Centre Daily Times | 01/14/2005 | Nittany Lions only worried about teammate’s health:
“The player is in a hospital bed some 100 miles away. He doesn’t know what is wrong with him, what made him, in the prime of his life, collapse in the middle of a practice. He and his family want to keep things quiet, at least until they know more.
“The coach has enough to worry about already. At one point during Wednesday’s game against the nation’s top-ranked team, he sent four true freshmen and a junior-college transfer onto the floor. As he prepares his team for another Big Ten game, he continues to receive the question:
“What is the matter with Marlon Smith?
“And there isn’t much Ed DeChellis can say, really. Not because he wants to keep the media or the fans in the dark. Because he made a promise to the Smith family to keep things confidential.The week hasn’t been any easier for DeChellis and the Penn State basketball family, but they must continue to go about their business, part of which includes keeping that promise and part of which means facing the media.
“Penn State fans, however, have an insatiable need for information. When they don’t have it, many will compensate by creating their own stories. …”