BY JAY NATOLI
GoPSUsports.com
nnie Troyan is modest to a fault. So, since she??s not the type to rhapsodize about her role in starting one of the most revered Lady Lion traditions, we??ll do it for her.
Jump to Boulder, 1980: Rene Portland, in the early days of a successful coaching career, is the head coach at the University of Colorado. She??s roughly 80 wins into her coaching career when she finds and recruits Troyan, a product of the competitive Philadelphia Catholic League, to be the point guard for the Buffaloes.
Tradition and loyalty are among the major selling points that lure Troyan to Boulder, so it??s no surprise that when Portland accepts Joe Paterno??s offer to coach the Lady Lions in 1981, Troyan agrees to follow Portland to Happy Valley.
That year, as a sophomore transfer, Troyan begins the royal bloodline of Lady Lion point guards and, with outstanding play, creates a philosophy that Portland will carry for the rest of her coaching career.
Troyan explains in her soft-spoken way. ??The personality of our team follows the personality of our point guard.??
It has been that way ever since Troyan set foot on campus; she started every year of her career and led Penn State to new heights. In her junior year, she took the Lady Lions to their first ever post-season appearance and into the Mideast Regional of the NCAA Tournament. In 1983, she was named to the NCAA??s East All-Region team and earned academic honors as the Atlantic 10 Conference Scholar-Athlete.
The first Lady Lion to make assists an important statistic, Troyan finished her career with 632 assists (currently ranking fifth all-time), including a career-high 19 against North Carolina State in 1983.
Her name gets etched at the very top of Penn State??s proud family tree of successful guards. On the branches are the names Suzie McConnell, Dana Eikenberg, Tina Nicholson, Helen Darling and Jess Strom ?C all four-year starters ?C and current floor general Brianne O??Rourke, names that represent a clear line of succession through every season of Lady Lion Basketball under Portland since Troyan??s playing days, a span of nearly three decades.
Jump to her graduation from Penn State in 1984. Troyan returned home to Philadelphia, to teach at St. Katharine of Siena School and coach at Archbishop Carroll High School, where she amassed a record of 50-31 during three-year stint. Her Carroll team won the Southern Division title in 1987.
By then, it was time to return to Penn State to assist Portland. Troyan??s initial hiring with the Lady Lions was a historical one; in 1987 she became the first graduate assistant of the women??s basketball program, and has since ascended into the role of Associate Head Coach.
Along the way, she bought into one of Portland??s main philosophies, which states ??to whom much is given, much is expected.??
With that in mind, Troyan has been an active leader in the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Summer Games, which hit the Penn State campus every summer. In 2005 the event held special meaning, however, as Troyan was tabbed as the event??s honorary chair because of her dedication to Special Olympics through the years.
??I??ve been involved with the group for several years and it??s a first-class organization that??s truly in it for the athletes involved,?? Troyan says selflessly, free of conceit. ??Summer games give athletes the chance to compete and show their sportsmanship. The Lady Lions and I are proud to share in their success.??
Troyan, who is now in her 20th season on the bench, is for scouting and game management in addition to coaching the guards. Her expertise is invaluable to Rene Portland, O??Rourke and future Lady Lion players.
??When I think about success, history and tradition, Annie??s name comes to my mind,?? says Portland. ??The way she prepares the team is second to none, and her development of the guard position is a major reason for the success of our program.??