8 I Thursday, Nov. 11,2010 Lions sign four recruit By Emily Kaplan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Four players signed national letters of intent to play State’s men’s MEN'S basketball team BASKETBALL next season, ii^======= coach Ed DeChellis announced Wednsday in his regular midweek press con ference. The four commitments came on the first day of the NCAA’s Center to join Lions By Ryan Loy COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER The Lady Lions landed a big recruit Wednesday. Literally a big recruit. Tori Waldner, of Milton, (la.. signed a WOMEN'S National Letter BASKETBALL of Intent to play for Penn State beginning in the 2011-12 season. Lions’ coach Coquese Washington said the primary attribute she's excited about from the Milton High School senior is her size. "She's definitely 6-foot-5, and inching toward 6-foot-6 quite honestly," Washington said dur ing her weekly press conference Wednesday. Washington said Waldner ver bally committed to the Lions in September. The 6-foot-5 center is the first recruit to confirm her plans to come to Penn State dur ing the early signing period, which began Wednesday and ends Nov. 17. The main thing the Lions need out of this recruiting class is a center, Washington said. She believes with Waldner. they've got a good one. This season, the Lions' tallest player is 6-foot-4 center Nikki See CENTER. Page 12 Courtesy of gopsuspc-rts cnm Tori Waldner shoots in a game. Lions offense looking to buck trend in Columbus By Andrew i. Cassavell COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Much has been made about the resurgence of Penn States offense during the last three weeks. A long, dif- ficult history for rnnTRAi I the Nittany Lions FOOTBALL ih Columbus where Penn State offenses have gone to die under Joe Paterno suggests things might get a little trickier for the unit this week. SPORTS ON TV Philadelphia at Carolina 7 p.m., CSN TRfVU Q: Chad Pennington will start at quar terback for the Miami Dolphins this week, when was his last start? Wednesday’s Answer: New Cowboys coach Jason Garrett is a native of Abington, Pa. early signing period. Patrick Ackerman, Peter Alexis, Ross Travis and Trey Lewis will join the Nittany Lions for the 2011-12 sea son. DeChellis said the team has sent one more offer out, and will find out the status on that player in the next day or so. Last year, Penn State received just one signature now-fresh man Taran Buie, half-brother of current Lion captain Talor Battle during the early signing period. “I'm very happy with the four Photo Illustration by Heather Schrrelzie' 1 ' ■ ’-vi-v, Penn State freshman Deja McClendon (left) is off to a fast start in collegiate athletics. Her father. Roger McClendon (right), had a succesful basketball career at Cincinnati in the 1980 s. Freshman follows roots By Jake Kaplan COUEGI", STAFF ART; R From a young Mc(’le n d o n knew her father played basket - ball in college VOLLEYBALL But. at least for a while, she had no idea how good her father actually was. The Lions' last two offensive back has tossed a touchdown pass outbursts have come at home there in that time, either. In fact, against below-average defenses. Penn State's 13-6 victory at The and the first came against Big Ten Horseshoe in 2008 was their first cellar dwellar Minnesota in not- win there in 30 years, so-hostile TCF Bank Stadium. For Patemo, the answer to why Now the Niltanv Lions head to No. is simple: Ohio' State's defense is 8 Ohio State, where scoring has very good, very often, proven more than a chore for "They’re very well disciplined,” Patemo's teams. Paterno said. “They're very well Since he took over as head See OFFENSE. Page 12 coach in 1966, no Penn State team has scored more than one touch down in Columbus. No quarter- NHL shakes up All-Star game Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin might get the thrill of being picked No. 1 all over again. No, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals aren't losing their superstar captains, but Crosby or Ovechkin could be selected first when the NHL All- Star game gets a makeover unlike any other. Call it hockey’s version of a school yard pickup game. The NHL announced Wednesday that it is switching from the conference-vs.-con ference format it has used for years to a player draft conducted by the All-Stars, in which captains selected by the players will determine the teams.s we got,” DeChellis said. “The four we got are all great kids, great students.” The Lions will lose five players including starters Jeff Brooks, D.J. Jackson, Andrew Jones and Battle to graduation next year. DeChellis said that next year’s incoming class includes some athletic, big guys that fulfill some of the areas the team “really needed to fulfill." Ackerman is a 6-foot-11. 