Practice squad member finds lady cagers up to challenge

Simone Mitchell is a student athlete just like many of the other student athletes at Penn State. He's filled out NCAA forms and wears Nike garb, but he is different than other Penn State athletes. He's on a practice squad.

Mitchell is one of six or seven men who practice daily with the Penn State women's basketball team. The practice team scrimmages against the Lady Lions, helping them prepare for weekly Big Ten opponents.

"We treat them like guys. They push us; we shove them," Mitchell said. "It's just a game."

A game that allows Penn State coach Rene Portland to challenge her team with players who are quick and fundamentally sound. Portland feeds the men set plays on both the offensive and defensive ends to give the Lady Lions a sampling of what to expect from opposing teams.

Having men scrimmage the Lady Lions is nothing new. Portland has been bringing in male players for three years, and other schools like Ohio State and Tennessee have been doing the same. Another member of the practice squad, Matt McDonald, played on a similar team at Tennessee before transferring to Penn State.

He said Volunteer coach Pat Summitt offered to speak to Portland about his playing for the Penn State practice team.

"I have a good time, and it keeps me in shape," McDonald said. "They're a good group."

A good group the practice team is finding tough to cover. Mitchell said the Lady Lions go all out against them in practice and have even been known to do some running off at the mouth.

"Jamie (Parsons) talks trash. She says little smart remarks," Mitchell said. "One time she told me she was gonna' put a shot in my eye."

She made the shot.

Mitchell, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, was planning to try out for the men's team but could not get his papers in on time for the Oct. 15 tryout date. He heard about the practice squad when he practiced this past summer with Lady Lion assistant coach Susan Robinson.

"When I first got here I was like, 'I'm gonna walk all over these girls,' " Mitchell said.

His teammate on the practice squad, Todd Hoover, shared the same sentiment.

"I thought it was going to be easier. I came from a branch campus, and I'm used to playing against guys," Hoover said "But they give you a run."

Hoover pointed to an apple-sized black and blue mark on his arm and a scab on his knee.

"Look at that," he said.

He sustained the bruises from hitting the floor after colliding with Lady Lion Angie Potthoff.

"Angie really hands it to you," Hoover said. "In my first practice I knocked Angie over and she started to cry. I was thinking, 'What did I just do? I hurt the best player on the team.' "

But Potthoff was OK, and Hoover was bruised.

Despite the fierce practice atmosphere, Mitchell insists the practice squad players are friendly with the men's team. He says the difference between the sexes is left on the sidelines.

"I love basketball. I love competition. Boys or girls," Mitchell said. "Everyone here cares about everyone on the court and off the court. It's like a family thing."