Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/420483
n landing Mike Watkins, Davis Zemgulis and Josh Reaves during November's early signing period, Penn State pulled in the 34th-best recruiting class in the country ac- cording to Rivals.com. All three prospects are three-star per- formers, and their signings on Nov. 12 marked a tremendous day for the Nittany Lions. They make up the highest-rated recruiting class in the program's history, and the completion of that class touched o3 a celebration within the Penn State coaching sta3. As exciting as the day might have been, though, head coach Patrick Chambers and his assistants said they understand what the occasion represents. Years earlier, they had taken over a program that had no history of success, a program beset by limited resources and un2attering per- ceptions, and were tasked with turning it around. Over the years, Penn State had grown accustomed to stocking its roster with projects and sleepers. But under Chambers' direction, it began competing with bigger, more prestigious college hoops programs for some of the better talent in the region. Penn State's sta3 spent the past three and a half years work- ing to break down barriers, and those ef- forts have started to pay o3. "I'm so proud of my sta3," he said. "These guys have worked so hard at knock- ing on doors, getting the phone hung up on them and people not responding to them. That is hard to swallow sometimes. "But they kept a great attitude, they kept working hard, they stayed positive, and we just saw small victories, small successes. And if you do that, that one yes will 1nally come. That second yes will 1nally come." Watkins, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound center from Philadelphia, was the 1rst to verbally | I Bill Zimmerman HAPPY LANDINGS Lions' latest class has Chambers enthused about future M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L