City of Basketball Love

Marley Paul (@MarleyPaul22)
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Penn State hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. It’s been two seasons since the Nittany Lions played in any type of postseason competition, losing by a bucket to Siena in 2014 in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational.

That’s expected to change in the near future as the coach Pat Chambers appears to have this team on the upswing entering his sixth season at the helm of a program that’s historically played second fiddle to its football counterparts.

The arrival of the school’s highest-rated recruiting class in the fall is sure to increase attention of the team that saw less than 7,000 attendees on average in the 15,261-seated Bryce Jordan Center, requiring the upper deck seats to be closed and covered during games. Only Rutgers and Minnesota joined Penn State in Big Ten schools below 10,000 spectators.

The Roman Catholic trio Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick, no strangers to sold-out venues, will play their final game together as Cahillites on Saturday for the PIAA Class AAAA State Championship. Among the spectators will be Chambers, their future coach who signed them and Oak Hill forward Joe Hampton last fall on Early National Signing Day. 

The four-man group is regarded easily as a Top 25 recruiting class in the 2016 cycle, among the four major recruiting sites (ESPN: 22, Rivals: 18, 247Sports: 18, Scout: 16). Chambers still has one scholarship available, but is staying patient to avoid a misfit.

“With these four guys coming in, they’re proven winners,” Chambers declared Wednesday at his season wrap up press conference. “They’re in the state championship Saturday night and we know Joe Hampton is a winner or you don’t go to Oak Hill, you’re not even allowed on campus. So we have the talent that definitely helps this program.”

Hampton will be exactly one year removed from competitive basketball in October, after being sidelined for his senior season due to a torn ACL. Recovery is on track, Chambers revealed while also offering insight on what to expect from the versatile big man.

“Joe’s a pick-and-pop 4 right now, who can play 4 and a pinch 5; chisel him down and who knows,” Chambers stated. “Super skilled, great hands, great feet, long arms, good shot blocker. You’re going to be excited for Joe Hampton.

Those four plus Phelps High graduate Mike Watkins and UConn transfer Terrence Samuel supply six new weapons on the court for Penn State next season, adding to three returning starters and other talents that have flashed promise periodically.

Chambers intends to have next year’s squad sport a new-look offense, as he intends to channel Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith and install a faster-paced system that likens that “Carolina Break.” The late coach found great success at North Carolina with this numbered fast break scheme that’s predicated on passing and early offense.

“We’re going to play a lot faster than we did this year. We’re really going to get up and down,” Chambers said. “That’s where Terrence really excels, and Shep (Garner) will excel in that, and Josh Reaves obviously excels in that, so does Julian Moore. And I’d like to think Lamar and Tony and Naz and Joe, they’ll really enjoy that style of play to get up and down and see if we can get to that 80-point average.”

The move to quicken tempo makes sense with a roster expected to be comprised of predominately of freshman and sophomores. Penn State finished last in the Big Ten in both scoring offense (65.8) and assists (10.1). The body type of departing senior big men Brandon Taylor and Jordan Dickerson simply never lent itself favorable to an up and down pace and the offense struggled.

Watkins is the complete opposite. The former four-star recruit and Philadelphia native sat out his first year at Penn State since he was not cleared by the NCAA to compete. He’s garnered rave reviews from practice, and is expected to fill a major void inside as rim protector and finisher above the rim.

When asked to confirm the validity of those practice scouting reports, Chambers smiled and said, “He’s really good.” He added: “What he’s been able to do in practice has been impressive, very impressive. Mike’s going to dominate the paint, and he runs like a gazelle. He’s going to run rim to rim.”

In the backcourt, Carr relieves former Roman Catholic standout Shep Garner, who was the lone ball handler last season. Throw in Isaiah Washington, and Chambers said it’d be their first time with three point guards available.

Depth in the wing positions will be afforded to the Nittany Lions as well with the arrival of Stevens and Bostick mixing with Reaves and Banks. Look for those two slots to sometime intertwine.

“That’s the beauty of these guys, you can play them at multiple positions,” Chambers added. “It’s going to be a lot creativity, I’m going to really enjoy this offseason preparing for these kids.”

Last year, there was in reality just one starting spot up for grabs entering the season, and Banks rewarded Chambers with 9.4 points per game (team third-best). Next season outside of probably Garner, everyone will be competing for a starting spot and minutes in the rotation, something Chambers is embracing wholeheartedly.

“I can’t wait for that balancing act, it’s going to be a lot fun. There’s going to be a lot of spots open, they’re going to have to compete everyday. You don’t compete, you’re not going to earn your minutes or you’re not going to start, guys are going to want to be on the floor, and that’s going to be exciting and refreshing.”