For the Penn State men's basketball team and its fans, a season of frustration is finally over.
So why does it seem like the fun is only just beginning?
The Lions lost 21 times, finishing 11th in the Big Ten. But I'm an optimist; The glass is half full. I remember the win over the Big Ten regular-season champ, Wisconsin. I remember the win over Indiana that nearly cost the Hoosiers an NCAA tournament bid.
Still, player defections were rampant. Daren Tielsch left, then Jamaal Tate couldn't take any more. Sharif Chambliss wants out. Jan Jagla's leaving the country. Aaron Johnson's gone if he doesn't get a scholarship. The rumors were swirling like that weird guy's plastic bag in American Beauty.
Then the news hit: Dunn resigns.
The media scrambled to the Bryce Jordan Center in a wave of excitement. I've never been at a press conference where there were so many smiles on so many faces. There was just a buzz. A big, positive, cheery buzz. And it's not because we hate Dunn. At least, I don't hate him. It's because we're into uncharted territory.
Penn State basketball has always been known for long stretches of consistent mediocrity, with a year of mild success thrown in occasionally.
The Lions' Sweet 16 run was the program's biggest moment ever, and Dunn was part of that. There have been no conference championships, no Final Fours, no cutting down the nets. But now the slate is clean. It's the unknown. Anything is possible.
I listen to Athletic Director Tim Curley say he's beginning a nationwide search, with the job wide open. Curley won't discuss potential candidates, but that doesn't mean the media can't throw names out there like it's our job.
ESPN's Andy Katz writes that the Nittany Lion head coaching position is an "intriguing opening" because of Penn State's Big Ten affiliation and good facilities.
According to Katz, there's also talk around the coaching circles that the administration will be willing to pay top dollar for a coach that can provide Penn State with a consistently competitive team. You've heard the names: St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, Chattanooga's Jeff Lebo, ex-UCLA coach Steve Lavin, East Tennessee State's Ed DeChellis.
But the most important thing Penn State needs to look for is a name. A big, long, recognizable name with way too many syllables.
We need Steve Wojciechowski.
You might remember Wojo from his Duke playing days, manning the point while leading the Blue Devils back to the college basketball elite in the late 90s. He was even on the cover of Sports Illustrated in '97, with that ugly neon yellow background and four Cameron Crazies painted blue, head to toe.
But now Wojo's a 26-year-old assistant coach at his alma mater, under Mike Krzyzewski (another name with way too many syllables).
But can he be a head coach? He could certainly play. I've never seen anyone do so much with so little athletic ability. As a senior, he was practically a coach on the floor. If he's good enough for Coach K, he's good enough for me, and he's more than good enough for PSU.
Regardless of whether he's ready for the pressure put on a head coach, two things he will do right away is recruit and attract fans.
People will see his name, recognize it instantly, and associate it with Duke success. For top recruits, that means giving Penn State a chance. For fans, that means packing the BJC to see what the kid from Durham can do. He'll bring instant credibility to a program in shambles.
Penn State should throw everything it has at Wojciechowski. The minute Duke is eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, the administration needs to roll out the red carpet, show what PSU has to offer, and convince Wojo that he belongs here.
A big fat contract should help too.
Penn State took the first step toward respectability by getting rid of Jerry Dunn, and now it needs to take the second. We need a basketball savior, and Wojo's our man.
