Hall to transfer; third Lady Lion to leave in 1997

Lady Lion basketball forward Shauntai Hall is unhappy. She has been for a while, and this week she decided enough was enough.

In a meeting Tuesday afternoon with Lady Lion basketball coach Rene Portland, Associate Athletic Director Ellen Perry and Shauntai's father, Tom Hall, Shauntai announced her intent to transfer at the end of this semester.

Hall is the third Lady Lion to leave the program in the past two months. In mid- February juniors Tara Macciocco and Julie Jarosz left the team for personal reasons.

"Shauntai has been unhappy for two years. I've got the phone bills to prove it," Tom Hall said. "It's got nothing to do with playing time. My daughter's not gay. She's not a drunk. She's a good kid. She takes care of her work.

The women's basketball office said Portland left on a recruiting trip with assistant coach Annie Troyan and could not be reached for comment. Assistant coach Susan Robinson did not return several phone calls to her office and home yesterday.

Portland, however, issued a statement through sports information via a press release. "Our No. 1 interest is seeing that Shauntai ends up in the environment, here or elsewhere, that permits her to reach her full potential as a student-athlete."

The younger Hall originally told her father during spring break that she wanted to transfer, and her father informed Perry on Monday.

Shauntai said she stuck it out for two years to be certain of her decision.

"I approached them because I wanted to be released from the University," Hall said. "There are a lot of things that hit you during your first year. When you get older you see things a lot more clearly. I think I'm doing the right thing."

Hall also said she was not influenced by the departures of Macciocco or Jarosz, or by any other teammates.

"I don't think it's about them," said Hall, a Masontown native. "It's between me and her (Portland)."

Tom and Shauntai Hall said Perry set up the meeting in her office Wednesday, where Perry signed papers allowing Shauntai to talk to other schools. The Lady Lion team was informed Wednesday of Hall's departure.

Perry, however, insisted the only thing discussed at the meeting was Hall's request to look at other universities. She said nothing concerning Hall's possible transfer had been discussed.

"She came to us requesting permission to look at other places to play basketball," Perry said. "We'd be happy to have her back."

That won't happen. Both Halls said Shauntai definitely is transferring. "She isn't coming back," Tom Hall said.

Not only are the Lady Lions affected emotionally by the loss of their third teammate in 60 days, but also by the loss of the sophomore's 9.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during 1996-97.

"We were told (at Wednesday's team meeting) Shauntai wasn't happy," Lady Lion center Em Clements said. "A lot of people were upset by it. It is sad. It hurts. It was terrible."

Tom Hall said he wants to get the facts straight concerning his daughter before conflicting stories have a chance to emerge. He also hopes the story surrounding the other two players' departures comes out.

"I don't want it to turn into something ugly," Tom Hall said. "These girls are scared to death. Players are afraid to say anything."

Because the issue is still in its early stages, Shauntai said, she doesn't want to cite any specific incidents that led to her unhappiness. Meanwhile, Macciocco, when reached yesterday, declined to comment because she said she did not "want to get in trouble." She added she will remain at the University but not play basketball.

Jarosz, planning to transfer after this semester, also refused comment on Hall's departure. Tom Hall said the Penn State women's basketball program is "going apart, and there's a reason for it. It's the blond lady (Portland)."

Perry said Shauntai's, Macciocco's and Jarosz's cases are all different and cannot be compared. She also said Tom Hall's anger is understandable.

"People see different things," Perry said. "Any one of our coaches at any given time may have some discord."

Right now, it's Portland.

"Rene's always placing blame on someone other than herself. She always tries to take things and turn them around and put them on other people," Tom Hall said. "Up there (football coach Joe) Paterno's like God, and Rene's like Jesus Christ."