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Chambers, Nittany Lions Eager For Busy Offseason

Penn State men’s basketball head coach Patrick Chambers was admittedly worn down and tired.

Bludgeoned by a difficult 15-18 season in which the Nittany Lions showed both flashes of promise and maddening inconsistency at once, the frustrations wouldn’t last, though. Recalling multiple random encounters with fans in the State College area, Chambers said the support he was given was “incredible.”

“Everybody who has come up to me couldn't be nicer, couldn't be more excited,” said Chambers. “‘What a great season, man we love the style of play, we love the team, Shep and Tony and Mike and Lamar and Josh. This is so much fun, this is going to be awesome.’ It's been incredible.”

Chambers’ boost goes beyond the anecdotal, too.

By early April, new season ticket deposits had improved significantly from two years ago or even last year, a marketing push through the NCAA Tournament manifesting itself in actual tickets sold. Featuring a core group of talented freshmen in Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens, and Mike Watkins, plus returning veterans in Shep Garner, Josh Reaves and Julian Moore, Chambers said he believes fans have a heightened anticipation and the players themselves are following suit.

“To me, I think fans see ‘Wow this is a team we haven't seen at Penn State in a long time and we're going to jump on board. This is going to be an awesome year.’ I think they know,” said Chambers. “This group that I have together right now, the chemistry that we have, the locker room that we have, they're coming in to work that they can't wait. I'm serious. They can't wait to get to the gym, they can't wait to get better because now they know, ‘All right, we've been through it once, now we know what we gotta do.’”

Chambers and the Nittany Lions finished 15-18 overall for the season.
Chambers and the Nittany Lions finished 15-18 overall for the season. (Nate Bauer)

Certainly, Carr’s comments at the program’s season-ending banquet this month demonstrated as much.

Surrounded by family, teammates and coaches, the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and all-conference freshman team selection pinpointed exactly how dialed in he is already for the next opportunity to compete, this time as a sophomore.

“I’m very excited by it. What is it, 218 days until the next game?” Carr asked. “I'm just looking forward to keep getting out there and keep pushing forward for my team and my brothers.”

To do so, the Nittany Lions will need to overcome some of the demons that plagued their 2016-17 campaign. Specifically, in games played to a single possession or decided in overtime, the Lions finished with a 2-6 mark, losing twice in overtime and another four games by a combined nine points. Only upon topping Nebraska in the first round of the conference tournament were the Lions able to snap a six-game losing streak in such games.

Reflecting on that uphill battle, Chambers pointed out what he considered quality wins against Georgia Tech, St. John’s, Michigan State, Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland. Acting as a baseline of shared experiences from which to grow, he’s expecting the successes and frustrations to both act as teachable moments that will help develop the program’s young pieces.

“I just think they were all great experiences. We were right there,” said Chambers. “I just felt like we could win every game. I felt we were very competitive. We just have to learn how to do it for longer stretches. The experiences that we gained from these close losses, these overtime losses, is only going to make us that much physically and mentally tougher.”

A hallmark of previous Chambers’ coached teams even during particularly down seasons, physicality and mental toughness were at times especially lacking last season.

As a result, Chambers is revisiting the philosophy he’d established for his team before the season’s start. Claiming to want to score 80 points per game, the Lions finished the year producing their highest scoring average in his tenure at 71.7 ppg. At odds with that output, however, were the 72.7 ppg scored by opponents through the course of the year, also a low point in his six seasons with the Nittany Lions.

Subtly acknowledging the identity misstep, Chambers said defense and rebounding would be a returned focus for the program as it aims to grow this offseason. “I don't know if we're built to outscore teams. I think we're built to be tough and nasty and defend and rebound, and when we did that, we won,” said Chambers. “We have the makings of a really good team, we just couldn't keep it together on a consistent basis and you know what, as a coach, that falls on you. I have to do a better job of getting these guys to play on a consistent level.”

The group he coaches next season will see an in-tact core, but will also include a shifting group of peripheral players. Seeing the graduations and transfers of Payton Banks and Terrence Samuel to South Florida, and Isaiah Washington to Quinnipiac, before the expiration of their eligibility, the Nittany Lions have three remaining open scholarships.

Officially welcoming Class of 2017 signee Trent Buttrick last week, the Nittany Lions are playing host to National Junior College Athletic Association first-team All-American Ty Lazenby this week. Lazenby averaged 21.5 points per game at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid last season and has offers from Penn State, UNC-Charlotte, and Utah.

Later this week, the Nittany Lions will also welcome Class of 2017 point guard Jamari Wheeler out of The Rock School (Gainsville, Fla.), who has Penn State in his top five and will be taking an official visit.

Additionally, newly eligible big man Satchel Pierce and reserve freshman Nazeer Bostick are also expected to contribute, leaving Chambers optimistic at the opportunity to round out next year’s group with fresh blood.

“With the three guys graduating, we're proud that they graduated, we're proud that they got an education, but I think it's going to be a good thing,” said Chambers. “I think if we can bring in somebody fresh, and with some new creativity and innovation, to keep this core group together, I'm really optimistic.”

Intending to make the program’s culture a priority this offseason, the players and coaches will have increased opportunity to meld throughout.

Breaking from tradition, the entire team will be on campus for both academic summer sessions as opposed to just the second, Chambers has planned a foreign tour for August, and the program is set to take part in an increased number of community service activities including Relay for Life, Coaches Vs. Cancer and a trip to Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital in May.

“We have a lot of things planned for this group to remind them how privileged they are to be a part of this incredible university, this great program and to give back," said Chambers. "Because we're blessed. I'm a coach and get to coach in this great league, and they're players that get the education and get to play in the Big Ten.

“So this summer, I think we're going to have a lot of fun, we're going to get better, we're going to get older, we're going to get wiser, we're going to get bigger, we're going to get stronger, and we're going to learn from last year.”

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