Morelli OnLion: Ah, March

Ah, March.

It's that time of the year. Spring is just around the corner, winter sports are wrapping up and football fans ready for the annual spring football games, which are held on campuses nationwide.

But before we get knee-deep into football, the Penn State women's basketball team just wrapped up its season. In today's edition of Morelli OnLion, we'll take a look back at the Lady Lions' trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tourney and talk about another future Nittany Lion.

However, today's edition begins with a wild rumor that's been circulating around Happy Valley.

The Nittany Chin?
If there's one thing that I've learned in this electronic age, it's the fact that anything is possible in cyberspace.

Fans can voice their opinions on message boards without having to use their real names. They can also blog about anything and everything without having to follow the basic rules of journalism. So, there is also a danger in the fact that wild rumors can start and take on a life of their own.

An absolutely crazy rumor about Penn State's next head football coach recently surfaced in cyberspace. A fan-based blog reported that former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher was in line to be the next head man in Happy Valley.

The site went as far to say that Cowher had visited athletic director Tim Curley about the possibility of being the successor to iconic coach Joe Paterno.

As it often does in cyberspace, the rumor made its way to several that cover Penn State football.

Many fans were excited about the possibility of having Cowher prowl the Beaver Stadium sidelines, pumping his fists, spittle flying in the face of any player who made a mistake or a big play.

A wild rumor? For sure. But this one had legs.

First of all, the blog reported that Cowher's house in North Carolina was on the market. That simply added fuel to the fire.

Yes, Cowher's house is on the market.

Then, it was reported that the Penn State women's basketball team was recruiting Cowher's youngest daughter, Lindsay, to become a Lady Lion.
Since I travel with the women's basketball team, that rumor was easy enough to check.

No, the Lady Lions aren't recruiting Lindsay Cowher.

Still, that didn't put the Cowher rumors to rest. And it's easy to understand why — almost everyone fell in love with the idea of The Chin being the next head coach at Penn State.

And what's not to love? Here's a guy, a Pennsylvania guy, mind you, who is a proven winner. He single-handedly turned around the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before he arrived in 1992, the Steelers were merely a shadow of the proud franchise that had won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. But almost overnight, Cowher guided the Steelers to division titles and AFC Championship Games. The crowning glory, of course, came during the 2005 season when he won his first-ever Super Bowl title.

While many poo-pooed the Cowher rumors, I began to think — why not? In my mind, there are at least five reasons why Cowher would be a good fit at Penn State — and why he would want the job.

1. Elite Company — Cowher would follow in the footsteps of a legendary coach. But it wouldn't be hard for him to do. He's already done it once, following Hall of Famer Chuck Noll, who won four Super Bowls while guiding the Steelers.

Following Paterno's two national championships would hardly be a daunting task.

There's also the fact that if The Chin could bring a national championship to Penn State, he would be one of the few coaches able to boast championship rings in both college and the NFL.

2. Money — OK, so Cowher could probably earn a much bigger base salary in the NFL. But at last check, all the NFL jobs are filled. And we're guessing that Cowher is going to be picky about where he lands next.
This much is clear — he's not going to take the head job in Atlanta, no matter how many Home Depot gift cards Arthur Blank tosses his way.
He's going to be choosy, and he's earned that right.

At Penn State, if the base were in the $2 million range, Cowher could endorse everything in Happy Valley from shoes to bottled water to a grocery store chain and make an absolute killing. His face would be on television, his voice on the radio and his image on billboards.

The amount of money he could make in endorsements is staggering. Think Pete Carroll, only in Pennsylvania. It's frightening to think about how much cash he could pull in.

3. Recruiting — OK, so Cowher has never recruited before. So what?
It wouldn't take him long to get into the swing of things. All he would have to do is sit down with a recruit, flash that Super Bowl ring and tell the 18-year-old how Penn State would help prepare him for life in the NFL. After all, who knows what the NFL is looking for more than a former coach? Cowher probably could've had a good sit down with Justin King. Can you imagine the conversation? "Look son, one more year at Penn State isn't going to kill you. They're going to expect you to hit someone in the NFL."

4. Passion — Penn State fans are passionate. Just look at the attendance figures. How much fun would it be to see Cowher leading the Nittany Lions out of the tunnel every Saturday? He's passionate. And much like beloved JoePa, he's not afraid to chase down referees when he feels that his squad has been served an injustice.

Can't you just see Cowher conferring with his young quarterback, No. 7? Me thinks we've seen that before.

5. Ego — It's been said that Cowher has an ego, but every coach does. What better way to feed the ego than by being revered by 110,000 fans every Saturday?

The timing would perfect for Cowher to switch from the black and gold to the blue and white. His daughter can walk-on for the Lady Lions and his wife can sit in the suites every Saturday. The crystal footballs would pile up in Lasch.

It's a nice daydream, isn't it? Unfortunately, it's just that. After the Internet rumors started swirling, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette did some real reporting.

Cowher laughed off the reports.

"Put that to rest," Cowher told the PG. "I'm staying here."

