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pair of transfer guards: Nia Staples, who missed last season with an injury after ar- riving from West Virginia, and Kelly Jekot, who sat out after leaving Villanova for Penn State last January. All the other players – three transfers and eight true freshmen – are beginning their first sea- son at PSU. The transfers figure to give Penn State some experience to lean on as Kieger and her assistants work to bring the freshman class along as quickly as possible. The staff is particularly excited about Jekot, an Enola, Pa., native who started 66 games for the Wildcats over the past three seasons and has played in an NCAA tour- nament and two WNITs. "She adds a level of postseason experi- ence that is much needed," Kieger said. "I coached against Kelly for three years [while at Marquette], and I feel very for- tunate to be in the gym with her every day and have an opportunity to coach her. She's been a joy. She's playing the best basketball of her life. She stretches the floor and has the ability to attack off the bounce and get in the paint. Her basket- ball IQ is off the charts, and that's been a difference-maker for our young squad." The two areas where Penn State most needs to improve are defensive field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. The Lady Lions were last in the Big Ten in both categories a year ago, and the defen- sive problems were particularly acute. Penn State gave up a league-worst 76.2 points per game, as opponents shot 43.8 percent against them. One of the players who could help ad- dress the problem is Britnay Gore, a 6- foot-2 forward who set records at Cleveland State Community College for most blocks in a season (55) and career (99). The Lady Lions also have Camden returning from a freshman season in which she started eight games, and they are hoping to have Johnasia Cash avail- able following her transfer from SMU. But no matter how the rotation works out, this is an issue that needs to be ad- dressed for the Lady Lions to take a step forward. "We've got to get that [field goal per- centage] down and be able to stop people in the paint from having such easy oppor- tunities around the rim," Kieger said. "That's going to be number one [on the list of priorities]. We've been spending a ton of time on defense this off-season." The Lady Lions must also find a way to boost their offensive efficiency. Their 322 assists were easily the fewest in the Big Ten last season, while their 568 turnovers were easily the most. "That was our Achilles heel last year," Kieger said. "When you have a young team and you're trying to learn how to play fast, that's usually the case." Heading into their sophomore seasons, Marisa and Hagans will have a chance to help address that deficiency, and Kieger sees Jekot and possibly freshman Tova Sabel stepping into key roles. Sabel was a four-year member of the Swedish na- tional team and was named MVP of the U-19 European League last year. "Just seeing how much our sophomore guards have transformed their decision- making, that will help," Kieger said. "And then you bring in the experience of a Kelly, a Tova, having an international guard come in, it's just a night-and-day difference for us in terms of on-time, on- target passes and sharing the basketball." That combo came up big in Penn State's opener. Sabel scored a team-high 14 points, and Jekot had a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 rebounds, as the Lady Lions routed visiting Coppin State, 84-45, on Nov. 25. Looking at her program as a whole, Kieger said she's pleased with the progress the Lady Lions have made to- ward their goals. That progress may not have been evident in the team's record last season, but growing pains were not unexpected as she works to remake the program's culture and put the personnel in place to play the way she wants her team to play. "I'm personally thrilled with the changes and growth that our program and our staff have made in this first year," Kieger said. "I know we're in a great spot culturally. Our mindset and our daily ap- proach have drastically improved. And just the overall energy in the gym is like a brand new program." ■ Penn State signs two prospects in November Penn State landed two players during the recently completed early signing period, welcoming Ymke Brouwer and Kayla Thomas. Brouwer is a 6-foot-0 guard from Zürich, Switzerland, while Thomas is a 6-3 forward from Beltsville, Md. "Ymke and Kayla bring much- needed size to our roster," coach Carolyn Kieger said. "Both have played at the highest level of bas- ketball in their respective countries and exemplify our culture. I look forward to them elevating our competitiveness and adding to our depth immediately." Brouwer is a member of GC Zürich, a professional team that plays in the Swiss Basketball League. She was a three-year par- ticipant in U-16 and U-18 Euro- pean Championships, playing for the Swiss national team. During the 2019 U-18 FIBA European Championships, she averaged 16.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She is rated a four-star recruit by Blue Star Europe and an "A" on GoGlobal. Thomas guided Emerge Christian Academy to a 76-13 record and a pair of district championships in her first three seasons. She was named MVP of the She Got Game Classic earlier this year and has been ranked the No. 9 post player in the Class of 2021 and No. 72 overall player in the class by Girls Basketball Report. Thomas said she chose Penn State "because it's an excellent ac- ademic school... and I wanted to be a part of building a champi- onship team." ■

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