Blue White Illustrated

SPUR OF THE MOMENT The Nittany Lions have waited years for a chance to once again play in the NCAA tournament. Now, their opportunity is finally at hand, thanks in large part to star senior Lamar Stevens | f Lamar Stevens looks like he's not having much fun, it is for good reason. He's not. The senior forward, on his way to becoming Penn State's all-time leading scorer, has unfinished busi- ness that is dominating his field of vision. Having helped cement an NCAA tournament berth, the Nit- tany Lions' first since 2011, he is focused on the pos- sibilities accompanying that achievement. "You know, I wish he could [enjoy himself]," head coach Patrick Chambers said. "I'm going to talk to him about staying in the moment, staying present, and enjoying this journey. I tell these guys before every game, have fun, enjoy this moment, make a memory. Try to appreciate what you've done to date and what you're about to do moving forward." It's the path ahead that is most important to Stevens. He's in the final stages of a plan years in the making, one that offers an opportunity to create lasting change in a program that has been thirsting for just that. But like every other accomplishment in his four-year career with the Nittany Lions, nothing about these next steps will be easy. In choosing Penn State, Stevens turned down of- fers from the likes of Pitt, Indiana and Marquette. His verbal commitment after earning a four-star rating from Rivals.com was the first step. The next step was a rocky debut season that included a 6-12 Big Ten record and an unceremonious defeat at the hands of Michigan State in the second round of the conference tournament. But following that difficult freshman year, Stevens and classmate Tony Carr helped lift the Nittany Lions to new heights in the Chambers era. The team had gone 9-9 in conference play during the 2017-18 regular season, but it reached the Big Ten tournament semifinals at Madison Square Gar- den, lifting its record to 21-13. That wasn't quite good enough to earn an NCAA tournament invita- tion, but it did get the Lions into the NIT, where they won five in a row en route to the champi- onship. After the season, Carr decided to pass up his last two years of eligibility to pursue a pro career, making Stevens the de facto leader of the 2018-19 team. Without Carr at point guard, that team was wildly inconsistent. It tread water through the nonconfer- ence slate but couldn't catch a break once the Big Ten season began, dropping its first 10 games. The Lions improved dramatically in the second half of the conference season, winning seven games and entering the off-season with a bit of momen- tum. Their turnaround set the stage for a conse- quential decision. Should Stevens return for one more college season or try for a pro career? He ended up testing the NBA waters with a series of workouts and evaluations for teams all over the country. After weighing all of the angles, using the entire allotment of time at his disposal, he opted to return to Penn State for his final season of eligibil- ity. Stevens didn't take that decision lightly, and he thinks about it often, increasingly certain that he made the right call. "I definitely wouldn't change anything," he said. "I think it's probably one of the best decisions I've made, and I think it's paying off in all aspects." Stevens said he always believed in Penn State's po- tential for this season, with or without his presence. But when he rejoined his teammates in the summer, he came away feeling that the Nittany Lions' ceiling was even higher than he had anticipated. "I knew that we were going to make sure we made the tournament, but it wasn't until I got to campus M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L I

• Cover