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"And for them to get us to seven wins, for them to get us a 10 seed [at the Big Ten tourney], for them to get us a 8rst- round bye, I just sensed it. I felt it. I talked to them about it and I think it was the right decision for them and for where we are." Chambers said that he, his players and coaching staff were bothered by the char- acterizations of the 2015-16 season as a "throwaway" year, wedged in-between the end of the D.J. Newbill era and the arrival this coming season of the high- est-rated recruiting class in school his- tory. "I took exception to that, because it's not fair to those kids. It's not fair to them for everything they've done for this pro- gram," Chambers said. The Nittany Lions were determined to show that this team could shine even without its once and future stars. Helping lead the e9ort were seniors Brandon Taylor and Donovon Jack, who eschewed trans- fers, stayed committed to the program and ultimately played an integral role in Penn State's success. Taylor won third-team All-Big Ten recognition a:er ranking seventh in the conference in scoring (16.3 ppg) and 10th in rebounding (6.5 rpg). He 8nished with 1,289 career points to rank 16th all-time at Penn State. Meanwhile, Jack surged to produce 9.7 points per game in his 8nal seven contests while 8nishing his career as the program's sixth-leading all-time shot blocker. Winning 16 regular-season games for the third consecutive season, the Nittany Lions for the first time secured a first- round bye in the Big Ten tournament, and they also won seven conference games for the first time in Chambers' tenure. Said the fifth-year coach, "That shows consistency, which this program sorely needs. We haven't had back-to-back winning regular seasons since 1994. So right then and there, we are taking major steps. "I'm just so proud of what they did this year to kind of say, 'Oh yeah? Is that what you think this year is going to be? We're going to show you.' And it de8nitely gave us a little motivation, there's no doubt." How that motivation manifests itself moving forward is what excites Chambers the most right now. Penn State is getting set to welcome a true freshman class that includes three prospects – Lamar Stevens, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick – from Roman Catholic High in Philadelphia, which re- cently won its second consecutive PIAA Class AAAA championship. The fourth member of the incoming class is Joe Hampton of Oak Hill Academy in southern Virginia. What's more, those four true freshmen won't be the only players making their debuts in the coming season. Current freshman big man Mike Watkins will be coming off his redshirt year, while Connecticut transfer Terrence Samuel will see action at guard after sitting out this past season. Allowing for the possibility that one 8nal recruit or 8:h-year graduate transfer will complete the Lions' scholarship roster for the 2016-17 season, Chambers has al- ready begun working to develop the team's identity. With the impending talent surge set to boost their overall athleticism, the new- look Nittany Lions are going to run up and down the hardwood. "It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm going to study it. I'm going to study Carolina, I'm going to study the teams that like to go up and down. We did it [at Villanova] when I was there, we had four guards at that time and we ran as o:en as we could," Chambers said. "It's really going to be about the conditioning. Weight training is going to be a little bit di9erent, so we have to change that up a little bit to make sure these guys are in shape so we can play that type of style." Welcoming the heightened expectations that are likely to accompany the program's recent recruiting successes, Chambers is optimistic about tackling the challenges ahead. "I can't wait. I look forward to it. Nobody puts more pressure on themselves than me," he said. "That's why you work as hard as you do – because you want to do something great. You want to leave your legacy, your imprint. You want to turn your program around and make it special. That's what it's all about." ■ H is Nittany Lions had just dropped a 79-75 slugfest to Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten tourna- ment. Shooting guard Shep Garner sat to his right, fighting back tears as he toughed out a few succinct re- sponses before leaving the table. Sitting in silence, his team's season ended, Patrick Chambers was smil- ing. This is what progress looks like, and in his fifth season at the helm for the Nittany Lions, Chambers' program took its most discernible step toward the culture change that is needed to transform a long-suffering basketball program into a postseason tourna- ment contender. "I'm proud of my team this year, the way they competed, the way they stuck together. Our schedule wasn't easy, especially the first 10. And they were a determined bunch. I really, re- ally enjoyed coaching this group," Chambers said. "They just kept punching back. It was so much fun going to practice. The work ethic was off the charts." For a group that entered the season with "transition year" attached by many to its chances for success, the results proved otherwise. Penn State had lost one of the pro- gram's all-time greats in D.J. Newbill, but knowing that the returning play- ers would have to step up, forward Brandon Taylor and fellow seniors Donovon Jack, Devin Foster and Jor- Culture change is beginning to yield results

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