Oct. 1, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Oct. 1, 2009 -- Penn State has extended the contract of Nittany Lion Basketball coach Ed DeChellis, adding three years to the extension he received in 2006. Tim Curley, Director of Athletics, announced that he and DeChellis have agreed on a contract replacing his current pact that will keep him at the helm of the Nittany Lion program through the 2013-14 season. In keeping with University policy, specific terms of the agreement were not released.
"We are very excited about the significant progress our men's basketball program has made under Coach DeChellis and are thrilled that he will continue to lead the program into the future," Curley said. "Ed and his staff have brought tremendous work ethic, passion and energy to the program and the Penn State basketball community. This past season was very special. All the time and hard work by Ed and his team resulted in many outstanding victories and program firsts, capped by the NIT Championship in front of thousands of enthusiastic Penn State fans in Madison Square Garden.
"Ed and his staff have built a great foundation for continued success on the court, in the community and in the graduation of our basketball student-athletes for years to come, and I am excited about the direction and leadership Ed is providing to the program," Curley added.
The 2008-09 campaign was a season of "firsts" for the Nittany Lion program. Selected the 2009 Big Ten Coach of the Year, DeChellis led Penn State to a school-record 27 victories, culminating in the 2009 NIT Championship, the program's first-ever national post-season tournament title. The Nittany Lions (27-11) earned four victories over RPI Top 25 opponents and seven wins over Top 50 teams, including their first-ever victory at Michigan State, the NCAA Tournament runner-up.
Penn State drew more than 15,000 fans to a home victory over Indiana and posted five straight crowds of more than 12,000 fans in the Jordan Center to close out the season, both marking attendance bests since the 2001 season. Penn State has averaged better than 8,000 fans the last two seasons for the first time since the 2002 season. The Nittany Lions set a record with 17 home wins (17-3) in 2008-9 and have won 12 of its last 14 Big Ten home games defeating four ranked teams during that span.
"I appreciate the commitment and enthusiasm for the men's basketball program that the Penn State administration and Tim have shown," DeChellis said. "We are proud of what we have accomplished thus far and are focused on more goals ahead. I'm excited about the players and coaches we have and the facility improvements we have made over the last few years. We have a program that will continue to be nationally competitive and fun and exciting to watch."
In its run to the NIT title, Penn State defeated George Mason, Rhode Island in the Jordan Center, won at two-time NCAA champion Florida, and knocked off Notre Dame and Baylor in New York's Madison Square Garden. The Nittany Lions won 10 of their final 13 games and posted 12 victories over teams in the final RPI Top 80 on the year. Penn State was tied for seventh among teams also receiving votes in the final USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' poll and finished 47th in the final RPI rankings.
Named Penn State's 11th head coach on April 3, 2003, DeChellis' squad went 10-8 in the Big Ten, the nation's No. 2 RPI conference, earning the program's second-best Big Ten record and finish (4th) ever. Penn State equaled a school-record with 21 regular season wins and posted just the 10th 20-win season in school history. Along the way the Nittany Lions captured their third consecutive win at Illinois, the program's first three-game road win streak over a Big Ten opponent, defeated Purdue, the 2009 Big Ten Tournament champion and an NCAA Sweet 16 team, and won at Indiana for the first time, giving the Nittany Lions at least one victory in every Big Ten opponent's arena.
DeChellis was a finalist for the 2009 Skip Prosser Man of the Year award, presented annually to a Division I head coach who best represents the high standards of the coaching profession and coaches and lives his life with integrity. DeChellis, named the 2006 National Coaches vs. Cancer Man of the Year for his service in the community, had guided Penn State's CVC chapter to record fund raising including eclipsing $180,000 raised the last two years and $1.3 million overall. DeChellis recently joined five of his fellow NCAA coaches in representing CVC by meeting with congressmen and senators in Washington, D.C.
The Nittany Lions return three starters and eight lettermen for the 2009-10 campaign, including sophomore point guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.), a first team All-Big Ten, USBWA and NABC All-District selection. Battle (16.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.0 apg) is joined by returning sophomore starters D.J. Jackson (4.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Andrew Jones (6.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg). Penn State returns 53 percent of its scoring and 65 percent of its rebounding and will welcome four incoming freshmen from one of the finest recruiting classes in recent program history.
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