In response to the March 2 column, "Players believe in coach, so should everyone else," consider this the realist's take on the so-called "rebirth" of Ed DeChellis and his 3-13 Nittany Lions. "Three out of four games including Sunday's 79-60 beat down" sounds nice, but when two of the three wins come against the same team, can one really consider it "turning things around?" It's easy to say that the players believe in DeChellis after a near-20 point win, but where was this faith and belief while leads were being blown against Iowa and Michigan?
Let us not be swayed by meaningless February wins against fellow non-tournament teams. DeChellis managed to take a team consisting of mostly three-star recruits and one of the best guards in the country and go winless in January. Winless.
Like any diehard Penn State basketball fan, I have found the win streak refreshing, and I look forward to carrying some momentum into the Big Ten tournament. However, this February facade merits a thorough evaluation -- and the evaluation yields this: DeChellis has by no means earned the right to return next year.
Oh, and one more thing: Until DeChellis wins a Big Ten title let alone a national championship, please refrain from ever comparing Ed DeChellis to Florida coach Billy Donovan again.
Robert Roselli
freshman-advertising and public relations
