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Battista's Decision is Confusing but Shouldn't Cause Worry |
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Written by Ray Schmitt
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Friday, 14 April 2006 |
Just over two weeks have passed since the official announcement of Joe Battista's resignation as the Penn State Icers' head coach, and the shockwaves are finally starting to dissipate. The cleverly nicknamed JoeBa left the Icers to take the job as executive director of the Nittany Lion Club, a group that helps provide financial support to Penn State varsity athletics. As a former Lion Ambassador during his student days the job fits Battista quite well, but as a man who became a member of the Penn State hockey family in 1978 as a standout defenseman, the career change is puzzling.
At a school where coaching changes happen about as often as blue moons, Battista lived up to the tradition, serving 19 season behind the Icers bench. His career is littered with highlights including zero losing seasons, six American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) national championships, including nine straight trips to the title game, and 512 career victories. With a resume like that, it is not hard to believe Battista would eventually move on to bigger and better things, but one would assume that move would be within the coaching realm. Then again, we all know what happens when we assume.
So the natural question becomes if JoeBa didn't leave for a better coaching job, why did he leave at all? Battista has been quite open with the media in discussing his career move, but one has to wonder if there might be some more private reasons that he isn't divulging. He has said that he felt the time was right to get out of coaching. How can a coach who detests losing the way Battista does feel the time is right to walk away after finishing ACHA runner-up for the third consecutive year? Did the frustration of losing just get the best of JoeBa? Maybe, but he has already predicted that next year's Icer team will win the national title and the Murdoch Cup. How could he not want to coach that team? Maybe the workload of an ACHA coach just wore Battista down. He has a smaller staff, less support from the school, and many more responsibilities than most coaches at the NCAA level do. But anyone who thinks Battista's job with the Nittany Lion Club will be less stressful is sorely mistaken. He will be in charge of an organization much larger than the Icers, and still have to travel just as much as he did with his hockey team.
If Battista did leave the Icers for personal reasons he does not want to discuss, Icer fans can take consolation in one thing; JoeBa would never do anything to put the Icer organization in a bad situation. He played for the team and served as the club's president. He coached the team to extremely high levels of success. He has spent a great deal of time trying to get Penn State hockey to NCAA D-1 status. Battista's decision was difficult without question, but in the end he had to make the decision that was best for him and his family, no matter what the reasoning. Yes, his leaving will challenge the Icers and their new coach, but the Icers have traditionally dealt well with challenges. Besides, their old coach is picking them to win it all next year. Icer fans should take solace in that prediction and look forward to what will be another exciting season for Penn State hockey in the fall of 2006.
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Penn State 