Aug. 25, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – The head coaches of the Penn State’s men’s and women’s programs will headline the Central PA Basketball Preview dinner taking place on Tuesday, September 30 at the West Shore Country Club in Camp Hill, Pa.
Men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis, sophomore point guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) and other selected Nittany Lions, along with women’s basketball coach Coquese Washington and Lady Lions Brianne O’Rourke (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) are scheduled to attend and speak at the dinner.
The event will be held at the West Shore Country Club in Camp Hill. The reception is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and program at 6:15 p.m.
The event is sponsored by the Central Pennsylvania Nittany Lion Club.
Reservations are required and tickets are $30.00. Reservation and reserved table assignments are on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone interested in tickets for the event should contact Jim Smeltzer at (717) 761-0211. The registration form is also available at www.nittanylionclub.com.
DeChellis, in his sixth season at the helm, leads a squad that is coming off its most conference wins (7) and best Big Ten finish (7th) since 2001. Battle and two-time All-Big Ten honoree Jamelle Cornley (Columbus, Ohio) headline the list of returnees for the Nittany Lions. Battle averaged 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season and led the Lions in assists and steals. Cornley accounted for 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season to earn third-team All-Big Ten honors despite missing six games due to injury.
Washington is starting her second season as head coach of the Lady Lions. During her first season, Penn State defeated nationally ranked Duke and Pittsburgh. Washington was selected the “Rising Star” for 2008 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The Lady Lions return four starters and 10 letterwinners from a year ago, including third team All-Big Ten selection O’Rourke. The senior point guard led the Big Ten in assists for the second time in her career and finished 51st nationally with a 4.7 per game mark. She was also 39th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.838). Grant, a junior guard, garnered All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades for the second time in her career after leading the team and finishing ninth in the conference in scoring (13.8).