14 Wins
14 Wins
They all laughed at the mere idea. Fourteen wins? HA! It could never be done, not at
Penn State. Jerry Dunn wasn't laughing though. Through hard work and determination,
the Penn State head coach transformed a rag-tag group of untalented players and turned
them into a calibur of team that could win fourteen games. The fact that the fourteen
wins was over two seasons seems irrelevant now, for this team will perhaps go down in
Penn State history as one of its greatest athletic marvels of all time.
Dunn, who refused to take all the credit for his own, was very proud of his team and
all he had accomplished at Penn State in his eight year tenure. "I think the highlight
of my career was the win over Coppin State last year," said Dunn. "That was a hard-earned win against a well-known basketball powerhouse."
Indeed it was a fierce game, and though few watched or cared, a riot ensued after the
game on the Penn State campus, mainly because the students had nothing better to do.
After this remarkable journey towards the ides of the wins column, Dunn, much to the
chagrin of many a Penn State basketball fan, resigned his post as the head coach of
the team. "I really have nothing else to accomplish here," explained the coach.
"When I arrived, this team could hardly beat most high school teams. I'd like to think
we're on a level now in which we can compete with some highly renowned community
college teams. What else is there for me to do? My job is done here." Dunn is done,
so to speak. Though they are big shoes to fill, newly hired coach Ed Dechellis is
expected to be just the man for the job. Fresh out of a head coaching job at East
Tennessee State, ranked in the top 25 in the nation for directional state university
teams, Dechellis has lofty goals for his new squad. "I'd like to think we could maybe
hit .400 one of these seasons. I know it sounds crazy, but I have faith in these boys
." When asked if he would ever be able to compete with the Penn State Women's
basketball team, Dechellis answered, "Now let's be realistic here."
Dechellis was also chosen due to his experience with Penn State. As well as graduating
from the university, Dechellis also served as an assistant coach under head coach Dick
Harter during the 1982-83 season. I think we all would agree Harter should have
remained head coach even until today, however, as his name is much more comical and
full of innuendo.
Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley has high expectations for Dechellis as well.
He hopes that one day Penn State will be as well known in basketball as it is for
Women's basketball.
Noting the dominance of the women's team over the men, Curley also remarked that the
Penn State football team was very seriously looking into the consideration of
recruiting women for next season.
--Scotka
New Penn State head coach Ed Dechellis reveals the number in wins he hopes
to have in his next three seasons.
