WNIT title run was fusion of old and new

Mission accomplished.

Winning the WNIT rekindles the proud tradition associated with Lady Lion basketball through the years and paves the way for a bright future. With all but two players returning next year, Penn State should be a force and a fixture in the top 25. The tournament experience the Lions gained will make them even tougher to beat.

Before looking to the future, though, one should not forget what the 1997-98 Lions achieved. This Penn State team laid the foundation for the next three years and showed what it takes to be a champion.

When it comes to champions, no two players better epitomize the definition than Em Clements and Jamie Parsons. The two captains held Penn State together throughout the year and keyed the Lions' resurgence with their leadership on and off the court. Penn State would never have won the WNIT without them.

After dropping five of their last six games to finish the regular season seventh in the Big Ten with a record of 14-12, the Lions could have given up on the season and waited until next year to re-establish themselves.

Clements and Parsons would not let that happen.

The captains convinced the team to forget about the regular season and helped rally the Lions to a remarkable postseason. At the Big Ten Tournament the duo led the Lions to the title game with upset victories against heavily favored Illinois and Michigan. They came through again in the WNIT, helping Penn State claim the championship by making the big plays when it mattered most.

If one looks at the statistics it might be tempting to say the Lions can easily replace the captains. After all, they averaged only 12 combined points per game.

That, however, would be a foolish thought.

Statistics cannot measure the captains' determination or heart. They cannot measure Clements' deft passing touch or Parsons' stifling defense. Most importantly, they cannot measure their ability to make those around them better basketball players.

There is no doubt replacing Clements and Parsons will be a tall order.

That is why Penn State's sensational postseason was so important. The tournament gave younger players like sophomores Andrea Garner and Helen Darling and freshman Lisa Shepherd the chance to step forward and assert themselves as the team's future leaders. Despite their youth, all three enjoyed an outstanding postseason and showed the poise of seasoned veterans in the face of immense pressure.

Especially impressive was Darling. The feisty point guard did everything in the postseason, from leading the team in scoring and assists to grabbing rebounds and playing suffocating defense. Winning the WNIT Most Valuable Player award was a fitting end to her brilliant tournament.

With everything they did right in the postseason there was one thing the Lions struggled with -- cutting down the net after winning the title. In a postgame interview with the Penn State Radio Network Portland jokingly said her team did not know how to get the net off the hoop.

Portland, however, need not worry.

The Lions should get plenty of chances in the next few years to hone their net-cutting abilities.