Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
4 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M THREE STARS 1. Jalen Pickett | G | Sr.+ When Micah Shrewsberry is saying you're playing like an All-American, that counts for something. Pickett has served as the team leader and compass for the Nittany Lions while filling up the stat sheet in every category, and he's done all that while also tasked with being a premier defender. The coach's praise is entirely warranted. Pickett is a stud and continues to play like it. 2. Seth Lundy | G/F | Sr. As a sophomore, Lundy developed into a consistent of- fensive force. As a junior, he became a reliable defender. This is the culmination. Now a fourth-year senior, Lundy ranked second on the team through 10 games in both scoring (14.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 boards per game) and was first in field goal percentage (53.7). 3. Cam Wynter | G | Sr.+ Wynter had some inconsistent performances through his first few games with the Nittany Lions, but, strangely enough, his performance in the upset at Illinois demonstrated what Shrewsberry had been looking for from the transfer guard. "He didn't score in that game, but I think he had maybe two turnovers and he handled the ball, he handled their press," the coach said. "He settles us down, he gets the ball where he needs to, he can attack when he needs to. He's just doing whatever it takes for us to win." KEY MOMENT The result ultimately was a 101-94 loss in double overtime, but Penn State's never-say-die response when trailing late at Clemson could serve as one of the season's defining mo- ments. The Lions had erased an eight-point Tigers lead, tying the score on a three-point make by Lundy with 4:35 to play. Penn State then did it again, battling back from a seven-point deficit in the final 51 seconds of regulation play. Super senior guard Andrew Funk hit a three-pointer after an assist from Pickett to tie the score at 71-71 with five seconds left, sending the game to overtime. BEST HIGHLIGHT Had it been a win, Funk's buzzer-beater at Clemson might have made the cut here. Instead, we'll turn to the Nittany Lions' 74-59 upset over No. 17 Il- linois while keeping our attention on Funk. Looking to ward off an Illini comeback attempt early in the second half, Funk teamed with super senior guard Myles Dread to put the Lions back in control. After a 9-0 Illini run had trimmed Penn State's lead to 52-47, Funk unleashed back-to-back three-pointers in just 34 seconds. Dread then sand- wiched two more threes around another Funk jumper, helping the Lions respond with a 14-0 run that silenced the Illini home crowd. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State avoided an 0-2 start to the Big Ten season by defeating Illinois on the road. It was only the second true road win of Shrewsberry's tenure with the Nittany Lions, and they'll need more than that if they're going to reach their postseason goals. A visit to Michigan on Jan. 4, followed by the Palestra game in Philadelphia (technically a home game) on Jan. 8 against Purdue, offers a solid one-two opportunity to do so. Here's guessing the Lions will take one of the two. — Nate Bauer Through 10 games, senior forward Seth Lundy was second on the team in scoring (14.1 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 boards per game). PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE PENN STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL SUPERLATIVES NOV. 29-DEC. 18 to prevent easy buckets, he has created open shots for Lundy and super senior guards Myles Dread and Andrew Funk as a direct result. With that in mind, Shrewsberry's outspoken support of his point guard is only likely to grow louder in the coming weeks and months. "He wants to win so bad, so he does whatever the team needs," Shrewsberry said. "He's scoring the ball, he's pass- ing the ball, he's rebounding the ball. He's making everybody better. He's set- tling us down, he's playing big minutes, and he's being a leader in timeouts and huddles and practice. "He's earned this because of the work that he did this summer. He wanted to lead this group, and that's what he's doing. I'm proud of him. If he keeps do- ing what he's doing, he'll be recognized for that, because he's leading us to wins and he's putting up big numbers at the same time." ■