The Nittany Lions had just dropped their eighth straight contest in the Big Ten and Ed DeChellis was looking particularly despondent. The first-year Penn State men's basketball coach has been fighting a cold and the same obstacles facing his young team for weeks now.
The freshman guards are dead tired. There are too many turnovers and unforced errors. There's no depth to be found.
DeChellis would talk with media after the game for just less than five minutes. There aren't many new questions for him at this point.
After the press conference, DeChellis went out into the hall and sat down with someone who could relate to him -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.
The two have had their paths cross many times before, mainly in the early '90s when both were assistant coaches at their respective Big Ten schools. Izzo made a point after the game on Saturday to address DeChellis and first year at Penn State.
"I've been where Eddie is," Izzo said. "And I've been where those two guards are. As soon as they get some depth, they're going to be a very good team because he's a very good coach. Considering the number of guys he has left, they've played really well at home in the last couple weeks."
Rest assured, Izzo hasn't been in quite the same position since taking over for Jud Heathcote in 1995. His worst season was his first -- a 16-16 overall record including 9-9 in the Big Ten.
That doesn't mean DeChellis and Izzo have no empathy for one another. DeChellis has often referred to a bond he feels with Izzo and Illinois coach Bruce Weber, who also coached as an assistant in the Big Ten before getting a head job. The relationship shows in the press conferences after the Lions play Izzo's Spartans or Weber's Fighting Illini.
"I've got to give Eddie credit for getting them back up," Weber said after holding off a spirited Penn State team two weeks ago at the Bryce Jordan Center. "His kids were ready to play. It's been a long season, and they're tired, but they played their hearts out tonight."
Such kind words from his peers are mainly what DeChellis has to lean on in the coming months as his inaugural season draws to a disappointing close. But he'll always have friends like Izzo to help along the way.
