Among quiet residential dwellings on a State College cul-de-sac, a "for-sale" sign stands on the front lawn of Michael Peck and wife Rachel's home.

The domicile, serving as the residence for the Peck's the past two years, recently went on the market as the two of them and one baby on the way head to Florida.

Peck confirmed reports yesterday he would leave the coaching ranks at Penn State to take a job with the Orlando Miracle of the WNBA.

For the past three seasons Peck was a member of the Penn State women's basketball coaching staff and was an instrumental part in the recruiting of current and incoming groups of five freshmen for the Lady Lions. He will join his sister, Carolyn, with the Orlando coaching staff on a squad that became the first WNBA expansion team to make it to the playoffs.

"This is a great opportunity for me to learn and to take the next step," Peck said. "It's always been in the back of my mind that I would like to coach with my sister. We just never thought it would be in the WNBA."

Peck first came to Penn State in the 1998-99 season helping to lead a young Lion team to a 22-8 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The next season would prove to be the most successful under the guidance for the native of Jefferson City, Tenn., as Penn State finished with a 30-5 mark and went to its first NCAA Final Four.

The 2000-01 season turned into a struggle for Peck and Penn State as the Lions struggled to find a winning groove. He also fought through personal misfortune as he tore his Achilles' tendon in an early season practice. He still goes through rehab as the injury has not healed completely.

Although the past season turned out to be a tough stretch for Peck and Penn State, he said he had no intentions of leaving the team. He said he was happy settling his roots in State College and Penn State basketball and was not entertaining ideas of departing. In fact, the past week Peck was shopping at local stores for an all-terrain vehicle to motor through the backwoods of Happy Valley.

Peck did not change his mind until he received a call from his sister shortly after the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament in Grand Rapids, Mich. Carolyn made a special appearance at the Big Ten Tournament, and although the two siblings spent a lot of time together at the tournament, the discussions did not center around Peck joining Orlando. The former coach of the 1999 National Champion Purdue Boilermakers talked to her brother after the tournament and asked if he wanted the opportunity to coach in the professional ranks.

Following a debate in his heart, Peck decided his dreams of becoming the head coach of a women's basketball team would be helped by going to Orlando.

"I'm very excited about Michael joining the Miracle coaching staff," Carolyn Peck said in a press release. "His basketball knowledge and his familiarity and passion for the women's game will be an asset to the Miracle."

Before joining Penn State in 1998, Peck served as an assistant coach at Florida, bringing the team a successful season. He played collegiate basketball at Marshall from 1993-96 where he sits seventh all-time on the Thundering Herd block shot list.

Despite leaving the team he helped recruit the past three seasons, Penn State players and coaches expressed gratification with the help Peck has given in his short tenure.

"Michael brought great energy and knowledge to our program," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "This is a wonderful professional opportunity for him."