A quick flashback to the 2001 Big Ten Tournament.

It's the first round, Penn State vs. Michigan, sophomore Brandon Watkins races up court against the clock with the game tied at 80. His jump shot falls short and time expires.

The Nittany Lions and Wolverines head to overtime and Lavell Blanchard takes over the game finishing with 30 points giving Michigan a 94-88 victory.

Now although this scenario did not play out last season and Gyasi Cline-Heard was there to put back Watkins' air ball and give the Lions an 82-80 victory, imagine if the above scenario did occur.

That means no upset of Michigan State on the heroics of a lean-in Joe Crispin three-pointer. That means no NCAA Tournament berth. It means no first round victory over Providence, followed by arguably the greatest victory in the history of the program against the No. 2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels to send the Lions to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever in the modern era. And it means no Jerry Dunn.

Maybe that would have been a good thing for the future of the program. It's true that last season's run was the biggest season in the history of the sport at Penn State, but it also was the cause for Dunn's five-year extension. An extension that otherwise probably would not have been offered for a coach that is 43-72 in the Big Ten.

Dunn's coaching last season turned a team that was talented enough to go 10-6 to a 7-9 team due to the struggles in close-game situations.

The Lions dropped an 86-85 decision to Iowa at home early in 2001. The Lions had fought valiantly to tie the game at 82, and then stunned fans watched on as Luke Recker buried an open jumper late in the game to give the Hawkeyes the victory.

The next point of evidence actually comes from a game that the Lions won.

Penn State leads Illinois at the Bryce Jordan Center by three points with about 10 seconds left. Inexplicably, the Fighting Illini's best player Frank Williams gets the ball with the clock winding down and hits a three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Lions ended up escaping 98-95, but just barely.

A few days later the Lions would let Indiana's best player Kirk Haston catch the ball and hit the game tying three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Lions would fall 85-78 in overtime.

They also would go on to lose the regular season finale to Ohio State at home after blowing a 20-point lead, not to mention a road loss to then doormat Northwestern.

The trend seen here is allowing the other teams' best player to get the ball at crunch time and allowing him to hit a shot late in the game.

When it comes to coming up with a defensive scheme to stop the ball from getting to someone it falls on the coaches' shoulders.

That's why a Dunn-coached team will struggle to make the postseason. They falter down the stretch of games they seem to be in control of or in games where they have all the momentum going their way.

The 2000-2001 team overcame the coaching of Dunn that at times looked shakier than a French figure skating judge.

There would be times out on the court that Joe Crispin, Ivory and Cline-Heard would all be seated on the bench watching an eleven-point lead be whittled to three.

It should come to you as no surprise this year when you see Watkins and sophomore Sharif Chambliss sharing a seat on the bench. This season Watkins and Chambliss are basically the only two proven scorers and on a team like this you can't afford to sit them at the same time.

What brings me to my final point— recruiting.

The reason why they can't afford to sit both Watkins and Chambliss is because of depth. The team has no depth and that is due to a lack of recruiting. In-state recruiting is what makes teams like Michigan State and Indiana so great.

As of late the recruiting has gotten a little bit better and with Council Rock's Ben Luber, a top 100 junior prospect, verbally committed for the class of 2003-2004 things do look a little better for the future Nittany Lions.

During the Jerry Dunn era the Lions have lost many key players due to transferring.

Most recently Jon Crispin, the team's leading returning scorer transferred to UCLA.

All of the players transferred from the program citing differences with the system.

Coming up next Thursday the Lions and Dunn will begin play in the 2002 version of the Big Ten tournament. A run like last season's in the tournament is more than unlikely, but it gives Dunn a chance to show some late season progress. Any wins in the tournament would be a bonus for such a struggling team and might make next season something to look forward to.

My proposal is that Dunn be given one more season, and if next year this team does not make significant strides, I think it's time to look elsewhere to solve the problems of the Penn State men's basketball program.

This year Dunn has made the excuse that it's a young team that lost four starters and is struggling to adjust.

I believe him; they are young and he needs one more chance to prove he can make this team a winner.

But I'm only going to buy that one more year.