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M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L SEASON SUMMARY MVP Junior point guard Tim Frazier led the Big Ten in assists (6.2 per game) while finishing second in scoring (18.6), steals (2.4) and minutes (37.1). UNSUNG HERO Though his career ended unceremoniously when he broke his foot during pregame warm-ups in the next-to-last game of the season, Cam- meron Woodyard's contribution this season should not be understated. He took his senior leadership responsi- bilities seriously and finished the year averaging 8.7 points per game, up from 1.8 a season ago. KEY STAT The Nittany Lions shot 39.3 percent as a team. They were 11th in the conference in scoring offense, av- eraging only 61.8 points per game. It didn't help that the guard-oriented Lions shot only 31.1 percent from 3- point range. HIGHLIGHT Patrick Chambers' first Big Ten victory was an impressive one. Thanks to a career-high 21-point out- burst from Billy Oliver – including a 7-of-11 effort from beyond the arc – the Lions dominated Purdue at the Bryce Jordan Center in early January, 65-45. The Boilermakers were held to just 18 points in the first half. LOWLIGHT Mired in a four-game losing streak going into their visit to East Lansing, the Lions fought back from a 14-point halftime deficit but ulti- mately fell short in a 77-57 loss to the No. 11 Spartans. QUOTABLE "The hardest thing for a coach on this level is to be patient. We are not patient men. Now, I can be patient with my team – which I think I have been for the most part – but I can't be patient with myself or my staff. We have to forge ahead. We have to keep working hard. We have to work smart and build trusting re- lationships with these players and the people on campus. We'll continue to do that." – Patrick Chambers FINAL ANALYSIS Inheriting just one player of any consequence from Penn State's 2010-11 NCAA tournament team, Chambers knew his first year at the helm would be a challenge. By every account, he was able to pull a rag-tag group of hardworking but outmatched players together to compete on a nightly basis in the country's tough- est conference. With Frazier returning for his senior season, the Lions should take a step forward next sea- son, though a March Madness invita- tion could be wishful thinking. – N.B. 14 A P R I L 1 1 , 2 0 1 2 MOVING FORWARD The Nittany Lions went 12-20 in Chambers' first season, but the team will look very different in 2012-13. Patrick Chambers emerges from a challenging season with optimism intact THE LONG VIEW BY NATE BAUER nbauer@bluewhiteonline.com W hen asked what he needed to im- prove on after completing his first season at Penn State, Patrick Chambers noted his tendency to be im- patient. After a 12-20 season, including a 4- 14 record in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions' energetic front man offered a bit of insight into his own insecurities and the intense pressure in Division I basketball to have immediate success. "I would say I need to be a little bit more patient. It's hard to do as a coach, especially on this level," he said. "You see all the firings and [coaches] being let go, and you're not sure how long you have." Having inherited a nearly empty cupboard following Ed DeChellis' de- parture, Chambers won't have to start sending out resumes anytime soon. Few would argue that he managed to get the most from a ragtag group of players this past season. Although they finished in 12th place in the Big Ten standings, the Nittany Lions showed the tenacity and free-flowing hustle that Chambers has stressed since his arrival last June. And because of that, Penn State bas- ketball fans are starting to feel hope- ful about the future. Considering the circumstances, little more could have been asked of this year's team. By Chambers' own admis- sion at his year-end news conference, the program was able to accomplish what he wanted in his first season. "I really believe we were the best team we could be by the end of the year," he said, noting key injuries to senior guard Cammeron Woodyard and jun- ior forward Billy Oliver. "I feel like the future is bright. Even in our last practices in March, there was energy in the building. We didn't lose [the play- ers], and they wanted to be there. "I give them a lot of credit, and I give Tim [Frazier] and our leaders a lot of credit, too. So I felt like, yeah, we were the best team we could be under the circumstances and the adversity that we faced." The road from adversity to success doesn't appear any more certain from the outside looking forward. Following the departures of Woodyard and Oliv- er, plus the transfers of Trey Lewis, Matt Glover and Peter Alexis, the Nittany Li- ons enter April with as many as four W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M PennStateLive

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