9/21/2021 basketball Edit

Kebba Njie explains Penn State basketball commitment: Q&A

• Happy Valley Insider

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball added to an already impressive 2022 class on Saturday, when Rivals150 big man Kebba Njie announced his commitment on Twitter.

Njie, listed at 6-foot-9, 200 pounds out of La Lumiere School in Indiana, selected the Nittany Lions from a final three of Penn State, Kansas State and Butler.

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball picked up a commitment from Indiana big man Kebba Njie on Saturday. (Kebba Njie/Twitter)

BWI: What stood out about Penn State that made this the right move for you?

Njie: Something that stood out to me on the visit was their individual workout plans, and how they can translate it into the game. The coaches, they did a really good job of demonstrating that to me. Thew showed me other players who they think that I could be like, and I think that really influenced me to make my decision a lot. That was a major key part of my decision, the individual part of it. I know that once you get to college, there's a lot of team stuff that you do with everyone, but I want to see us working out one-on-one.

BWI: That's really interesting. I'm not sure any of the guys I've talked to have mentioned that to me before. Can you tell me a little bit more about these plans? Who's drawing them up?

Njie: It's a little bit of Coach [Shrewsberry], but who was talking to me was [Assistant to the Head Coach Tre Whitted]. He was telling me about how they expect to use me when I come down, and how they plan for me to fit their system.

BWI: What can you tell me about that plan? What kind of player do they see you becoming?

Njie: They see me as a versatile big who can play from the inside and play from the outside, kind of like your modern-day big, being able to have the confidence to bring up the ball, make plays for our team and be a decision maker, but also at the same time, be able to go and get my own.

BWI: Just generally, what do you think of Coach Shrewsberry? What kind of guy is he? What did you like about him?

Njie: He's a high character guy, always has positive energy. He's the type of coach where, even though something might not be going your way, he's not the one to get mad about it, because that doesn't really help with anything. He's always positive, he has high energy, pushes his guys. He sets the bar high, as far as your character. He's one of those dudes that you want to surround yourself with, and that goes for the whole coaching staff. They were all lively and had energy.

BWI: Who kind of led the way during your recruitment? Who was the guy you spoke to the most?

Njie: It was [Director of Recruiting Brian] Snow, he's one of the new ones. I talked to him, and he just gave me Coach Shrewsberry's number, and I was talking to Coach Shrewsberry a lot as well.

BWI: There wasn't a lot of time between when you got the offer [on August 19] and when you committed. What made you move so quickly?

Njie: Honestly, I just wanted to get the commitment process over with, and Penn State really impressed me along the way — not that I wasn't impressed by the other schools, they were great schools. Yeah, it was really just a timing thing. I wanted to make my commitment as soon as I could.

BWI: Here's the last question I'll throw your way. Obviously, you're getting in on the ground floor here, building something new with a new coaching regime. What about that appealed to you?

Njie: I see it as building my own legacy, me and the other guys who are in the class and have committed to Penn State. I see it as us coming in and building Penn State history. I think that this could be the start of something great within their basketball program that they've never had. So, we could be the first people to do that.