A Roaring Start
Don’t look now but you might want to dig out those old dancing shoes and add a little polish and shine to them. At a 4-0 to start the season, Penn State men’s basketball is off to a roaring start and after Tuesday night’s 28-point mauling of Bucknell, they look like they’re firing on all cylinders. Combined with last week’s 81-66 victory over Georgetown in the Gavitt Tipoff Classic, dare I say Pat Chambers finally has the squad in place to actually make the climb he’s been stressing for so long now.
I know, I know, we’re only a few games in so don’t jump the gun, but this is definitely not a team that’s going to lay an egg against the Albany’s of the world like we did a few years ago. The triple threat of Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins, and John Harrar have been phenomenal inside the paint. Myles Dread and Myreon Jones have taken turns being lethal beyond the arc. Jamari Wheeler has been a menace on defense, and although we still miss the electricity Josh Reeves always brought to the table, transfer addition Isaiah Brockington has filled his Nike’s admirably so far.
Jones in fact led all scorers in last Thursday’s first big test over the Hoyas by pouring in 21 points, 14 in the first half alone. Stevens, who was relatively quiet for the most part by his standards, and Dread each chipped in 14, and Watkins added eight rebounds. On Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, Stevens (a preseason Big Ten Player of the Year candidate) returned to form and tallied 28 points, eight rebounds, and one monstrous reverse thunder dunk that not only brought the BJC crowd to its feet but made the highlight reels over at ESPN as well! Mike Watkins bulled in 18 points of his own under the rim and his five rebounds were enough to move him into the Top 5 all-time at Penn State in that category.
It may be too early to truly even think about March Madness, but when the only gripe becomes why Chambers pumped the brakes and didn’t go for a cool 100 in the closing minute of that 98-70 victory over Bucknell, that tells me we’re at least on the right track. Up next, Penn State has one more home game on the slate as they tussle with Yale on Saturday at 4pm before heading off to the Big Apple and the Barclays Center for a midweek showdown on Wednesday night with Ole Miss of the SEC. Sure, it may be too early to put on the polish and shine but a potential 6-0 start will certainly justify digging those dancing shoes out of the closet and knocking off some dust!
I know, I know, we’re only a few games in so don’t jump the gun, but this is definitely not a team that’s going to lay an egg against the Albany’s of the world like we did a few years ago. The triple threat of Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins, and John Harrar have been phenomenal inside the paint. Myles Dread and Myreon Jones have taken turns being lethal beyond the arc. Jamari Wheeler has been a menace on defense, and although we still miss the electricity Josh Reeves always brought to the table, transfer addition Isaiah Brockington has filled his Nike’s admirably so far.
Jones in fact led all scorers in last Thursday’s first big test over the Hoyas by pouring in 21 points, 14 in the first half alone. Stevens, who was relatively quiet for the most part by his standards, and Dread each chipped in 14, and Watkins added eight rebounds. On Tuesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center, Stevens (a preseason Big Ten Player of the Year candidate) returned to form and tallied 28 points, eight rebounds, and one monstrous reverse thunder dunk that not only brought the BJC crowd to its feet but made the highlight reels over at ESPN as well! Mike Watkins bulled in 18 points of his own under the rim and his five rebounds were enough to move him into the Top 5 all-time at Penn State in that category.
It may be too early to truly even think about March Madness, but when the only gripe becomes why Chambers pumped the brakes and didn’t go for a cool 100 in the closing minute of that 98-70 victory over Bucknell, that tells me we’re at least on the right track. Up next, Penn State has one more home game on the slate as they tussle with Yale on Saturday at 4pm before heading off to the Big Apple and the Barclays Center for a midweek showdown on Wednesday night with Ole Miss of the SEC. Sure, it may be too early to put on the polish and shine but a potential 6-0 start will certainly justify digging those dancing shoes out of the closet and knocking off some dust!
