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S P E C I A L S E C T I O N >> coach and his Philly Pride AAU program, he began receiving interest. One of Har- rar's assistant coaches had a connection to Chambers, and after sending a high- light film, he received an invitation in April to visit campus for a workout and tour. Able to meet with Penn State play- ers, who went out of their way to intro- duce themselves and welcome him, Harrar said the fit felt right, and he ulti- mately decided on playing for the Nittany Lions. "I knew I loved Penn State before I even got up there. Being from Pennsylvania, there's not another school I would rather go to," he said. "It definitely came down to being Penn State and being from Penn- sylvania. The academics at Penn State are top-notch. Playing basketball is going to be great, but receiving an education from Penn State is going to be even better. I re- ally connected with the coaches and the players when I went up. I knew that I could see myself [there] four or five years from now." Although Chambers also pursued a pair of junior college shooting specialists, nei- ther landed with the Nittany Lions. Sat- isfied that his team's existing shooters will produce better numbers in the season ahead, he said he was mostly just looking forward to the arrival and integration of his newest additions as the team prepares for its foreign tour in the Bahamas in Au- gust. "Trent is a pick-and-pop four, can shoot threes, averaged a double-double," Chambers said. "We definitely need that. With Satchel Pierce and John, here we go, rebounding and some depth now up front. Man, we needed that. And we needed another ball handler. I will never, ever again get caught without at least three guards who can handle the ball and run an offense for us. With Tony and now Shep and Jamari, I think we've done a re- ally good job of handling those deficien- cies." ■ P enn State is set to welcome three freshmen to its program this com- ing season: a top Pennsylvania prospect and two standouts from coach Coquese Washington's home state of Michigan. The in-state prospect is Samantha Breen, a record-setting post player from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High in Pittsburgh. Breen, who joined the Lady Lions during the late signing period in May, broke the Trojanettes' school record for career points with 2,488 during her four seasons as a var- sity starter. That total is also 10th best in the history of the WPIAL. Thanks largely to Breen's 825 points, the Trojanettes won the PIAA Class A championship in 2016, and they were WPIAL champs this past season. A three-time All-State choice and Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year selection, Breen ended her high school career having scored in double figures in 79 consecutive games, which is one reason why Washington is so eager to welcome her aboard. "She's a versatile player who has en- joyed tremendous success during her high school career in Pittsburgh," Washington said. "We're thrilled to have the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year bring her game to Happy Val- ley." Described by ESPN HoopGurlz as a "blue-collar low-post prospect with interior footwork [and] soft touch in the midpost faceup game," the 6-foot- 2 Breen chose Penn State over Rich- mond, Virginia Tech, Iona and Dayton. The Lady Lions' other recruits are Michigan residents Kamaria McDaniel of Inkster and Alisia Smith of Lansing, both of whom committed during the early signing period in November. McDaniel, a 5-10 guard, enjoyed a spectacular senior season at Ro- bichaud High, averaging 30.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game. One of five finalists for Michigan's Miss Basketball award, she carried her team at times. In a January loss to Detroit Edison Academy, she scored 41 of Robichaud's 64 points, and she also had 39 points and 13 re- bounds in a loss to Hamady in Febru- ary. "Kamaria is a talented, athletic combo guard who can succeed at any of the guard positions," Washington said. "She'll be a powerful and pro- ductive addition to our guard play. Adding her speed and 3-point shoot- ing ability to our roster will certainly add a boost." In addition to her athletic accom- plishments, McDaniel maintained a 4.0 GPA. Smith is a 6-3 post player who dis- played what ESPN called "off-the- charts potential" during an appearance at the Nike Midwest Showdown in May 2016. She averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a junior at Waverly High and nearly matched those num- bers this past season with averages of 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in win- ning first-team All-State honors. "Alisia is a versatile, athletic forward who can score the ball in a variety of ways," Washington said. "She'll bring speed, shot-blocking prowess, energy and depth to our post play. There's no question her best basketball is ahead of her. It's exciting to think of all the dif- ferent ways she will contribute to our success once she gets under the tute- lage of Coach [Tamika] Jeter." –M.H. Freshman trio to bolster Lady Lions' lineup WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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