scored 14 points
and added three blocks before
leaving the game in the second
half with an injured right ankle.
Dunn said he twisted it slightly.
A bright spot for the Lions last
Please see EARL, Page 18.
f the cues
SpCMtS
son earned her WNIT Most Valuable Play
er accolades as she led all Lions by averag
ing 16 points over the four tournament
games.
After developing a taste for champi
onship play last season, Darling enters the
1998-99 campaign as hungry as ever.
“Everyone is looking forward to this sea
son; everyone’s real excited," Darling said.
“I know I’m ready. Every time I go to the
floor I try to play like I did in the tourna
ment just being a leader and playing
within my game.”
Darling’s game is not one dimensional
as she frequently displayed over the
course of last season. She can generate
points with her shooting as well as her
remaining teams that meet BCS
conditions.
So while the Rose Bowl still pits
the Big Ten and Pac-10 winners, it
does not have to retain those con
ference ties if it loses a team to the
title game.
When bowls lose teams for the
national title game, the bowl that
loses the highest-ranked team gets
the first selection of the remaining
teams.
That scenario seems to indicate
the Rose Bowl would have the top
two picks, since Ohio State and the
Pac-lO’s UCLA currently are
ranked No. 1 and 2 in both major
polls.
Just one more?
Last week, the NCAA Div. I Man
agement Council addressed the
possibility of a 12-game schedule,
Earl returns
Penn State point guard Dan Earl takes a jump shot during last night’s Blue-White scrimmage. This was
Earl’s first game back since injuring his knee Dec. 7.
which would begin by 2002. Pater
no said he thinks players could
handle another scheduled game,
but he cautioned that many teams
already play a 12-game schedule
with conference championship
games and preseason games, such
as the Kickoff and Pigskin Clas
sics.
“I would hope that they would
wait to see what happens with this
proposed championship type of
thing that somebody had asked me
about earlier,” Paterno said. “If
that works out, then 12 games
might be fine.”
Paterno added if the BCS system
wasn’t successful, the NCAA again
might want to consider a playoff
system that would consist of play
ing a 10-game regular-season
schedule.
uncanny ability to find the open player.
Darling averaged close to five assists per
game last season, while at the same con
tributing to the Lions’ rebounding cause.
Despite her 5-foot-7 frame, Darling led the
Lions in rebounding on six different occa
sions last year.
Joining Darling in the backcourt will be
fellow co-captain Christine Portland, now a
senior, who will help fill the void left by
the graduation of Jamie Parsons.
Portland, who started every game last
season, will now be asked to carry more of
\e Lions’ offensive load and improve on
her 7.4 points per game average from a
year ago.
The Lions have an abundance of talent
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998
Paterno said the Lions are more
banged up than he thought they
would be coming off a bye week.
Wide receiver Joe Nastasi, who
broke his left wrist in the Lions’ 27-
17 win at Minnesota, is still out and
may miss an additional three
weeks.
Offensive tackle Jordan Caruso,
sidelined with an ankle injury, is
listed as probable for Saturday’s
Illinois contest.
“We only practiced Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday and took
Friday, Saturday and Sunday off,”
Paterno said of last week’s sched
ule. “I was hoping we would get
some people back. We have some
people that are still limping around
out there that hopefully will be OK
by Saturday.”
Collegian Photo/Christopher M. Mortensen
after the two captains are spoken for, led
by Big Ten all-freshman team nominee
Lisa Shepherd.
Although Shepherd did not start a single
game last season, she still saw quality
playing time and finished second on the
team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per
game.
Shepherd, along with reserve Chrissy
Falcone and newcomers Katrena Carr and
junior college transfer Shawnta Vanzant,
will give Penn State a playing time dilem
ma most teams would love to have.
“Our team is very versatile at the guard
position,” coach Portland said. “We’re six
deep in our guards, and I’ll be able to play
all six of them during the season.”
Injury report