They needed an imposing post presence. They got a 6-foot-6 woman who has to make special trips to the "Tall Girl" clothing store in Philadelphia to find jeans long enough for her lanky frame.

They needed to fix their rebounding dilemma. They found their team-leading rebounder, who pulls down an average of 6.7 boards a game.

They needed an addition who would set them apart from last year's squad. They got a freshman ball of energy who ran around the locker room dispensing high-fives after tying the school's single-game blocks record.

The Penn State Lady Lions had a list of gaps they needed to fill so they could begin to dream the lofty dreams they envisioned for this season. And to help that, they got Reicina Russell.

For the freshman from Indianapolis, who has all the tools to fill these gaps, this season has nevertheless been a transition, a series of what Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland has termed "baby steps" to get her inside presence to the level that the Lions so desperately need.

It has not been easy, as there have been lackluster offensive performances, foul difficulties, and, as Russell is quick to admit, a fair share of tears. But with each double-double, each blocked shot and each whoop from the bench, Russell is proving more and more that she has made her presence known as a Lady Lions player. And, as the starting center ever since the Big Ten opener at Purdue on Jan. 2, she now has the chance to prove, as soon as every game begins, she can be a spark down low.

"I knew coming in that post play hadn't always been the best [at Penn State] and that...I would have to be very determined and eager to do the things that they needed me to do," Russell said. "It makes me want to go after that next rebound."

Post play has been on Portland's hit list ever since her team got out-rebounded 54 to 24 in last season's Sweet 16 loss to Tennessee. Three freshman post players were brought in to help alleviate the problem, with Russell being the one to have the biggest impact thus far. And though there are days when Portland is very vocal about her disappointment with the post play, there are also days when she can't help but acknowledge what Rei, as most of the team calls Russell, has done to elevate its level.

"I think Rei's done a tremendous job, playing the likes of the post players at Texas and Kansas State and all the ones getting incredible accolades at the end," Portland said. "She did more than hold her own. She's what we needed in the post. Her presence has been felt even in the first game where she changed so many shots."

The numbers that she has put up through the season tell more of the story. She averages 2.6 blocks per game, to lead the Big Ten, and her eight against Michigan State on Jan. 4 were good enough to tie the school's single-game blocks record, set in 1996 by Kim Calhoun.

She has accumulated two double-doubles this season along with a season and team-high 17 rebounds from last Sunday's game against Iowa. And while her offensive production has been streaky, as she averages just 5.0 points per game, she is able to score big, as evidenced by her 22 point performance against Northwestern on Feb. 1 that helped give her team the win in what was an extremely messy game.

But the animated twig of a player brings more to the team than just her statistics show. In her sideline cheering and her gigantic smile, no doubt, provide a certain spark.

"Her energy level is outstanding; it's through the roof," junior guard Tanisha Wright said. "Just her energy level helps us, never mind the fact that she blocks the ball like 20 times a game and only gets credited for four."

With a core of focused upperclassmen who know the greater meaning in each step of the primrose path, the pure excitement and, at times, frivolity, from an unaffected freshman is more than welcome.

"It's like, 'Rei, you're a freshman and that's why you're goofy, and we love you still,' " Penn State women's basketball assistant coach Keila Whittington said. "She gets excited about her blocks and rebounds and scoring a basket and when someone else scores. She cheers on everybody, and she sings, and she tells jokes, and she laughs, and she does a lot of things to help them relax and it takes a lot of the pressure off.

"Probably as she grows up and realizes some of the things she's doing, she won't do them anymore. But for now, it's just a positive energy that helps everybody else."

-- -- --

With the effects of her presence and personality known well before her time as a Lady Lion, Russell was, at the beginning of the recruiting game, a hot commodity. In her junior year of high school, she led Terre Haute South High School to an Indiana Class 4A state basketball championship, recording a record 31 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks in the victory.

After that season, however, she transferred to Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis so that she and her father, Michael Russell, could be closer to her ailing grandparents, according to Michael. The move proved to be a difficult one, as Russell's grandmother soon died, and she found herself playing for a rival high school of Terre Haute South.

In addition, Terre Haute South Principal Jim Freese, concerned about circumstances of the move, requested that the Indiana High School Athletic Association investigate the transfer. Upon investigation, the transfer was approved in fall 2003, according to the Terre Haute Tribune-Star, granting Russell her final year of eligibility. The season, however, proved to be somewhat of a disappointment, as the Lawrence North team was not used to Russell and finished the year with a 16-9 record.

During this trying senior year, Russell also had to decide on a college. When shopping around for schools, she took official visits to Penn State, Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa and UNLV. Having pre-decided on a Big Ten program, it was just a matter of which one.

