2008 Penn State Nittany Lions Hoops Preview

Never let it be said that Penn State lacks heart. The Nittany Lions were dealt one bad hand after another last season, including the loss of their leading scorer, yet they responded with their best Big Ten finish in seven seasons and were poised to claim an NIT berth despite concluding the regular season with four freshmen and a junior college transfer in the starting lineup.

But heart will only get you so far. The Lions lost to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, finished 15–16 and missed out on the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons. It was another blow to a program that has seemed in recent years to be perpetually on the verge of that great corner-turning moment in which everything finally comes together.

The question now is whether the Lions can regain their momentum. There is reason to believe they can. For all the havoc injuries created last season, they did, if nothing else, allow Penn State to develop a number of young players.

The Lions return five of their top six scorers, including co-MVPs Talor Battle and Cornley, and they get four of their top five rebounders back as well. That’s not a bad place to start if you’re eager to move up in the world. And make no mistake — Penn State is really eager to move up.

Frontcourt

Jamelle Cornley sets the tone for Penn State. The senior forward doesn’t have great size (he’s listed at 6'5"), but he doesn’t back down from anyone, even when he’s ailing. Unfortunately for Penn State, he’s ailing a lot. As a sophomore, Cornley played with a hip pointer. Last season, he played 25 games on a bruised and swollen left knee that required an average of 28 hours of rehab per week.

Cornley’s health hasn’t prevented him from becoming only the 16th Nittany Lion to surpass 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. He averaged 12.1 points and 6.0 rebounds as a junior, numbers that should rise if the Columbus, Ohio, native is able to stay healthy in his final season at Penn State.

Elsewhere, the Lions return three key sophomores in forwards Andrew Jones, Jeff Brooks and David Jackson. The once-slender Jones has added quite a bit of beef since arriving on campus and looks to be ready to assume a bigger role. Jackson is also on the rise after starting Penn State’s final 10 games last year and posting the first double-double of his career in the regular-season finale, an upset victory over Indiana. Penn State still lacks size up front but has more depth than it had in the past to go with plenty of toughness.

Backcourt

Battle is the Lions’ star-in-the-making. He stepped into the scoring void that followed Claxton’s knee injury last season, averaging 10.2 points. The Lions love Battle’s athletic ability. He’s quick enough to create his own shots off the dribble, but he also led the team in assists last year with 99.

Senior Danny Morrissey is back as well. Morrissey is the Nittany Lions’ perimeter marksman. As a junior, he was 12th in the Big Ten with 58 3-pointers.

And then there’s Stanley Pringle. A 6'1" senior combo guard from Virginia Beach, Pringle has a nifty crossover dribble modeled after that of his idol, Allen Iverson. He’s also got quickness to spare, which has proven useful at both ends of the court. The only problem: Pringle was charged in April with committing a lewd act in Penn State’s library. He told police the incident was a misunderstanding, but bloggers, message board dwellers and even Jay Leno had a field day with the story, and the worst may be yet to come. No matter what happens with his case, Pringle is surely due for merciless hazing on the road this season.

Final Analysis

It’s easy to be skeptical of the Nittany Lions. They’ve been one of those on-the-verge programs for a couple of years now and have yet to break through. But the hopeful atmosphere surrounding this year’s team appears to be more than just wishful thinking. Players have bought into Ed DeChellis’ program. They play hard and have proven themselves capable of pulling off the occasional upset. An NCAA Tournament bid is probably too much of a stretch, but the Lions should be in position to grab an NIT berth.