Centre Daily Times | 12/14/2004 | Young Nittany Lions on schedule after one-third of season:
“Sometimes you wonder how often a coach is speaking collectively. ‘When you’ve been waxed three or four years in a row, and you’re trying to convince guys for three days of practice that you can play with the 11th-ranked team in the country, that’s just not all, snap, snap, ‘OK, we kind of believe you, coach,” Penn State men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis said after No. 11 Pittsburgh dropped his team 84-71 on Saturday. ‘It wasn’t just an easy adventure for three days trying to convince them they could compete and maybe pull an upset.’
“Whether DeChellis was talking about the game or the season, his quote illustrated the challenge he and his staff are presented with a third of the way through their second season — convincing the members of his team that they are not their former selves.
“With three freshmen and a junior college transfer in what is essentially a seven-man rotation, that hasn’t been difficult. What has been is enduring the inconsistency that comes from relying on so many young players.
“The Nittany Lions, who sit at 5-4 in the midst of a 10-day break, have played hard, if not always well. They’ve done a lot of things right, if not always repeatedly. They will continue to go, as DeChellis has often said, as far as their youngsters can take them.
“Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the Nittany Lions through the first nine games: …”