Morelli OnLion: Terrelle Stops Here

You've gotta hand it to Terrelle Pryor — the kid sure knows how to work the media.

Pryor was at University Park over the weekend for the PIAA Basketball Championships and although the Penn State coaching staff wasn't allowed to have contact with the Boy Wonder, you can bet that PSU rolled out the red carpet for his arrival in Happy Valley.

In today's edition of Morelli OnLion, we'll take a look at Pryor's visit, wrap up the men's basketball season, check in on another future Nittany Lion and go off the track to talk a little March Madness.

Let's start with the hot topic — Pryor.



Terrelle Pryor says he will make his college choice this week.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Terrelle Stops Here
In case you missed it, Terrelle Pryor, the nation's top recruit according to rivals.com, made a stop at University Park this weekend as his Jeannette Jayhawks took on Strawberry Mansion in the PIAA Class AA title game.

Pryor led the Jayhawks to a 76-72 win in overtime, scoring 23 points and ripping down eight rebounds.

Pryor was the main reason why Jeannette won PIAA titles in both football and basketball this season. And his domination of both sports is why he is considering playing both at the next level.

Following the game, Pryor met with reporters and said that he will probably announce his college choice this week. His final choices had been Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon. However, in the bowels of the BJC on Saturday, he said he had narrowed the list to two — but he wouldn't name those schools.

The guess here is that it's down to Ohio State and Penn State.

Pryor's father wants his son to stay relatively close to home so he can watch his son play football on Saturdays. That rules out Oregon.
Michigan is probably on the outside looking in, but the fact Rich Rodriguez is the coach probably kept the Wolverines in the hunt longer than anyone expected.
Pryor is not planning any more visits, which could help Penn State's cause. We're guessing that the new signage in the Jordan Center (featuring larger than life posters of Jamelle Cornley, Geary Claxton and coach Ed DeChellis) was not an accident.

Penn State is pulling out all the stops to lure Pryor, but the fact that there is no succession plan in place for football coach Joe Paterno probably has Pryor on the fence about the Nittany Lions.

A source close to the situation told me that if defensive coordinator Tom Bradley were named Paterno's successor, Pryor would have already committed to the Nittany Lions.

Unfortunately, Penn State will probably be forced to sit and watch as the best high school player in a decade commits to a rival.

Pryor's pick: The Ohio State University. Write it down.


Ed DeChellis and the Nittany Lions saw their season end in Indianapolis.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Disappointing Season Ends
The Penn State men's basketball team ended its season with a 64-63 loss to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The loss put the wraps on the season for the Nittany Lions, who finished with the season with a 15-16 record. Once again, there will be no postseason tournament for Ed DeChellis and Company.

Had DeChellis' squad been at full force, the fifth-year head coach would probably be feeling the heat. However, a season-ending injury to senior Geary Claxton probably gives the struggling coach a stay of execution. A late-season injury to Jamelle Cornley also helps the argument.

When DeChellis was brought it to replace Jerry Dunn, who was run off despite guiding the Nittany Lions to a Sweet 16 berth, everyone said that it would take four to five years for DeChellis to turn things around.

Well, the time has come. For the most part, all of these guys are Ed's players. Because of the injuries and the fact that he had four freshmen starting, we'll give him a pass.

But starting next season, the wins should come fast and furious.

Stay tuned.

Future Lion: Pete Massaro
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end isn't the flashiest player in the class, but put up solid numbers despite missing some time during his senior season at Marple Newtown High School.

He finished the year with 47 tackles, 10 of which were for a loss, and a team-high six sacks for a loss of minus (-34.5) yards. He helped lead Marple Newtown to a 7-4 record, which was just out of playoff contention.

He suffered a shoulder injury and missed three games in 2007, two of which Marple Newtown dropped. The losses all but eliminated Ray Gionta's Tigers from playoff contention.

His play did not go unnoticed, however, as he was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer's All-Southeastern Pennsylvania first team defense. He was also a repeat selection on the Associated Press Pennsylvania Class AAA all-state second team as a defensive lineman.

He will likely begin his career at Penn State as a defensive end, although he does appear to have a frame which could add weight if necessary to become a defensive tackle. Massaro was recruited for the Nittany Lions by Ron Vanderlinden and took his official visit to Penn State on the weekend of Dec. 7.

March Madness Picks
If you are a college basketball fan, it's the most wonderful time of the year. The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Thursday (OK, Wednesday if you count that stupid play-in game).

Although the Penn State men will not be playing in the tournament, I thought it would be fun to make some picks and put them in print. OK, technically they're not in print, but close enough.

I won't get into breaking the bracket down game-by-game. Instead, I will give my Final Four picks.
A drum roll please.
East: Tennessee
Midwest: Kansas
South: Pittsburgh
West: UCLA
Finals: UCLA and Tennessee
Champion: UCLA
There you have it. We'll see how I did in a few weeks.