Writer's guide to six-step cager recovery

I am a sports writer. That means that if there is a sport, I have an opinion on it. Yak wrestling in Nepal? You bet, I could talk for hours on it. Midget jello wrestling? Don't even get me started, that is one of my favorites.

My list is nothing earth shattering. It is just a few things I observed after watching this season unfold and unravel.

Offense is not spelled L-I-S-I-C-K-Y -- There needs to be scoring distribution on next year's team. In most games this year Pete would score 25 points and his teammates would combine to score 25 points. He is the only player on the team who averaged double digits in scoring this year. Every trip down the floor, teammates were looking to get the ball to Lisicky instead of looking to shoot or pass. Open shots were passed up, and passes were stolen because it didn't take a genius to figure out where the ball would go.

A healthy Dan Earl -- This one is as obvious as the nose on your face. Dan Earl is the heart of this team, and we all know the Lion needed a heart. Or was it the Tin Man? Does it matter? Well, it might be if either one knows how to play point guard, but I digress. The point is that this year's team had its heart ripped out when Earl redshirted because of a bad back. He is going to be the key if next year's team is to have any success. He takes scoring pressure off Lisicky, and his three years of playing experience make him an invaluable leader.

Leadership -- There was no leader of the Penn State Titanic this year. When the team began to flounder and needed a kick in the pants, no one stepped up. When a big shot was needed, no one took it. Pete tried his best, but he had his hands full just being the team's offense. Earl's return will vastly improve this, and this year's starters also will be a year wiser.

"Remember the Alamo" -- Most of the players on this year's team will be back next year. And while they definitely should forget this season and move on, they need to remember just how badly losing all those games made them feel. It should give them an edge and motivate them to never want to feel that again.

Get the ball to Jarrett Stephens -- Here is an individual who is 6 feet 6, 250 pounds and has the ability to score 25 points a game. HE NEEDS TO GET THE BALL! Unfortunately that is something this year's team did not realize until about halfway through the season when Stephens started because Phil Williams went home for a death in the family. After that he came on like gang busters and showed a great scoring touch around the basket, a touch usually reserved for men much smaller. If next year's team can feed him in the post like Roseanne feeds her face, it might find the waters of the Big Ten a little smoother.

Give em' hell Coach Dunn -- This year many things did not go Penn State's way. Let's face it, at times this year the Lions got screwed by the officials. But 3-15 Big Ten teams do not usually get calls. All this season it seemed when coach Jerry Dunn's team had just endured another horrible call he was going to blow a gasket and get a technical foul. That is Dunn's nature, he does not blow gaskets, but maybe that is what his team needed at times this year. Maybe they needed to see their coach foaming at the mouth, mad as hell, because they were playing like crap to realize, "OK, we need to get this thing turned around." Before you dismiss me as a raving lunatic, I have proof. Against Northwestern he did it and against Ohio State he blew one, complete with coat throwing. He got technical fouls in both instances. The result? His team won both games.

So there you have it. In reality next year's team needs a 12-step program, but I do not have that kind of space, so six will have to suffice. Maybe my six measly steps will help. Maybe they won't. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is my opinion on the matter.