2011-2012 Penn State Nittany Lions Basketball Preview

Penn State Nittany Lions - Big Ten Conference

2010-11: 19-15, 9-9

2010-11 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Patrick Chambers (First year at Penn State, 42-28 overall)  

Penn State knew they were in for a tough 2011-2012 campaign right after their loss to Temple in the NCAA Tournament. Former coach Ed DeChellis knew it too and the tournament appearance apparently was not enough for DeChellis to get the job security he wanted. Thus, he left for Navy. The Nittany Lions nabbed Patrick Chambers from Boston U to start the rebuilding project. With four very experienced starters gone, Penn State does have a long road ahead. Coach Chambers has just two years of head coaching experience at the Division I level, but they were two very good years. It may take a little longer to get things rolling again in Happy Valley.

Who’s Out:

Talor Battle willed his team to victory on many occasions. The 6-0 guard was a pure scorer and the heart and soul of the Nittany Lions squad. During his senior season he averaged 20.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. Battle was easily the most prolific outside shooter on the team and he could attack the basket very effectively for a relatively small guard. Replacing Battle will be impossible. However, if this team just needed to replace Battle, they may not fall to the basement of the Big Ten. Unfortunately, starting forwards Jeff Brooks, David Jackson and Andrew Jones are also gone. Brooks was the second most productive player on the team. He averaged 13.1 points and a team high 6.3 rebounds. Brooks could even stretch out the defense with his ability to hit the outside shot. Jackson would help out on the glass and occasionally be the third scoring threat for Penn State. Jones was never much of a scorer, but he was the big man under the basket who could hit the glass and play some defense. Guard Taran Buie only played in 11 games last season, but he was supposed to be the future of the backcourt. Without him, PSU has few explosive athletes on the roster.

Who’s In:

Penn State will need some of the newcomers to play a big role right away. Matt Glover and Trey Lewis are the two who should make the biggest impact on the perimeter. Glover spent one year at Sheridan Community College in Wyoming and is the big physical wing that this team needs. Glover is a good shooter who will also be tough on the glass. He can pretty much do a little bit of everything and the more of everything he can do, the better. Lewis, an incoming freshman, could be either the point guard or scoring guard of the future. For now, he will play a big role off of the bench. Lewis is a very good scorer, but he is a little undersized and generously listed at 6-1 and having too many 6-0 guards on the floor at the same time has been a problem. Kevin Montminy and walk-on Nick Colella will add more depth on the perimeter. The frontcourt adds a foursome that will all be battling for playing time. Redshirt freshman Jon Graham and true freshman Ross Travis should get some action at the power forward spot and Patrick Ackerman and Peter Alexis will provide some much, much needed size to the Penn State lineup.

Final Projection:

The backcourt actually has the experience. The frontcourt does have a couple returning players though. Billy Oliver averaged 14.3 minutes per contest last year after spending a couple seasons on the Penn State sideline. He has not been too productive, but he is a shooter who can stretch out the defense. That is a skill that will fit in nicely with this group and Coach Chambers will be able to take advantage of his skill set and try to open up the offense by getting his power forward out on the perimeter. His mate in the frontcourt will likely be 6-9, 240 pound sophomore Sasa Borovnjak. Borovnjak missed last season after tearing his ACL in his right knee. As a freshman back in 2009-2010, he only played in 18 games. Thus, the lack of experience, but at least he has been around for a couple of years. Borovnjak should be the post scoring threat for Penn State. He is a smart and sly interior scorer, but can also step outside and knock down the mid-range jumper with consistency. If Borovnjak can be the interior scorer that collapses the defense, the backcourt should be able to take advantage and knock down some jumpers. However, this team needs to prove that they can stay healthy and prove that the youngsters are ready to battle in the Big Ten before they will come close to winning a conference game.

Projected Postseason Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

• Tim Frazier, Junior, Guard, 6.3 points per game

• Cammeron Woodyard, Senior, Guard, 1.8 points per game

• Matt Glover, Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season

• Billy Oliver, Junior, Forward, 2.3 points per game

• Sasa Borovnjak, Sophomore, Forward, DNP last season

By Joel Welser courtesy of www.CollegeSportsMadness.com
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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