DES MOINES. Iowa.- With just about two minutes to go in the opening half of Penn State’s first round thumping of Texas A&M on Thursday night freshman Kebba Njie took a slashing pass from guard Cam Wynter, catching the ball quickly before looping up and around a defender for a pretty layup. The score read 31-20 and the Nittany Lions were well on their way.
For most, an eight-point, three rebound performance fell well into the background of the nuclear three-point shooting of Andrew Funk and the do-it-all offensive engine that is Jalen Pickett. But for Njie it was the continuation of a solid past month of play. The big man and former Top 100 prospect may never be the centerpiece of Penn State’s success this season, but as Njie continues to grow into his role and grow the confidence to improve in that role, the better off the Nittany Lions will be in the future.
“I come from a lot of hard work,” Njie said on Thursday after Penn State’s win, reflecting on that looping scoop-and-score. “I know that for sure. I think my confidence as a basketball player is starting to grow even more so I’m trying new things out there. That wasn’t even something I was thinking about in my head. I was gonna go dunk it but I saw him right there [so I made the play.]”
It says something about Njie’s growing sense of self-belief that he went for a play his reflexes and intuition called for. Sometimes the best kind of plays coming when you don’t think at all, Njie simply reacted, and was rewarded with a nice basket in the process. Rewind a few months and Njie wasn’t making that play. Rewind a few months and the struggles of being a Big Ten freshman were hitting him square in the jaw.
So it says something about how far he has come, centerpiece or not.
“It says a lot,” Njie said looking back. “Just the confidence piece [of my play] and how much my confidence has grown as a player and how much more comfortable I am out on the floor.”
So what changed? The passage of time? The growth of his basketball IQ? Better nutrition?
“I got my hair cut before we went to Nebraska,” Njie said with a smile. “And I started wearing arm sleeve too, something about arm sleeves make me feel cool.” Since then Njie has shot 21-for-32 from the field and has pulled down five or more rebounds on six occasions. Penn State will need to keep that barber on retainer and a fresh case of arm sleeves at the ready.
Penn State’s season could be 24 hours from ending or it could be another week until that happens – or even longer. And while Njie might not exactly turn into Penn State’s secret weapon as he grows into his role this year, a few confident plays here or there could be crucial as the Nittany Lions look to run deeper and deeper into the tournament. The load might still be on the shoulders of the usual suspects, but don’t look past Penn State’s big man. He’s growing into his role, and growing into it at exactly the right time.
“For me, I just want to contribute to winning in any way possible,” Njie said. “So if they’re going to shoot three and go get picks in the post, I’m going to get in where I fit in, so I’ll just adjust. But if I need to score more then I’m gonna go score more.”
“You started to see the turn when we were at Nebraska,” Penn State coach Micah Shrewbserry said. “We lost that game, but his physicality was different, the way he went after offensive rebounds and those things. I think it took him a little bit of time to go through the league and understand what it takes to be a good player in this league, to guard good players in the league.”
“Ever since then he’s really taken off. I think his rebounding has been great. His effort has been great. He’s scoring the ball better. He’s catching and finishing. He’s putting time into his game outside as well to work on some things that weren’t going well for him early on. So it’s a testament to him and a testament to the work that he’s put in. He’s really helped us. Gives us another threat around the rim.”
