"A team can be going in the right direction sometimes, then you have injuries, someone leaves, or isn't as good [the next season]," Earl said. "It's been tough."

Earl was named third-team All-Big Ten in 1999, his senior year. Only a year earlier he was stuck on the bench, as a back injury he suffered during his sophomore season finally caught up to him and forced him to redshirt.

"I didn't enjoy sitting out games, but I did get a different perspective on things," Earl said. "I tried to help out the guys as much as I could. I communicated between the players and coaches."

After college, Earl played professional basketball in Germany, Portugal and Poland. He also played in the minor-league CBA and earned a tryout with the New Jersey Nets during one preseason.

Earl also feels that his experience on the college level will help in coaching.

"I have been through it; I know what it's like to lift weights and be really tired and go to class, to have to balance academics and athletics," Earl said.

Another benefit from Earl's years at Penn State will be his exposure to the Big Ten. He competed against the best Big Ten had to offer at the time, including Purdue's Glenn Robinson, Michigan State's Eric Snow and Michigan's Fab Five minus Chris Webber.

"[The Big Ten] is always going to be tough," Earl said. "If the Big Ten is ranked five or seven as a conference, that doesn't matter when you go into Minnesota, Purdue or Michigan. It's not easy. There's never an easy game."

Another area where Earl may be able to help out the program is recruiting. He said being from the Philadelphia area, knowing some people there and playing in the Sonny Hill League might provide the Lions with a recruiting advantage in that area.

"I'm thankful and grateful to be back. I will do my best to get us back to a position where we are competing for Big Ten championships every year," Earl said.