Flashback: Moments after a humiliating loss to Liberty University in the NCAA Tournament, Penn State guard Jennifer Harris was the only Lady Lion player to speak in a seemingly shellshocked Penn State lockerroom. Harris nodded in the direction of the graduating seniors. "This will be the last memory of their Penn State careers. They deserve better than this."

"Where do we go from here?" head coach Rene Portland was asked. "We just reload." Within moments, Portland would unload three underclassmen in a witching-hour, hotel lobby massacre that left program observers scratching their heads. The players dismissed included PSU's leading returning scorer (Harris), its best defensive player (Amber Bland) and a backup point guard (Lisa Etienne).

Update: Jennifer Harris is taking her high powered game to James Madison University, but Amber Bland is having problems securing her release from PSU.

What are PSU alumni and fans saying about Bland? According to this Penn Live forum post from 5/26/05, Bland wants her release, but Portland will not grant it without a phone call from the father. "When the coach did her war dance in that Bethesda Hotel," says the poster, "(Portland) told Amber her scholorship (sic) would not be issued for next year." The poster goes on to say, " The beginning of the end, actually started way back in late January, following a team meeting, where the team, player for player stood shoulder to shoulder with the accused relating to false statements made by the coach toward the accused. Furthermore, the coach wanted this player to request a medical leave, when she was perfectly healthy.."

As the Happy Valley turns.. stay tuned.