Turns out the Cowhers are selling their home to move into a new one just two miles down the road in North Carolina.

So we won't have The Chin patrolling the Beaver Stadium sidelines after all. But it sure was fun to think about it, wasn't it?


Michael Mauti hopes to continue the tradition of Linebacker U.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Future Lion: Michael Mauti
As one of two early enrollees in this class, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound Mauti is already on campus and looks to make a dent in the 2008 depth chart during spring practice. He became the Nittany Lions' fourth commitment on June 24 when he pledged to Joe Paterno during an unofficial visit.

Mauti missed the first six games of his senior season with a broken foot, which he suffered during preseason practice in August. He had a screw inserted into the foot, but was at 100 percent by the end of the season for Guy LeCompte's squad.

He recorded 56 tackles on the season, leading the Skippers to a 10-3 record before being bounced from the Louisiana Class 5A playoffs by Ehret in the quarterfinals. Mauti was named the District 7 Class 5A defensive player of the year, and was named first team all-district.

Mauti was the lone representative from the pool of Penn State verbal commitments to play in the U.S. Army All-American Game on Jan. 5. He was recruited for the Nittany Lions by former defensive backs coach and current Baylor defensive coordinator Brian Norwood. He took his official visit to Penn State on the weekend of Dec. 7.


Kam Gissendanner played her final game as a Lady Lion.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Lady Lions Lose ... Again
It's over.

A season that began with such promise came to a crashing halt on March 6 as the Penn State Lady Lions suffered a 64-54 defeat at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines in the first round of the Women's Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

It was the 12th consecutive loss for the Lady Lions under first-year head coach Coquese Washington. The 12 consecutive losses are a school record. What would prove to be Penn State's final win of the year came on Jan. 20, a 68-57 win over the Wolverines.

It was another disheartening loss for Washington and Co. After beginning the year with a 12-4 mark, things fell apart over the final two months of the season as the Lady Lions ventured into uncharted waters with a losing skid that will now carry into next season.

Penn State — a No. 10 seed coming into the tourney — finished the season with a 13-18 mark, the worst record in the history of the program.
For Michigan (17-12), the win took some of the heat off first-year head coach Kevin Borseth, who has become an Internet sensation following his postgame rant following the Wolverines loss to Wisconsin a few weeks back. Borseth admitted he was nervous coming into the contest against a squad on a big-time losing streak.

"I didn't eat this morning," Borseth remarked. "You get that feeling in your belly. You just hope your kids are able to play well, and we earned it. They worked so doggone hard."

On this day, things began well enough for Penn State. Despite trailing for much of the first half, the Lady Lions put things together toward the end of the first 20 minutes and got a big three-pointer from Brianne O'Rourke that gave the Lady Lions a 31-28 lead heading to the intermission.

It was Penn State first halftime lead since a Feb. 7 matchup with the Wolverines in which the Lady Lions led, 27-26.

But much like that contest, things fell apart in the second half.

During the Feb. 7 matchup, a 19-0 run propelled the Wolverines to an easy 68-53 win. In the tournament game, it was another run that doomed the Lady Lions. Penn State held a 43-37 lead after a three-pointer by Kam Gissendanner. However, the Wolverines would go on a 17-0 run to take a 54-43 lead that would not be snapped until Tyra Grant nailed a three-pointer.

"We started settling for jump shots," said Washington. "And our defensive intensity kind of let go. They were able to penetrate in the lane and cause us problems."

That run appeared to suck the life out of Penn State, although it tried to claw its way back into things and got it to 57-52 after back-to-back buckets by Grant.

"They're a good team and they were getting their open shots," Grant said. "They were driving to the hoop more and their cuts were a little bit harder but everything was working to their favor during that stretch."

But Michigan's Janelle Cooper hit a three-pointer that nailed the coffin shut for the Lady Lions.

Penn State was led by Grant, who scored 18 points. Gissendanner (12), O'Rourke (10) and Mashea Williams (10) all chipped in. Michigan was paced by Krista Phillips, who scored 15. Carly Benson (13), Ashley Jones (10) and Krista Clement (10) also hit double digits.

Phillips was a thorn in the Lady Lions' side all afternoon.

"I think after halftime we were a little more confident," Phillips said. "The biggest thing is we talked about it, made the adjustments and got better."

According to Phillips, all the attention that Borseth got in the week leading up to the tournament wasn't much of a distraction.

"It's been a rough season and he wants to win and we want to win. I think that's what's driving us right now," Phillips said.

The Lady Lions were outrebounded, 39-34. However, they turned the ball over just eight times in the game.

"Penn State is pretty good," Borseth said. "They're talented with Grant and Gissendanner, those two are pretty talented kids. They can get them on a run at any time."

The Lady Lions will look to end the skid when their 2008-09 season begins next November. Despite the record losing skid, there were some highlights this season, including non-conference upsets of ranked teams like Duke and Pittsburgh.

But those games are mostly forgotten now. Unfortunately, this squad will probably be remembered most for a losing streak that Penn State teams have never seen before — and hope to never see again.

"We'll be better next year," Washington said.