Blue White Illustrated

M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L L amar Stevens stood at the edge of the mob, taking it in. He slapped hands with his teammates and grinned from ear to ear as he conducted the first of sev- eral interviews in the midst of a celebra- tory court storming. As Penn State's best player, Stevens is also the team's de facto spokesman. When big things happen, like the Nittany Lions' 76-69 takedown of previously unde- feated, fourth-ranked Maryland on Dec. 10, Stevens is usually the one who speaks. That didn't change on this night, but the dynamic of the conversation certainly did. Stevens spoke not as Penn State's savior, a force who had on occasion willed the Nittany Lions to this kind of win in the past, but instead as something he hasn't often been during his time at Penn State: a piece of the puzzle. Against Maryland, Stevens was just one component in a complete effort. Penn State received spectacular contributions from no one and solid contributions from just about everyone in its first win of the season over a ranked opponent. "In previous years, it was always a hero who would step up and be the reason we won this game," Stevens said, "and tonight it was everybody. Everybody re- ally contributed in big moments, and I think that's how you know you have the makings of a good team." The game's biggest moments acted as miniature referendums on the supporting cast behind Stevens. After Maryland closed what had been a double-digit lead near the end of the first half to seven, sophomore guard Myreon Jones sunk a fadeaway 3-pointer as the buzzer expired to give Penn State a 10- point lead at the break. Then there was Izaiah Brockington. The Terrapins, who did not lead in the second half, cut Penn State's advantage to two points with about 10 minutes left in the game. Brockington missed a jumper but stole the ball back before Maryland could make a breakout pass, giving Mike Watkins an easy dunk and sparking a Penn State response to the Maryland run. A few moments later, with the Terps closing in again, Brockington hit a tough 3-pointer with a defender in his face. At no point did the moment seem too large for anyone on the court, a stark con- trast from years past, even when the out- comes were positive for Penn State. On offense, everyone was a factor. "I want ball movement," coach Patrick Chambers said. "I want player move- ment. Trust me, I don't want [isolations]. We've been there, we've done that, and that really hasn't been successful for us. "When we share the ball, man, we're tough to defend." Indeed, Penn State scored 76 points against a Terrapin team that came into the game allowing 85.4 points per 100 pos- sessions, the 22nd-fewest in the country. The Terps had not surrendered more than 75 points in a game all season. And the Nittany Lions did so without a lights-out shooting performance. They made 43 percent of their field goals and 37 percent of their 3-pointers, both not too far off their season averages. On the score sheet, Stevens, Brocking- ton, Jones, Watkins and Myles Dread all finished in double figures for Penn State. Even with so many complementary threats on their roster, there are still going to be games in which the Nittany Lions will need Stevens to be the difference- maker that he's so often been for them. Their next game offered a case in point. Four days after defeating Maryland, the Lions found themselves trailing unranked Alabama by nine points in the second half at the Bryce Jordan Center. They fought back, though, eventually trimming the deficit to two points, 63-61, on a pair of free throws by Jones. That's when Stevens took control. He scored seven of his 18 points in the game's final 5 minutes, 40 seconds, and he was even more effective on the defensive end of the floor. In the final 12 minutes of the game, Stevens blocked four Alabama shots. Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said his team had been trying to draw Watkins out to the perimeter and force Stevens to be- come Penn State's rim protector. That, it's safe to say, didn't work out. "He's an issue," Oats said simply. Isolated in the right corner against Al- abama's Alex Reese with Penn State lead- HELPING HANDS A more well-rounded Penn State team stays hot with wins over Maryland, Alabama | Stevens on watch list for Robertson Trophy Penn State's Lamar Stevens has been selected as one of 46 players by the U.S. Basketball Writers Associa- tion for its initial watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, presented to the men's national player of the year. Through the Nittany Lions' 7rst 11 games, the senior forward was aver- aging 16.7 points per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 7.9 rebounds to rank 11th. Since its founding in 1956, the USBWA has named a national player of the year. In the 1997-98 season, the award was named in honor of the legendary Oscar Robertson. In addi- tion, the USBWA selects an All- America team and All-District teams, players and coaches of the year. ■

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