Fat lady sings for Lady Lion basketball

"Coaching is like being a king, it prepares you for nothing." -- Rich Brooks, former Oregon and St. Louis Rams football coach

Boy, it was fun last season watching the Lady Lions advance to the Sweet 16 in last year's tournament. Wondering if they can do it again? I don't think so.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been simple for Rene Portland. In fact, when it comes to the Lady Lions, keeping players healthy hasn't been too simple either. In the last two years, the team would find a way to pull out wins, capture the Big Ten tournament and qualify for the Big Dance. Well, the hardships and injuries are there again, but the results aren't the same.

First, freshman sharpshooter Chrissy Falcone blew out her knee in the first practice of the season. Then junior transfer Em Clements suffered a stress fracture in her foot, which is not likely to be healthy until next week. Now, two more players are lost -- not because of physical reasons but for personal reasons.

Tara Macciocco and Julie Jarosz left the team last week, leaving Penn State with 10 healthy players going into a must-win weekend against Michigan and Iowa. The result? The worst loss by the Lady Lions in the Big Ten against Michigan and a close home defeat to a mediocre Iowa squad.

In the 98-59 debacle in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Lady Lions had little fire under them, possibly because of the two defections, and it showed. Even senior forward and spark plug Angie Potthoff showed little emotion in the second half, as the Wolverines, to their credit, could do no wrong.

The loss to the Hawkeyes wasn't as disastrous as the Michigan defeat, but the team's frustration was evident afterward. Portland and Potthoff tried to keep their heads high in the postgame news conference, but they knew their dreams of March Madness were fading fast. Portland tried to put a positive spotlight on the season, saying the season could still be salvaged at the Big Ten tournament, which Penn State has won the last two. Potthoff talked about having to fight the rest of the season to finish out her Lady Lion career.

Do they have anything left to fight with? What are they fighting for? The season has now turned into a disaster, and they feel they still have something to fight for?

But I digress. As Eliot Ness said in the movie version of The Untouchables, "Never stop fighting until the fight is done." But in Penn State's case, there are no significant signs that the team wants to fight to earn NCAA tournament consideration. Only Potthoff and a few others are showing the desire and motivation to correct what has gone wrong this season. The youth of this team must learn how to win now if it plans to stay alive in the postseason, if it ever gets there.

I feel bad for Potthoff. After suffering injuries, ranging from shoulder separation to fainting due to dehydration, she has been the heart and soul of this team. Now, in her final season as a Lady Lion, she seems to be the only player showing up every game and giving it her all every night.

But there is still time for the Lady Lions to make a run. If they win their next two games and play well in the conference tournament, they can hope for the best. But with those last two games against No. 19 Michigan State and Wisconsin, which both beat Penn State earlier in the season, things don't look bright. And a possible meeting with Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten tournament make NCAA tournament prospects even dimmer. It's going to take a Rocky-like performance to prove the Lady Lions can indeed throw some punches as well as take them.