It appears as though the wagons have officially circled.

One day after Pearl Harris, the mother of Penn State Lady Lions guard Jen Harris, revealed that her daugher and two teammates had been told by coach Rene Portland that they would be best suited to find other programs in which to play, the Penn State Athletic Department remained mum.

"If anything changes with a player's status we will be releasing the information," womens basketball Sports Information Director Erin Whiteside said yesterday afternoon.

Whiteside also said that Portland declined comment on the issue, and that she would likewise make a statement only if the official status of a player changed.

For the second straight day, the three players whose status with the team is in limbo refused to comment.

According to yesterday's editions of The Patriot News of Harrisburg, Harris has refused comment on the subject until she has received permission to speak to other universities about a transfer from Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley.

Harris expects permission to be granted sometime tomorrow.

Repeated calls to Curley's office found him in meetings for the entirety of the afternoon and the calls were never returned.

Amber Bland and Lisa Etienne, the other two players named by Pearl Harris in her account of the events following Sunday's loss to Liberty in the first round of the NCAA tournament, could also not be reached for comment.