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Jerry Kellar
Wednesday, January 26, 2000 Page: 1B
Although I don’t normally cover Penn State basketball, I will make it a
point to be at the 2001 Nittany Lions-Indiana Hoosiers men’s game at the Bryce
Jordan Center.
I want to see for myself if Rene Portland has the gall to pull such a
classless stunt for a third time.< Most of all, I want to see if Penn
State officials have the guts to admonish Portland, who, by the actions of her
family, has figuratively slapped a fellow coach and her university in the
face.
Some background:
It is well known around Penn State circles that Portland, the longtime
women’s hoops coach, and her family have a close relationship with Indiana
coach Bobby Knight. As such, when the Hoosiers play at Penn State, some
members of the Portland clan watch the game from the first few rows behind the
Indiana team bench.
However inappropriate, that’s their right.
The problem, as many see it, is their actions during the game.
Last season, Portland’s two sons – the oldest a manager on the PSU football
team – reportedly wore red Indiana attire and cheered wildly, at times even
slapping hands with Hoosiers players, in IU’s double-OT victory over dear, old
State.
Their totally thoughtless behavior upset more than a few Lion loyalists,
and surely had to have hurt men’s coach Jerry Dunn’s feelings, although Dunn
has been far too classy to comment publicly on the matter.
Showing her true colors
Portland, an egotistical, overrated coach who rarely wins games she’s not
supposed to win (especially in the NCAA Tournament), not only defended her
son’s conduct to the media, she allowed them to repeat it this season.
That’s right. When Knight and his Hoosiers came to the Jordan Center Jan.
8, Portland’s sons, decked out in red, took their places behind the IU bench
and were seen rooting on the visitors. This time, however, they were
accompanied by their dad.
That, no matter how you spin it, is flat-out disrespect.
Considering the backlash following last year’s game, you’d think the coach
would have gone out of her way to prevent another scene by telling her kids to
wait until after the game to greet and congratulate good friend Bobby and his
players in the locker room.
Instead, she throws gasoline on the fire.
You can bet Portland wouldn’t like it if Dunn or another university coach
allowed their children to sit behind the Michigan bench and whoop it up with
the maize and blue during a Lady Lions game.
Never happen, though.
You’d have to be a complete jerk to do something like that.
Kellar can be reached at 829-7243 or jkellar@leader.net