Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1430714
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M our circumstances are. You can still win the game. That's what our focus is on. "Whether it's a next-man-up men- tality, or whatever it may be, we're still going to compete. We're still going to go out and play the exact same way." SHREWSBERRY SIGNS FIVE PLAYERS IN FIRST RECRUITING CLASS With an emphasis on player develop- ment, Shrewsberry and his staff final- ized their first recruiting class at Penn State in mid-November, receiving sig- natures from their five verbally com- mitted players. The class, ranked No. 50 in the On3 Consensus ratings as of Nov. 14, is head- lined by guard Jameel Brown, who is the No. 109 player in his class. Brown's standout attribute is his shooting abil- ity, which associate head coach Adam Fisher emphasized while analyzing his film. "When he enters the gym he's ready to shoot," Fisher said. "He is a bas- ketball player who is going to come in right away and make an impact on this team." Brown is joined by fellow top-150 prospect Kebba Njie, a 6-8 forward with an ability to shoot the ball from outside and plenty of touch around the rim. "In my opinion, we're going to be really, really good as he continues to develop," said assistant coach Aki Col- lins, Njie's lead recruiter. "You just see the potential on him. As he matures, he's going to be a phenomenal player." The class also includes guard Evan Mahaffey — a defensive stalwart with a 7-foot wingspan at 6-5 — as well as Philly big man Demetrius Lilley and Virginia point guard Kanye Clary. Penn State's director of recruiting, Brian Snow, said the staff focused on recruiting areas like Philadelphia and the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia re- gion, where the Penn State name car- ries added weight, along with places in the Midwest where Big Ten basketball is king. The Penn State pitch to prospects was largely based on player develop- ment. Snow said the Nittany Lions did not make promises to recruits — aside from a silly one to Njie that involved Fisher jumping on his desk in celebra- tion following his commitment. "We want to help you grow as a per- son and a player during your years in college," Shrewsberry said. "Our part of that, on the basketball court, is that we really invest in people. Everybody's not the same, right? People on the court, they don't do the exact same things. So, they shouldn't work on the exact same things. You should work on things that are specific to you." ■ PENN STATE 2021-22 ROSTER NO. NAME/ 2020-21 SEASON POS. CL. HT. WT. HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL/PREVIOUS COLLEGE 0 Irekefe Oweh G So. 6-2 188 North Brunswick, N.J. Rutgers Prep/St. Thomas Aquinas Played in 12 games at St. Thomas Aquinas 1 Seth Lundy F Jr. 6-6 217 Paulsboro, N.J. Roman Catholic Averaged 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds in 25 games, including 15 starts 2 Myles Dread G Sr. 6-4 235 Detroit, Mich. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) Ranked second on team with 45 3-pointers, averaged 10.4 points in last 11 games 3 Sam Sessoms G Sr. 6-0 189 Philadelphia, Pa. The Shipley School/Binghamton Scored in double figures in nine of 24 games 4 Caleb Dorsey F So. 6-7 235 Westminster, Md. The Hill School Saw action in five games for Nittany Lions 5 Greg Lee F Sr.+ 6-9 217 Rockford, Ill. Westside (Texas)/Western Michigan Won honorable mention All-MAC honors after averaging 13.0 points, 7.2 rebounds per game at Western Michigan 11 Jaheam Cornwall G Sr.+ 6-0 190 Brooklyn, N.Y. Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)/ Gardner-Webb Led Gardner-Webb in scoring with average of 14.1 points per game 13 Jevonnie Scott F Jr. 6-7 252 Toronto, Ontario Orangeville Prep/South Plains College (Texas) Averaged 11.5 points per game at South Plains College 14 Jalanni White F Sr.+ 6-8 205 New Haven, Conn. Notre Dame-West Haven/Canisius Averaged 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds at Canisius 15 Dan Conlan G Jr. 6-4 180 Sewickley, Pa. Quaker Valley Dickinson Did not play; joined team as walk-on ahead of 2021-22 season 21 John Harrar F Sr.+ 6-9 240 Wallingford, Pa. Strath Haven Started all 25 games and led Penn State with average of 8.8 rebounds per game 22 Jalen Pickett G Sr. 6-4 202 Rochester, N.Y. Aquinas Institute/SPIRE Institute (Ohio)/Siena Averaged 12.9 points per game at Siena 23 Dallion Johnson G So. 6-3 182 Haverhill, Mass. Phillips Academy (Mass.) Saw action in eight games 33 Andy Christos G So. 6-5 179 Madison, N.J. Madison Did not see action after joining team as walk-on 35 Ishaan Jagiasi G Jr. 6-1 180 Wilmington, Del. Huntington Prep (W.Va.)