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C oach Patrick Chambers and the Penn State men's basketball staff took care of the guard positions with a robust collec- tion of talent in the Nittany Lions' re- cruiting Class of 2018. For an encore, they've turned their at- tention to the forwards. Having previously received verbal com- mitments from small forward Patrick Kelly and power forward Abdou Tsimbila, both of whom have been rated as three-star prospects by Rivals.com, the Nit- tany Lions added an- other forward to the mix on Sept. 12 when Justin McKoy announced via Twitter that he plans to sign with Penn State. A 6-foot-7, 210-pound small for- ward from Raleigh, N.C., McKoy had also been receiving interest from North Car- olina State, Georgia Tech, Davidson, Clemson, Kansas State and others. "My biggest dream when I was younger was to be a Division I basketball player and I am happy to say it is going to come true," he wrote. "With all this being said I would like to announce that I am committing to Penn State Univer- sity to continue my athletic and aca- demic career." Corey Evans, Rivals.com's national bas- ketball analyst, said the Nittany Lions have landed a player with both offensive and defensive skills. "Justin is a very talented and versatile forward who competes on both ends," Evans said. "He is a bit in between spots in the frontcourt, but he is also someone who can be used and also flourish as a small-ball power forward in the mold of Lamar Stevens." McKoy is a former AAU teammate of Kelly with Team Loaded – North Car- olina. His affinity for Penn State grew in earnest following an official visit to cam- pus in late August. Two weeks after that trip, he announced his intention of sign- ing with the Nittany Lions. In the Phenom Hoop Report's July rank- ings, McKoy was listed as the No. 11 player in North Carolina for the Class of 2019. Big Shots Rankings has him listed as the No. 15 prospect in the state. Having seen the three-star player in ac- tion this past summer, Evans offered more insight into what McKoy can bring to the the Nittany Lions. "He can make shots to the perimeter, has a college-ready body and plays the game the right way. He is about getting better and provides energy on both ends of the floor," Evans said. "McKoy is a very solid and versatile prospect and another good one to build with at PSU." McKoy returned last season from a Jones stress fracture in his foot, an injury he suffered the previous summer. Aver- aging 21.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game for Panther Creek, he was named to the Raleigh News & Observer's All-Metro Boys Basketball Team and also received a second-team All-District nod. ■ McKOY MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Berger named captain for 2018-19 season Senior Chase Berger will don the "C" for Penn State this coming sea- son, while classmate Kevin Kerr and junior Brandon Biro will serve as the alternates. The Nittany Lions an- nounced their captains for the 2018- 19 season in August. "It's an honor to be named captain of this team and to represent this out- standing university by wearing the 'C,' " Berger said. "My teammates and I will do everything in our power to make our fellow Penn Staters proud of this hockey team." Berger, who wore an "A" last sea- son, becomes the sixth Nittany Lion captain in the program's history, re- placing recent graduate James Robin- son. The St. Louis, Mo., native has not missed a game since stepping on campus in 2015, appearing in all 115 games during the past three seasons. Berger finished the 2017-18 campaign tied for fifth on the team with 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists and currently ranks third on the all-time scoring list with 89 career points, while his 37 goals and 52 assists rank second and fifth, respectively, in pro- gram history. Both Kerr and Biro will be wearing a letter for the first time in their Penn State careers once the season gets under way in October. Kerr has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons but remains one of the top defensemen in the Big Ten when he's on the ice. The senior has appeared in 82 games in his career, scoring six goals while adding 36 assists for 42 points. Kerr's career plus/minus rat- ing of plus-20 is tied for sixth in program history and second among defensemen. The senior from Ben- salem, Pa., was second on the team last season with a plus-12 rating in 20 games. Biro, from Sherwood Park, Al- berta, was a constant presence on the ice during his first two seasons, missing only one game. The junior has appeared in 76 games, scoring 15 goals while adding 36 assists for 51 points. ■ M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L | McKoy is latest forward to announce for Penn State

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