Now is the right time
to challenge these players'
'
Sixth-year coach charts ambitious course for youthful Nittany Lions
I N T E R V I E W P A T R I C K C H A M B E R S
W
ith his sixth season at Penn State
approaching, things appear
headed in the right direction for
Patrick Chambers.
Last season, even with star guard D.J.
Newbill having graduated, the Nittany
Lions put together their best Big Ten
campaign since Chambers was hired as
head coach in 2011. They went 7-11 in
conference play and 16-16 overall and
earned a bye into the second round of
the Big Ten tournament. Although they
suffered a season-ending loss to Ohio
State, they held their own against the
Buckeyes, falling by only four points,
and they ended the year feeling positive
about their late-season surge, in which
they won five of their final nine games.
As spring turned to summer, the Lions
began welcoming their freshmen to
campus. Consisting of three players
from Class AAAA state champion
Philadelphia Roman Catholic – forwards
Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick and
point guard Tony Carr – as well as Vir-
ginia forward Joe Hampton, the class is
considered by many to be the best in
school history.
Penn State's freshman quartet is join-
ing a young but promising roster that in-
HOOP
DREAMS
Chambers
aims to build
on last year's
7-11 Big Ten
finish.
Photo
by Nate
Bauer
M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L
