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"We've gotta remember these kids are freshmen and we've gotta be patient with them and let them develop and we've gotta nurture them and things like that," Chambers said. "But [they've] got a chance to be really good." Thorpe, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard from Shaler Area High School just north of Pittsburgh, was the first prospect to commit and will likely be an important player for the Nittany Lions. A consensus three-star prospect, rated the No. 32 point guard and No. 140 overall prospect in the country by Rivals.com, he will provide immediate help to a depleted backcourt. "He's great on the wing, he's very athletic, he excels at finishing," Chambers said. "He's got a good midrange jumper and he's starting to hit his 3 now, which is good. His handle is tight, and he'll be another ball-handler for us. "He needs to continue to get better, continue to get bigger, continue to lift, but I'm excited about what he's going to bring us next year." Thorpe chose the Nittany Lions over offers from powerhouse programs, including Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Seton Hall and Kansas State. Like his classmate, Moore has an opportunity to make an immediate impact on the program when he arrives on campus in June. Rated a threestar prospect by Rivals, he is a 6-9, 215-pound forward from Germantown Academy near Philadelphia. He is expected to continue his weight training and, if Chambers gets his wish, he'll grow a few more inches to add a bit more height to his other attributes: top-notch athleticism, hands and scoring ability. "My view of my game is that I'm kind of like a stretch four," Moore said. "Right now, in high school, I'm playing the five because that's what my team needs and it's always a main thing of mine to do what the team needs to win. "But even Coach Chambers said that I'm really versatile and can play a lot of positions. I'm big and I'm relatively strong, but I'm also a lot quicker than most other people my size. I have a nice jump shot, nice hands, so he can use me a lot of places on the floor. I create a lot of mismatches, which is kind of what he was going for." Although he's been able to physically overpower some of his competition during his senior year in high school, Moore acknowledged that putting on more weight will be a high priority before he arrives in Happy Valley. "The main thing right now is that I just need to get stronger," he said. "I'm kind of wiry right now, to say the least. "There's not a huge hole in my game. The main thing is just getting stronger to be able to play in one of the best, most physical leagues in the country." While both Thorpe and Moore are staying relatively close to home, Chambers' third commitment for the class of 2013, small forward Payton Banks, is moving cross-country to join the Nittany Lions. Completing his senior year at Orange Lutheran High School near Los Angeles, the 6-5, 220-pounder is considered a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, and, Chambers said, will be a versatile addition to the Nittany Lions' roster next season. "He has a Big Ten-ready body, is extremely skilled, can play one through Transfer guard joins Lions The parade of new players who will soon be joining the Penn State basketball team won't end with the four who recently signed their letters of intent to play for the Nittany Lions. Sophomore guard John Johnson of Burlington, N.J., decided on Dec. 3 to transfer to Penn State. He will enroll in January and will be eligible to play for the Lions beginning next December. Johnson, a former Rivals.com three-star prospect, played as a freshman with the Panthers, averaging 4.2 points per game in al- four, can handle it, can post up and can shoot it," Chambers said. "I would say he's more of a midrange shooter right now but is still developing his 3. He's really athletic but has a high IQ for the game. "He's a competitor, a winner, and showed some toughness, so I like what we saw throughout this recruiting period and I felt like he would be a great fit. We were lucky. … I think we got a steal out there." In October, Chambers rounded out the class with his point guard of the future, Rivals.com three-star player Graham Woodward from Edina High School in the suburbs of Minneapolis. Even with Tim Frazier expected to return for his final year of eligibility in 2013, Chambers said Woodward is a huge addition to the class as a distributor, scorer, defender and maybe most important, a leader. "He's a feisty, tough, former football player who doesn't fear failure. He's a competitor, can make shots, and has good decision-making," Chambers said. "He's almost like an old-school point guard. Pass first, shoot second, but he can do a little bit of everything." most 14 minutes of action. But he saw his stock drop with head coach Jamie Dixon in the preseason and later decided to move on. "He's very appreciative of Pitt. Obviously, this generation's stigma is, if you don't get it your way, you're leaving," said Johnson's former AAU coach Rich Guillen. "That wasn't the case. It was just the circumstance. They didn't really consider John being a point guard. They thought he was a good guard, but with the system at Pitt, it was a timing thing. "It was never his intention to leave, but when the writing was on the wall, it wasn't John's wall." Johnson appeared in an exhibition game at Pitt this season before deciding to leave. As a result, he will only have one and a half years of eligibility remaining, in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. – N.B.

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