Blue White Illustrated

Chambers spoke those words following one of the more notable wins in his career at Penn State. Announced this summer, a long-anticipated "home" game at the Palestra in Philadelphia more than lived up to its billing, as the Nittany Lions punched Michigan State in the mouth, and sustained the return jabs, coming away with a 72-63 win. Following a midweek layoff in the schedule, the Nittany Lions returned to action at the BJC, hosting No. 24 Min- nesota for a Saturday tilt. They got off to a slow start offensively, but their defen- sive vigor was rewarded in an eventual, come-from-behind 52-50 win against the Gophers. Heading into the heart of their Big Ten schedule, the Nittany Lions appear to have an opportunity to really make their mark in a conference that is full of good- but-not-great teams. With wins against the previously ranked Spartans and Go- phers, Penn State's momentum continues to mount. WHO'S HOT As the season has pro- gressed, so have freshmen Lamar Stevens and Tony Carr. For our purposes, though, Stevens stands out for how he's played since the start of the Big Ten campaign. Starting each of the Lions' five confer- ence games, Stevens averaged 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. He was among the Big Ten's top 20 in scoring and rebounding as of mid-January. Although their statistics might not jump out quite as dramatically as Stevens', Reaves and Mike Watkins also deserve mention. Back at full health, Reaves was electric against Michigan State, then again in an all-effort performance against Minnesota, making timely stops, grab- bing rebounds and dishing assists in both upset wins. Watkins was a force in each game, as well. He was third in the conference in field goal percentage (57.6), eighth in blocked shots per game (1.4) and second in rebounding (9.8) through five Big Ten games, and his presence around the rim has helped supply the aggressiveness the Nittany Lions want defensively. WHO'S NOT Receiving the star treat- ment defensively from Big Ten oppo- nents, Shep Garner has been forced to make do with what he can. He was still leading the team with an average of 12.4 points per game through 18 games while playing 32.2 minutes. But his 3-point shooting was down somewhat from his sophomore year, as were his scoring and assist numbers. Chambers said the junior's circum- stances are evidence of how much the Lions can still improve. "We got so much more to go, so much more to give, and Shep hasn't even shot the ball well right now," Chambers said. "But I'll tell you what he's doing: He's playing some really good defense." WHAT'S NEXT Rarely are there seasons in which the Big Ten is quite as wide open as it appears to be this year, with not a single team undefeated through four games. Having topped Michigan State and Minnesota, both of which were ap- pearing toward the top of the conference standings early in the Big Ten season, the Nittany Lions will get further opportuni- ties against the best when facing Purdue (Jan. 21) and Wisconsin (Jan. 24) on the road. Still a team in development mode, Penn State is getting a clearer picture of just how much progress it has made so far, and how much remains to be accomplished as the season continues. ■ field goal percentage defense, fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense, top five in rebounding offense and de- fense and fourth in rebounding mar- gin. Said Chambers, "That's what I'm looking for. I'm looking to see where we are… and are we doing the right things? I think if we can stay in the top five in defense, field goal percentage defense, three-point field goal per- centage, rebounding – now, the turnovers have got to come down – but that's going to give us a chance to win some games, so that's what I'm looking at." Returning to those staples was a quick process, Chambers admitted. The Lions had taken an offense- minded approach into their Big Ten opener against visiting Northwestern, and the result was a 51-32 halftime deficit. They shot just 30.3 percent from the field in the first half, as the more-experienced Wildcats dictated the course of play. And although Penn State regrouped after the break, Northwestern's lead proved insur- mountable. The Lions fell, 87-77, a loss that got the conference season off to a disappointing start but did serve a useful purpose in that it jarred the team back toward its natural cen- ter. "That didn't really sit well, not just with me, but with the team," Cham- bers said. "From that point on, I think you saw a complete commitment to defending and rebounding and playing tough and physical Penn State basket- ball, which everybody is used to see- ing." One of the essential ingredients to that transformation has been the buy- in the Nittany Lions have gotten from such talented newcomers as Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins. The veterans spent the first part of the season trying to emphasize the importance of defense to the younger players, and Banks said posi- tive reinforcement has only strength- ened the message. As defensive success has led to im- proved team performances, even in losses, the younger Nittany Lions have gotten on board. Banks was confident that once they saw the potential, the commitment would follow. "I feel like they're really mature in that aspect," he said. "They under- stand that, and we don't have to tell them. There are obviously lapses, everybody has lapses. I've been here eight million years and I still have lapses. But I just feel like they're doing really well." –N.B.

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