Former Lions standout hopes to lead revival:
“Dan Earl spent six years as a member of the Penn State men’s basketball team from 1993 to 1999.
“This summer he is back at his alma mater.
“Earl was hired by Penn State in June, coming on board as an assistant coach. He joins head coach Ed DeChellis and his staff for the 2005-2006 season.
“Earl arrived on campus at a pivotal time in Penn State basketball history. The Nittany Lions were in their second season in the Big Ten and getting ready to open the new state-of-the-art Bryce Jordan Center.
“The team itself was making excellent progress as well. Their first season in the Big Ten, 1992-1993, the Lions finished 7-20 (2-16 Big Ten). By 1996, they climbed to a second-place finish in the conference, finishing at 21-7 (12-6 Big Ten) and earning a spot in the NCAA tournament.
“Earl was a huge contributor in the Lions’ success. He set the freshman assist record with 113, and he still owns the school record for assists in a season with 181. Earl is also fifth on the school’s all time 3-point field-goal list behind Titus Ivory, Joe Crispin and Pete Lisicky.
” ‘I just want to get it back to that level or higher,’ Earl said. ‘I know the game pretty well. I played point guard and ran the team like a quarterback.’ …”