Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/450893
have a problem with sitting on the bench at all." At times, Chambers has had to do just that with Garner. Praised for his receptiveness in taking coaching and growing from it, Garner hasn't wilted in the face of what can some- times be forceful moments of coaching and encouragement. "We have a great re- lationship," Garner said of Chambers. "When he gives me some criticism during the game, I just take it. It's di9erent I guess with him. … Great relationships with coaches and me, that's what helps me." Though Garner's scoring average had only dipped to 8.8 points per game through the 7rst 7ve games of conference play, a 3-point shooting percentage that had reached nearly 38 percent through the nonconference season was down to 25 percent, and his overall 7eld goal per- centage had also dropped six points. "He's just gotta play. He's trying to play perfect. He's trying to do everything great. He's putting too much pressure on him- self," Chambers said. "He's just gotta play. Just play and leave it out there. Don't worry about it." But as doubts creep in from the poor start, getting Garner to play more intu- itively becomes even more problematic. Missed shots turn into uncharacteristic turnovers, which turn into defensive break- downs. "I look at him like he wants to play so well for everybody and sometimes when you're doing that, you don't play well at all," Chambers said. "He's just gotta refocus his game to defending, re- bounding and getting better." Seven games into his career at Penn State, Garner showed he's more than ca- pable of doing exactly that. With the Lions trailing Virginia Tech by three points late in the 7rst half, teammate Payton Banks stepped to the foul line for the front end of a one-and-one. Wedged be- tween two Hokies players to Banks' le:, and with no Nittany Lions on the right side of the key, Garner saw the free throw clank o9 the back iron, snatched up the rebound, took one dribble and laid the ball in the basket. Seconds passed before most fans in the BJC, let alone the Hokies themselves, re- alized what had happened. Seemingly the only player on the 8oor paying any atten- tion to the situation, Garner made the heads-up play, earning himself a nod across news outlets nationally. Garner's free buck- et was part of a 13-point, two-assist, one- steal performance that li:ed Penn State to a 61-58 victory. "His maturity has probably been the one thing," Chambers said. "He's a lot older than his freshman year, his status. And I give credit to D.J. Newbill and Bran- don Taylor for that." For his part, Newbill has seen enough MAKING HIS POINT Stepping into the role vacated by Tim Frazier, Garner averaged just under 10 points per game in the Nittany Lions' nonconference season. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics