It’s amazing really that Penn State basketball has taken so long to become a viable option for Philadelphia recruits.
That’s not to say that Penn State has been an obvious first choice all these years. The program’s struggles are well documented.
But with a city so large and full of so much talent, it would stand to reason that at least a few would find their way three hours to the west and call Happy Valley home. For many reasons, that simply never happened.
That tune is slowly changing though, and as coach Patrick Chambers hits the road for the final leg of Penn State’s Coaches Caravan he will return to Philadelphia as a more familiar face.
To be sure, Chambers and his staff are greatly aided by doors opened to them during time previously spent in the city. Chambers spent five years on the coaching staff at Villanova, in the Philadelphia suburbs. However, those days have long passed, and it would be inaccurate to say that Penn State’s recent success in the city of Brotherly Love has come without its own challenges.
Whatever the case, Penn State is now an option for Philadelphia recruits — unlike any time in the program’s history. The Nittany Lions still aren’t the first option in a town packed full of big names, but the big names are picking up the phone and not laughing the call off anymore.
Broken down, the results are even more impressive.
In the final six years of Ed DeChellis’ time at Penn State, the former head coach brought in two players from Philadelphia, both big men in Andrew Ott and Andrew Jones. Considering that Ott was a Villanova transfer, DeChellis essentially recruited and signed one player from the city in the span of six years.
The results under Chambers are completely opposite.
In his first year at Penn State, Chambers landed DJ Newbill, a Philadelphia native who played one season at Southern Miss. Newbill was a player who, without any shadow of a doubt, pulled heavy influence in Philadelphia. By the end of year two, Chambers had a trio of Newbill, Brandon Taylor and John Johnson on the roster. In that short 24 month span, Chambers had recruited more players from Philly than in six years under DeChellis.
By the 2014-15 season Penn State had five players on the roster from Philadelphia and verbal commitments from two more down the road. In fact, assuming there are no injuries, transfers or decommitments, Penn State will have no fewer than four Philadelphia products on the roster each year through the 2016-17 season. In total Chambers will have seen at least seven respected recruits from Philadelphia come through the doors of the Bryce Jordan Center in a six year span with several unclaimed scholarships still to be handed out.
Recruiting is only part of the equation. Next season marks an important one under Chambers with a schedule that seems to favor challenges on the road. That may be a sign that Chambers is confident in what he is building.
Win or lose, the next 24 months under Chambers could very be as important as his first 24. As Chambers heads into Philadelphia to spread the word about his program, people will be listening.
And that’s a victory in its own right.
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