"When I came here, Rene was 100 percent genuine," Russell said. "She didn't lollygag or beat around the bush. She let me know exactly what could possibly go on here, that I could possibly go in and be her starter, how it was going to be hard work, how we could possibly win the Big Ten, how we could go to the NCAA championship. And she let me know that she cared, she genuinely did care. There is love in the whole Penn State program."

Having lost her mother at the age of three, the idea of Portland as a maternal figure was no doubt appealing to Russell. In addition, the post situation at Penn State was highly favorable for an entering talented freshman, which became clear to Russell while watching last season's Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.

"When they played Ohio State [in the tournament] I was losing my mind because the rebounding wasn't as good as it should have been," Russell said. "I was like, 'Rebound! Oh, let me suit up!' Seeing it there, it made it worthwhile to come here. I felt like I had a purpose."

For the faithful Black and Gold fans at Purdue, seeing Indiana's own product depart for a conference rival was heartbreaking, especially as a 6-foot-6 player would have been more than welcome on a Purdue roster which lists its tallest player at 6-foot-2. Purdue, however, never offered Russell an official visit. The extent of its official recruiting of her was an in-school visit at Lawrence North.

"I didn't offer Reicina for several reasons," Purdue women's basketball coach Kristy Curry said. "Sometimes the best may come out of you when you are away from your surroundings, and it was good for her to get the distance from home. But she's a great young lady, and she's done a great job at Penn State. If she can't be at Purdue, then I'm happy she's at Penn State. The best thing for her is to be with Rene."

Penn State women's basketball associate coach Annie Troyan echoed these sentiments.

"Because of her home situation, even Purdue thought she should go out of state," Troyan said. "There are no hard feelings between our staffs. There are some kids that should stay home and some that shouldn't."

Factoring in to Russell's favor towards Penn State, beyond her preference of its coaching staff, was the desire to pave her own freshman path.

Katie Gearlds, a freshman guard/forward, who is close with Russell, was another Indiana star who edged out Russell for the coveted Indiana High School Ms. Basketball title. Playing at Purdue would have meant the possibility of staying in Gearlds' shadow, a prospect that did not appeal to Russell.

"But I'm here now, and that's all that matters," Russell smiled.

-- -- --

Now a lively freshman at a women's basketball program that has Final Four aspirations, Russell is a far cry from the days when her father had her start playing the game of basketball in seventh grade.

Michael, himself a 6-foot-8 former basketball player, said he and Reicina "stuck out like sore thumbs" at any family reunion, so he figured the height should be put to good use. Back then, however, she was more interested in singing than setting picks. Back then, she did not have the passion for the game she does now. And back then, she never knew how far she would come.

Her love for the game, however, grew with time, just as she did. She still has a long way to go if she wants to become a nationally dominant inside presence. But learning is something she has never been a stranger to, and that has carried over to her start as a Lady Lions player.

"You know how little kids get big eyes when they're eager to learn?" Whittington asked. "That's what it's like with her. She looks down at me, straight into my eyes, and she says yes ma'am, and she goes out and you can see her trying to do what you just asked her to do. She's very eager to accept what we're trying to do and take advantage of the opportunity she's been given."

She need not improve one bit more to impress her fans though. Always a sweetheart, Russell has quickly become somewhat of a fan favorite.

When announced as a starter prior to every home game, the crowd's cheers for her eclipse those that some veterans receive.

After attending a clinic with the Cager Kids Club on Feb. 14, Russell held in her hand several valentines with messages such as "We love you Reicina." And, at a recent home game, the "other Lady Lions," student fans who dress up as Portland and her players, made a sign just for their darling No. 50. "Fitty, you Hott," it read. Upon viewing it, Russell simply giggled.

Fortunately for her fans, Russell still has three more seasons as a Lady Lions player, for which she has big plans.

"I want Big Ten championships, I definitely want an NCAA championship ring," Russell said. "I am definitely looking forward to it."

She also hopes to perfect her dunk, a move she has performed only once, so that she will be able to bust it out on command.

But for now, the 2003-04 season is the one at hand, and this is the year, perhaps more so than ever before, of sky-high dreams. And having now embraced these dreams as her own, Russell knows that now is the time to deliver.

"As soon as I came here I felt like we were a family, and kind of like when a family has one thought, the whole family gets the whole thought," Russell said. "So I just came in and [the dreams] kind of seeped into me, and I bled blue and white. It became a feeling that rushed through all of us."

The Lady Lions got Reicina Russell. Now they need to see how far she will help them go.