In just his first season as the Penn State Head Basketball Coach, Pat Chambers has had his share of setbacks with the team. He started the year without 80% of last year’s scoring and without 70% of last year’s rebounding, and faced a improved Big Ten conference without established senior leaders. Certainly, the team has struggled this season, as Kentucky blew the Lions out 85-47 in the early non-conference schedule, the team trailed 22-0 against St. Joseph’s to begin the game in an 18 point loss, and the squad started 1-5 in Big Ten play.
However, last night was a sneak peek at what Chambers has been building behind the scenes this season. Penn State defeated its first ranked opponent of the season as the team escaped with a 54-52 victory against Illinois. The “Attitude Point System,” which has become the Sasquatch of Penn State basketball, was on full display. No one really knew what it meant, and at best people saw glimpses of how “Attitude” has changed the culture, but no one had ever seen it for a full game, or how it has impacted the team’s progress. Last night, the team played with “attitude,” energy, enthusiasm, and heart for 40 minutes, and squeaked out a gritty win against Illinois at home.
Matt Glover led the way in rebounding for the Nittany Lions, as he grabbed seven rebounds, which tied the team high. Glover grabbed three of his seven boards in the offensive glass, and crashed the weakside boards all night to grab any loose change on long rebounds. Glover also ran the point guard position effectively at multiple points during his 36 minutes on the floor. Chambers commented on Glover’s emerging role as a contributor for this team on the glass and in loose ball situations. “Matt plays like that, tenacious, playing aggressive, playing with confidence. That word confidence is so big, when you have confidence, these kids can do anything.”
Cammeron Woodyard has been emerging as a senior leader as well, as he has scored over 15 points in each of the last two games. From three point range, he has shot 5-12 in this stretch, and has grabbed several big weakside rebounds as well. He has become considerably more comfortable in his role, and attributes Tim Frazier’s ability to get him the ball in good scoring situations as the biggest factor behind his rapid improvement in the last few games.
Finally, Tim Frazier hit the big shots last night, as he has all year long. With under 10 seconds to play, he used a high ball screen to get to his right hand on the dribble and penetrated the lane. He jump-stopped and then hit a floater to put the Lions up 54-52. Chambers said, on Frazier’s last possession shot, “He’s earned the right to take and make those shots.” Frazier is the unquestioned leader on the Penn State team, and his hard work all year is what gave him that right, according to Coach Chambers.
On the final possession, Sam Maniscalco drove into the lane and attempted a runner at the buzzer to tie, but Jermaine Marshall flew in from the weak side to block the shot. The players jumped up and down on the floor, slapped hands with the loyal students and fans that braved the weather to attend the game, and realized the type of win that this was for this program. On the final block of the game by Marshall, Chambers said, “I’m happy for Jermaine. I’ve been all over Jermaine about defending, about rebounding, about doing the little things. I’m really proud of him. He stepped up.”
This win is the beginning of a new era for Penn State basketball, according to Chambers. He said after the game, “What a great game for us to win to make [the fans] come back. Now they are going to enjoy Penn State basketball. It’s exciting, the future is bright.” The immediate future includes a trip to Bloomington to face the Indiana Hoosiers this Sunday at Assembly Hall. But for 24 hours, the team will enjoy this win, and enjoy the significance of it for Penn State basketball.