For head coach Patrick Chambers his third season in Happy Valley is shaping up to be the most important in the program’s recent history.
The return of senior guard Tim Frazier along with DJ Newbill and a host of other talented Nittany Lions puts Penn State in a position to try and make a move in a stacked Big Ten conference. How much of a move is anyone’s guess but the pieces are undeniably there.
Heading into the 2013-14 season the Nittany Lions are as deep as they have ever been under Chambers. Compared to last season, Penn State will essentially add seven players to the remaining core of the 2012 squad. Four freshman will hit the court for the first time along with transfer guards John Johnson and Allen Roberts. All six of those players will join Frazier after a season off due to a achilles tendon injury.
With a brief European tour under their belts, the Nittany Lions have already practiced and played together before Saturday’s first official practice. A new rule passed this May allows college programs to begin practicing 42 days before their first game of the season. With the Nittany Lions starting play on Nov. 9 they can start practice now, on Sept. 28.
And they’ll need each and every practice if making a move in the Big Ten is on the schedule.
There is a lot to digest for Nittany Lion fans, so here are a few major storylines to keep in mind heading into the season.
1. Frazier Returns:
After a season off Tim Frazier will make his return to the active roster looking to pick up where he left off. One of the Big Ten’s most dynamic players; Frazier should take the load off of DJ Newbill’s shoulders and allow Newbill to focus on playing off of the ball. Frazier was an active fixture on the sideline last season, but his ability to make his teammates better, especially less experienced ones, will be vital to Penn State’s success this year. By all accounts Frazier is 100-percent healthy but even the best players will have a little rust to work off as real games get going this year. Getting both Newbill and Frazier on the same page will be vital as well. Great players can struggle to successfully complement each other on the court.
2. Shooting:
Penn State was very rarely out-worked last year, but they often were out-shot by better teams. If the Nittany Lions are going to win any games in conference play this season they’ll have to play with the energy that has become a staple of Chambers’ time at Penn State and they’ll have to score. The Nittany Lions shot just under 40-percent from the floor last year, one of the worst percentages in the nation. Penn State has showed the ability to get open looks at the basket, but that’s only half the battle of scoring.
3. Next Level:
To steal a phrase from the football program, getting role players to bring their game to the next level will be essential. Chambers can expect the same effort from players like Frazier and Newbill, but the ability to win will hinge largely on the likes of Brandon Taylor, Ross Travis, and Donovon Jack who demonstated a wide array of performances last year. Improvement is key across the board, but improvement coupled with consistency is essential to winning more games.
Travis is the second leading returning rebounder in the Big Ten after finishing fifth in the conference last year (7.4 rpg). He posted double-doubles in three of his last seven games and will join sophomore Brandon Taylor, who made 32 threes in his freshman season.
Despite the additions of seven players to the roster, six members of the ’12-’13 team are no longer with the team. Those departed players supplied 47.3% of points, 59% of 3PM, 39.4% of rebounds, and 44.5% of assists. So even with the likes of Frazier and Newbill returning the need for players to step up and fill those holes is aparent.
4. Hello Brooklyn:
Penn State’s non-conference schedule is a mixture of road challenges like Pittsburgh and Penn and winnable home games. The Nittany Lions historically have struggled to win at early season tournaments. A two-day event at the Barclays’ Center in Brooklyn is a chance to pick up a few neutral site road wins. Reasonably speaking Penn State could very well be 6-0 by the time the they head to Brooklyn. If the Nittany Lions can start off strong it’ll go along way towards building confidence as the conference schedule grows near.
Chambers touched on many of these issues in an interview with GoPSUsports.com. Here are some of the highlights:
Chambers on Leadership:
“Tim, D.J., Ross and Alan Wisniewski are the guys I’m leaning on for leadership. Those four guys have really shined over the last couple years, and some of them, over the last couple months. They have earned the right, and captaincy in my program is a big deal. They have earned the right, and I like having multiple guys, not just one or two. We are going to have four this year. With them coming hard every day and understanding what the model is and understanding what Penn State Basketball is, I look for the younger guys to get in line very quickly.”
Chambers on the Newcomers:
The Nittany Lions welcome four freshmen – Payton Banks, Geno Thorpe, Julian Moore and Graham Woodward – to the roster for 2013-14. Additionally, transfers Allen Roberts and John Johnson (following the fall semester) will add depth to the rotation. Jordan Dickerson, a 7-foot center, will practice with the Nittany Lions in 2013-14 while he sits out due to NCAA transfer rules. Chambers is excited about the addition of the talented newcomers.
“What I learned about the freshmen (during the European tour) is that they are going to be ready to play. They compete. They came in here with a chip on their shoulder. They are winners. They love to play. So there is half the battle right there. We work really hard at practice, and they are going out after these veterans. Our practices have been unbelievable with the competition level. The guys want to win every drill. It’s awesome. And that’s exactly what you need. With the trip, the freshmen understand our drills. They understand terminology. They are ahead of the curve. They’ve had 10 practices. They have great relationships with the older guys. The freshmen have really listened to the older guys, and they are really coachable.”
“Allen Roberts is every bit of 6-4 and weighs 220 pounds. He can really shoot the basketball. I think that is something that we needed out there to go along with Tim, D.J. and Ross. Now you have a flat out three-point shooter who can really fill it up. And he has a Big Ten body. He’s going to see significant minutes. With it being his fifth year in college, his experience is really going to help us. John Johnson plays (for the first time on) Dec. 22 against Mount St. Mary’s. He is a scorer. He’s going to come in and score in a lot of different ways. He can hurt you from three. He’s got a nice floater. He’s got the mid-range jumper. He’s got all kinds of finishes around the basket. But he brings a toughness, too. He is another 21, 22-year-old kid who has experience. He played at Pitt. He’s played in the BIG EAST. He has an understanding that this is a man’s game. I’m excited about what he is going to bring to our team come Dec. 22. Then we have Jordan Dickerson, who is 7-foot. It’s going to be great for him to develop over the next year, but it’s going to be great for practice. He’s going to be a rim protector. In the Big Ten, you have all kinds of big bodies. It’s going to be exactly what we need to prepare for Mitch McGary from Michigan, AJ Hammons from Purdue and bigs like that.”
Chambers on the Style of Play:
“We’ve got to score in the 70s. We need to get up and down the floor. We can’t hold Tim Frazier back. If we become a halfcourt team, it doesn’t bode well to use his speed, quickness and talent. It starts on defense with getting stops. We’ve got to defend. We’ve got to rebound. People ask us how we are going to rebound? Ross Travis was the second-leading rebounder in the Big Ten returning. And when you go back, Tim Frazier was at 6.7 rebounds per game before his injury. D.J. was nearing six rebounds per game. I’m fine with our rebounding. Our rebounding will be fine. We’ve got to defend, we’ve got to rebound and we’ve got to go. We need to make good decisions. I’d like to score in the 70s and hold our opponents down in the 60s.”
Way Too Early Awards:
Here are some guesses about which players will take home individual awards at the end of the season. Some guesses are easier than others.
MVP: Tim Frazier
Freshman Of The Year: Payton Banks
Most Improved: Donovon Jack
Defensive Player: Ross Travis
Unsung Hero: Allen Roberts
