Centre Daily Times | 02/23/2005 | Nittany Lions hope to follow Duke’s formula for success:
“Duke went through this, too.
“Penn State’s freshmen are too young to remember — OK, they weren’t even born yet — but the Blue Devils, a powerhouse among men’s college basketball powerhouses, were 10-17 (4-10 in the ACC) in 1982 and 11-17 (3-11) in 1983, the second and third seasons of coach Mike Krzyzewski’s storied career.
“The freshmen of that ’83 squad — Johnny Dawkins, Jay Bilas, Mark Alarie and David Henderson — went on to produce 20-win seasons the next two years, then went 37-3, won the ACC championship and advanced to the title game of the NCAA Tournament their senior year.
“This week’s message from Penn State coach Ed DeChellis to his struggling rookies: Why not you?
“‘Here’s a team that is on top of the world the last 10 years, but it didn’t start out that way,’ DeChellis said of the Blue Devils. ‘It’s all about growing up and maturing and developing.’ …”