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Watkins emerging as potential impact player going to look up to. It's a different feeling on the other end – not being the one who's looking up to somebody but being the one who's being looked at all the time." Chambers said sophomore guard Shep Garner has already proven himself capable of being the "go-to guy or that scorer for us in the backcourt." But, he continued, there's also a budding chemistry among the big men that can't be denied. "I think our frontcourt is going to be really strong this year with Brandon Taylor, Jordan Dickerson, Donovon Jack, Julian Moore and Mike Watkins," he said. "I think those guys are going to help tremen- dously and take a lot of pressure o; our guards. "It's going to be a fun team to watch because we don't have that predominant D.J. or Tim Frazier or Talor Battle. So we're really going to have to share the ball, which is exciting for me as we prepare to start our season." ■ E ven when he's standing next to Penn State's massive 7-foot-1, 245-pound center Jordan Dickerson, freshman forward Mike Watkins stands out. Sure, it could be the hair. But more likely, the Philadelphia native – listed at 6-foot- 8, 245 pounds – is simply a massive indi- vidual himself. Described by head coach Patrick Cham- bers as "an incredible athlete who is block- ing shots, rebounding and owning the glass," the former Rivals.com three-star prospect and No. 126-ranked player in the Class of 2015 has lived up to his advance billing so far. When asked to o;er his impressions of the Nittany Lions' highly touted freshman class, Chambers said of Watkins, "Mike is everything you thought he was." Since arriving at Penn State in August for the start of the fall semester, Watkins has been working to get up to speed. Saying the transition from high school to college ball has been as challenging as he expected, the big man has turned to Dickerson for some early guidance. "He's showing me things," Watkins said. "If I mess up at practice, he'll pick me up [and explain that] we've got to do it this way. There are certain things that I prob- ably don't know because I'm really new to everything." Dickerson is happy to be doing the men- toring. During the team's preseason media day event, he acknowledged the growth process that Watkins must now undergo – a process that will likely mirror the one he went through a=er arriving at Penn State two years ago as a transfer out of SMU. "Mike's been great. We just work with him every day. He's a freshman, so just like me when I came in, I had a lot to learn," Dickerson said. "He's done great with understanding where he's at and tak- ing everything we're giving him. "There are a lot of things that come at you when you 9rst get here, and he's done great trying to understand and get in extra [work] so he can be better and make us better. He's done a great job, playing with him has been great. He competes every day and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do this year." So is Chambers. While noting that Watkins has "some development" to make before getting into the start of the season, the Nittany Lions' 9=h-year head coach has been impressed with the tenacity he's seen on the :oor to date. Watkins has rebounded aggressively and has displayed an ability to block shots – skills that should prove valuable in a frontcourt that su;ered a signi9cant grad- uation loss. "If you can do those things and you can anchor our defense and you can own the paint, then you have a chance to play some significant minutes," Chambers said. "We lost Ross Travis, he was the third-leading rebounder in the history of Penn State basketball, so we have to make up those rebounds and it's going to be by committee, but... whoever is going to defend, whoever is going to re- bound and is going to give us the best chance for success, they're going to be on the floor." Watkins declined to speculate as to how his role might take shape this season, but he said he was eager for the oppor- tunity. "If I work hard and just be con- sistent," he said, "my future should be good." ■ | MIKE WATKINS // FRESHMAN FORWARD "[Jordan Dickerson] is showing me things. If I mess up at practice, he'll pick me up [and explain that] we've got to do it this way. There are certain things that I probably don't know because I'm really new to everything."

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