The hardwood in front of the Penn State bench is looking a little less worn than usual these days. Normally the floor would be bracing for the impact of coach Rene Portland's heels, stomping out frustration over a missed basket or stamping down a questionable call.
Portland's absence from the team is letting the blue pine breathe a little easier, but somehow, someway, Penn State basketball hasn't missed a beat.
Sunday afternoon, the Lady Lions (3-3) reminded everyone why they play for Penn State and you don't. North Carolina, then the No. 2 team in the country with a 7-0 record, tried to muscle its way past the Lady Lions in front of their own fans in the Bryce Jordan Center -- but again, somehow, someway, Penn State found a way to win.
The Lady Lions just looked straight-up confident against the Tar Heels. In the first half, Carolina was putting on a clinic on the glass. There's no question in my mind that if the Tar Heels even played the Penn State men's basketball team, they would still dominate the boards. I mean, this was a team known to grab up to 30 rebounds in a single half against some opponents earlier this season. But even against all that, the Lady Lions looked smooth, and brought their game, shying away against nothing.
A big part of the Lady Lions success has to be credited to Associate Head Coach Annie Troyan who has, on the court, made everyone forget that this is a program playing without its fearless leader for the first time in 25 years.
I speak for all of my colleagues and friends at the Collegian when I digress for a moment to say that we are all hoping for a swift recovery for Rene Portland, and our thoughts are with the Portland family. When you think about the fire Portland has for her team and for Penn State -- not missing a single game throughout her 25-year tenure here, not even last year with a broken leg -- any reason for an indefinite medical leave of absence can only be interpreted as quite a delicate manner, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Portland family for dealing with this troubling time as a family.
Even at home, Portland still maintains in close contact with the team, and during the Carolina game couldn't simply sit by idly and watch the game on WPSX. She continually sent text messages to team trainer Andra Thomas saying, "Tell them to rebound!"
Aside from her 18 years of experience at Portland's side, there's just something about Annie Troyan that ensures this team isn't skipping a beat at all without Portland. In front of the media is the only time Troyan ever seems uneasy, and in post-game press conferences she always deflects any accolades onto her players before even considering her own influence on their success.
"I guess I'm giving an opening statement?" Troyan said, after the game. "I don't even know what happened."
Troyan explained that she had the team actually practice a victory celebration prior to Sunday's game to build more confidence. The level of confidence on the part of each and every player was sky high on Sunday. Annie T's team was never intimidated.
After last Thursday night's pounding of George Mason, Troyan had to get the Lady Lions into a completely different mindset for Carolina.
From Friday morning until Sunday afternoon, Troyan preached emotion, emotion, and more emotion.
Troyan was practicing what she preached during the game, too, pacing up and down the bench trying out her best Joe Paterno imitation.
"We needed emotion on every single play," Troyan said. "For me that's hard. I'm not really emotional. I'm level-headed and I sort of sit in the background."
As an assistant, Troyan was never without her clipboard, and mentioned after her first game as acting head coach against Duquesne that she missed having it that game. On Sunday, perhaps as a prop to mimic the feel of that clipboard in her hands, Troyan grasped a rolled up piece of paper throughout the game, sometimes smacking it against her hand in another illustration of emotion.
Troyan is perfect for this team at this time. The Lady Lions are playing the second hardest schedule in the country, and she's steered them onto a 3-0 winning streak. They're trying to implement a different high-tempo, balanced offense, and five players scored in double-digits against Carolina. They're asking two sophomores, Jen Harris and Amanda Brown, to not just start but to consistently produce, and both have turned it up, especially Harris who has had two career-high games back-to-back. They're doing all of this without the most recognizable woman on campus -- Coach Portland.
All of those changes could've been respective recepies for disaster, but with Annie T calling the shots -- cool, calm and collected -- the Lady Lions are in good hands.
