How far must Penn State fall before we realize there is a pit in our athletics program? While it would be far-fetched and greedy of us to demand national championships every year for our programs, we could ask to remain simply competitive in our own conference race.

Penn State has captured numerous Big Ten titles, but where has men's basketball been?

Coach Ed DeChellis is simply not able to change Penn State into both a football and basketball powerhouse. Florida, Wisconsin, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and USC are just a few examples of where it is possible to excel in both football and basketball programs. What is holding us back from being competitive on the court and shaking the Bryce Jordan Center with a fraction of the roar that a Penn State student section is capable of?

Is it our athletes or coaching or both? I would not attribute our inability to climb out of the Big Ten basement solely on our athletes. We have players who play with as much heart as those sitting on the opposing bench most of the time. But it would not hurt if we were able to recruit better. In order to do so, however, most programs rely on winning and we have obviously shown an inability to accomplish that. What is the remedy for Penn State basketball?

One possible fix is to actually take the time and money and invest in a coach with a respectable reputation who is able to inspire interest in recruits based on name recognition. Possibly one from a Division I school much like Indiana's decision to hire coach Kelvin Sampson. This will definitely take willpower to actually force a mediocre coach out the door and to invest money in our basketball program.

But just imagine, if we actually started winning, the revenues from both basketball as well as football would come rolling in. Money is what drives this university. It is time to stop harboring mediocrity and begin a winning tradition.

We shouldn't be the one-hit-underdog wonders who knock off a ranked opponent once in a decade (Illinois last year), and begin to actually make it hard for opposing teams to win against us. It is time for Ed DeChellis to pack his bags. It is time for someone new to lead the basketball team. What's the worst that could happen? We could actually win?