Blue White Illustrated

FOOTBALL Police find drugs in players' residence University police found illegal drugs in an on-campus apartment that they said was the residence of senior receiver Devon Smith and former defensive end Jack Crawford. No charges, however, have been filed, according to a police report. Police responded to a call from a residence life coordinator around 4 p.m. March 14 after noticing a dam- aged window screen on the second floor of 1102 Nittany Apartments. Police said no one appeared to be home at the time, but they decided to enter, concerned that a burglary might be occurring. Upon entering, police said they saw marijuana, a scale, parapherna- lia and a prescription bottle belong- ing to wide receiver Curtis Drake. A search warrant was obtained and the illegal items were seized. Neither Smith nor Crawford had been charged as of April 8. Police said the investigation is ongoing. Penn State coach Bill O'Brien declined to comment when asked about the report at a March 23 news conference. injured teammate returned this winter. He is a combo guard in the truest sense. "I led my high school team in 3s for the past two years – last year as a freshman and this year. So I'm definitely a shooter, but I'm a slasher, too. I can get to the bas- ket. And I like the mid-range pull- up," he said. "And facilitating, I always like it. "But I don't really have a prefer- ence. I'm just a basketball player, and whatever my team needs for us to win is what I'll do. If I need to pass, then I'll pass. If I need to score, I'll score." With his final decision made, Washington can turn his attention to two more years of improvement before enrolling at Penn State in Eastern Athletic Services, the agency that is representing Crawford as he prepares for the upcoming NFL Draft, said the for- mer Nittany Lion defensive end had moved out of the apartment months earlier. "From December 2011 for- ward, Mr. Crawford did not reside at the apartment in question at any time," the agency said in a prepared statement. "The items listed in the Receipt Inventory of the Police Search Warrant do not belong to Jack Crawford." ACADEMICS Academic honorees are recognized Sixty-three Penn State student-ath- letes recently received Academic All- Big Ten honors – the second-highest total in the league. The new honorees are from teams that compete in seven winter sports. They bring the university's all-time total to 3,915 during its 18 years of participation in the conference's academic program. The women's swimming and div- ing team had the most Academic All-Big Ten honorees, with 21 mem- bers earning recognition. The men's gymnastics and wrestling teams tied for second with 11 honorees. the summer of 2014. Excited about the prospect of playing with fellow recruits Geno Thorpe and Brandon Austin, Washington said big things are ahead for the Nittany Lion program. "Villanova, Syracuse, all those higher programs like North Carolina and such, they're like that because a group of guys decided one day that they wanted to go there and change things," he said. "We could put Penn State up there just like Louisville or Syracuse and all those schools. "Coach Chambers is doing good things at Penn State. We're defi- nitely going to turn it around, and a Big Ten championship is soon to come for Penn State." – NATE BAUER W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M QUOTES T H E W E E K I N . . . BLOGS OPINIONS The big question is whether or not Paul Jones can make a push for the starting job. After sitting out the past two seasons with a redshirt season and being academically ineligible for his second, Jones will finally get a chance to make his case. He is eligible as of now for Penn State and many feel his upside is greater than that of Bolden and McGloin. It had been 80 days since O'Brien was named as the suc- cessor to the late Joe Paterno. And while O'Brien has worked hard to successfully connect with recruits, fans, high school coaches, students and the like since he arrived from the New England Patriots, March 26, 2012, was no doubt circled as a red-letter day on his office cal- endar. "Excitement," says O'Brien, who we have quickly learned is rarely given to hyperbole, "is a great word to describe it." KEVIN MCGUIRE NITTANY LIONS DEN MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM I think Danny O'Brien is a bit of a blender, a guy who wants to be a part of the team, rather than the one player everyone is talking about. I think that matters to Danny. At Wisconsin, there are plenty of offensive players to talk about. If Danny picked PSU, he would have been the focus, along with tailback Silas Redd. BOB FLOUNDERS THE (HARRISBURG) PATRIOT-NEWS If Bill O'Brien coaches as well as he recruits, Nittany Lion fans have reason to be optimistic for a smooth transition from the Joe Paterno Era. O'Brien has already nabbed five verbal commitments for the class of 2013, including decorat- ed quarterback Christian Hackenberg, and the early trend shows Penn State's staff is involved with more higher-evalu- ated players than they've been in recent years. The new staff is competing – and winning – recruiting battles against the Ohio States, Michigans, Alabamas, Floridas and others who should be the Lions' peers. That will only translate to more success on the field, particularly against the marquee oppo- nents. NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR I really like the new program, to be honest. It's very high excitement and enthusiasm in there. There's a lot of posi- tive atmosphere in there. That's why you don't want to miss your lift. That's why there are not a lot of guys miss- ing. And if you do, it's like, "Why did you miss your lift?" You want to get better. You look forward to lifting weights. You're going in there and it's a team atmosphere with a quarter to half the team in there with you. Everyone's look- ing at you to perform and do your duty. It's a positive atmosphere, and that's what's getting people better and myself better – going in there with the right attitude. MATT STANKIEWITCH, PENN STATE CENTER, ON THE TEAM'S RESPONSE TO THE NEW STRENGTH PROGRAM A P R I L 3 0 , 2 0 1 2 7

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