220- pound center from Worcester Academy Prep (Mass.) that OEJA VU "One day my grandparents Roger played for the Bearcats came over with all these films," from 1984-88. and finished his Deja recalled from a time when career as the second all time she was in middle school. And I leading scorer in the school's his was like. Is this dad’’ Is this torv. behind only Hall of Famer him?’ I didn't even recognize Oscar Robertson. Two players him." have surpassed Roger’s 1.789 WOMEN S Deja’s father. Roger career points since his playing McClendon, was one of the most days ended, but that in no wav decorated players in the diminishes the success Roger, a Universitv of Cincinnati's basket- member of the school's basket ball history. See FRESHMAN. Page 12. More coverage on the Penn State football team. | SPORTS, Page 10. New Lions Patrick Ackerman: 6-foot-ll C Peter Alexis: 6-foot-ll C Ross Travis: 6-foot-7 F Trey Lewis: 6-foot-l G Scout.com rates as a two-star prospect. “[He has) a body like. I'm not going to compare him to an NBA See RECRUITS. Page 12. Penn State players celebrate a touchdown in 2008 in Columbus. A’s land DeJesus from Royals David DeJesus has been on the Oakland Athletics' radar for a while now. They like his near-perfect defense, baserunning and consistent bat The A’s acquired the outfielder from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday for right-hander Vin Mazzaro and minor league lefty Justin Marks. General manag er Billy Beane immediately said he will start in one of the corner outfield spots. “He’s a guy we've always liked,” Beane said. “He’s been a well-respected guy and does everything very well. I think he’s just another good player to add to the mix of players out there ” One of Beane's priorities this offseason was to find a capable hitter who could help the A’s score more runs for their talented pitching staff. The Daily Collegian Big Ten to be on display By Andrew Robinson COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Last year, the Penn State I men’s soccer team went to Bloomington, Ind. and battled its way to the Big Tr Tf ten tourn ament champi onship game. While the | Lions lost 1-0 to | Ohio State, the result didn’t mat | ter that much. What was impor tant was the fact Penn State soc cer was back. Starting today at 3 p.m., the Nittanv Lions are hoping to com plete that run to a title and restore the program as a nation- I al power. But this year, they’ll be the ones with home field advan tage. "Ever since two years ago when we went 5-11, we’ve been working extremely hard to get it back going in the right way,” sen ior co-captain Drew Cost said. "Last year we came up short but wc thought it was a good run and we got in the NCAA Tournament so hopefully we can build on that and win the final." The 4th-seeded Lions play their first round game today against sth-seeded Northwestern at Jeffrey Field. In the first meeting between the teams on Oct. 17, the Lions tied the Wildcats on the road. Cost said after watching film of that game, the team realized it was playing too narrow. Opening up the width and breaking down the defense will be a key to get ting a win, senior co-captain Andres Casais said. "They're a good defensive team, they're organized in the back and they just never give up defensively," Casais said. “They have nine guys in the back, they'll go and attack then when they're not attacking they’ll have the whole team sprinting back and getting behind the ball.” Should the Lions win, they would play No. 1 seed Indiana Friday at 5 p.m., another rematch. Back on Sept. 24, the Hoosiers defeated Penn State 3- 2 at Jeffrey Field after forward Will Bruin scored with 11 sec onds remaining, just 26 seconds after Penn State junior Corey Hertzog had a go-ahead goal called offsides. Knowing how their bracket sets up, the players said the incentive of revenge is motiva tion going into the tournament. However, the Lions also know they can’t just look ahead to Friday's possible semi-final. "Anytime you feel like you See TOURNAMENT, Page 12. If you go Men’s Soccer vs. N’Western Big Ten Tournament 5 p.m. today Jeffrey Field NHL made intriguing move The NHEs decision to have two captains pick the squads for this year’s All-Star Game will at the very least spice up a game that desperately needs it. Rather than have the traditional Eastern Conferenee/Westem Conference matchup, the league has opted for two cap tains to pick players from either leauge. Now Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin won’t be forced to play together and instead could play against each other; which is what hockey fans really want to see. Maybe it won’t work, or maybe it wilL But at least the league is willing to try something different. MEN’S SOCCER Collegian File Photo
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