With an Alumni Association containing over 140,000 members, Penn State has created a fan network that reaches throughout the state.

Looking to capitalize on this fan base, the Penn State Alumni Association and the Penn State men's and women's basketball teams recently scheduled the inaugural Tip-Off Tour to generate interest far outside of Centre County.

New men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis, women's coach Rene Portland and Executive Director of the Alumni Association, Roger Williams, traveled to Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, Conshohocken, Lancaster, and Hershey from Oct. 6-8, speaking to groups of fans and inciting media buzz for a season which has yet to begin.

As the tour closed over three weeks ago, the journey's successes, and failures, have materialized.

According to an Alumni Association staff assistant, a breakfast event in Williamsport attracted a crowd of 43, and a Wilkes-Barre lunch stop merited 30 attendees.

Thirty-nine fans were present at an evening reception in Conshohocken, and lunch at the Lancaster Host Resort drew in 36 patrons.

At a stop in Hershey, in what Williams would call the most successful part of the expedition, approximately 50 individuals were in attendance in the standing-room-only facility.

Events in Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Altoona were scheduled but later cancelled due to low expected attendance, according to Williams.

"I wish the tour would have had a higher turnout, but it was successful in creating wonderful media interest," Williams said. "The success can't be measured in terms of attendance alone."

Covered by statewide newspaper and television outlets, the tour will be continued next year, Williams said.

"[The Tip-Off Tour] was a springboard for us and caused a stir in the media," Williams said. "It was an experiment, and there are things we can do in the future to increase attendance."

In his media day press conference, DeChellis considered Penn State a fantastic basketball school, saying, "We have great academics, a great campus, a great community we live in, the Bryce Jordan Center, the Big Ten...and an opportunity for young guys to come in and make their mark."

With Pittsburgh soaking up much basketball fan interest in western Pennsylvania and a triumvirate of Temple, St. Joe's and the Philadelphia 76ers tapping the eastern landscape, Penn State is at this point, a mere speck on the state's hardcourt map.

It is unlikely that Penn State will ever elevate to the status of a basketball program such as Duke, Indiana or UCLA, or even a St. Joe's, but the Tip-Off Tour was a small step in the right direction for the Penn State basketball programs.