Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1315054
| W eeks after the forced resignation of Penn State men's basketball head coach Patrick Chambers, players were still searching for answers from the university and athletic depart- ment. Finding none to their satisfaction, a virtual preseason media day allowed the Nittany Lion players an opportunity to express their concerns about the abrupt coaching change. As they prepared for their first game of the 2020-21 season, players spoke out for the first time about the circumstances surrounding Chambers' departure. They discussed the impact that their former head coach had made on them both per- sonally and within the program and ex- pressed a collective sense of unease about the direc- tion of the team. And from the jump, senior point guard Jamari Wheeler made clear, without room for misun- derstanding, his dissatis- faction with what had transpired and the lack of clarity surrounding its justification. "There have been some ups and downs, obviously," he said. "It's just like a loss of words – confused, not understanding, trying to see the reason why he's not coaching with us. Why did he get fired in- stead? Why did he step down? "I know there's a bunch of things about him being a racist. And for me, I've been here four years, a Black athlete who plays for him, who is all the way from Florida, and I didn't get questioned one time, was coach racist, anything like that. It's just confusing." Wheeler was not alone in his assess- ment of the situation. From fellow senior John Harrar to jun- iors Myles Dread and Izaiah Brockington M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L AN OPEN QUESTION Players continue to seek answers following Penn State's sudden coaching change NO NAME POS YR HT WT HOME SCHOOL/PREVIOUS COLLEGE 0 Myreon Jones G Jr. 6-3 180 Birmingham, Ala. Lincoln Academy 1 Seth Lundy F So. 6-6 219 Paulsboro, N.J. Roman Catholic 2 Myles Dread G Jr. 6-4 220 Detroit, Mich. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 3 Sam Sessoms G Jr. 6-0 187 Philadelphia, Pa. The Shipley School/Binghamton 4 Caleb Dorsey G Fr. 6-7 230 Westminster, Md. The Hill School 5 Jamari Wheeler G Sr. 6-1 170 Live Oak, Fla. The Rock School 10 Kyle McCloskey G Jr. 6-5 212 Lower Gwynedd, Pa. Germantown Academy/Villanova 12 Izaiah Brockington G Jr. 6-4 200 Philadelphia, Pa. Archibishop Ryan/St. Bonaventure 14 Patrick Kelly F R-Fr. 6-7 215 Raleigh, N.C. IMG Academy 15 Trent Buttrick F Sr. 6-8 240 Bloomsburg, Pa. Community School of Naples (Fla.) 20 Taylor Nussbaum G Sr. 6-2 175 South Salem, N.Y. Cheshire Academy (Conn.) 21 John Harrar F Sr. 6-9 240 Wallingford, Pa. Strath Haven 22 Dallion Johnson G Fr. 6-3 175 Haverhill, Mass. Phillips Academy 23 D.J. Gordon G Fr. 6-5 175 PIttsburgh, Pa. First Love Christian Academy 30 Abdou Tsimbila F Fr. 6-8 235 Yaoundé, Cameroon St. Maria Goretti/Harcum College 33 Andy Christos G Fr. 6-5 175 Madison, N.J. Madison 2 0 2 0 - 2 1 R O S T E R WHEELER