Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/78629
N E W C O M E R S O F GULIBON JIMMY Pennstatelive I N F L U E N C E ›› CONTENTS 16|JIMMY GULIBON GETS READY TO COMPETE The four-time Pennsylva- nia state champion plans on challenging for a starting spot right away. 20|D.J. NEWBILL SHOOTS TO THRILL Seeking an of- fensive boost, the Nit- tany Lion basketball team turns to the promising transfer guard from Philadel- phia by way of South- ern Mississippi. 23|CANDICE AGEE COMES EAST The freshman center will be a long way from her Califor- nia home when she arrives at Penn State, but she figures to fit right in with the Lady Lions. 25|OLYMPIC SPORTS REPORT Penn State gets set to welcome dozens of new student-athletes to University Park. OPINION MAT T H E R B MATT@BLUEWHITEONLINE.COM L W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M arry Johnson called it a "leap of faith." When a class numbering 19 prospects signed with the Penn State football team in February, its members under- stood that the university had been rocked by a scandal that defied comprehen- sion, one that had ended careers and tar- nished an institutional reputation that had been carefully crafted and protected over the decades. Those 19 kids knew they were stepping into a maelstrom. But step they did – not just willingly, but enthusiastically. "The parents and the kids who stayed with us, they are all Penn State people," the Nit- tany Lions' longtime defensive line coach told reporters on Feb. 1, the day those prospects signed their letters of intent. "They stayed with us for all the right rea- sons. They did not waver. They hung around to see what was going to happen. This signing class, they are going to be spe- cial kids. You will write about them again." It's been seven months since the Sandusky scandal broke, and the prospects in Penn State's Class of 2012, the kids who decided to follow through on their verbal commitments come what may, are getting set to head to University Park. Some are already here. The fallout from the scandal has had a profound effect on the football program. But its scope has been broad, encompassing not only the athletic department, but the uni- versity as a whole. Last November, when classes resumed following the Thanksgiving break, it was not uncommon to hear stories of ordinary students who had been accosted J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 1 2 15 S P E C I A L S E C T I O N