| |
LOCATION: University Park, PA
CONFERENCE: Big Ten
LAST SEASON: 13-14 (.481)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-11 (t-9th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Nittany Lions
COLORS: Blue & White
HOMECOURT: Jordan Center (15,261)
COACH: Jerry Dunn (George Mason '80)
record at school 63-52 (4 years)
career record 63-52 (4 years)
|
ASSISTANTS: Chuck Swenson (Indiana '76)
Mike Boyd (Northern Michigan '70)
Christian Appleman (Penn State '90)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 21-21-10-19-13
RPI (last 5 years) 65-20-133-83-87
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
It began so successfully for Jerry Dunn as Penn State's head basketball coach in 1995-96. After 12 seasons as an assistant with the Nittany Lions, the same apprenticeship Tom Izzo had at Michigan State, Dunn had by far the better debut. His first Penn State team was 12-6 in the Big Ten and 21-7 overall, while Izzo's Spartans limped to a 9-9, 16-16 mark. The last three seasons, the Lions have been 16-34 in the conference and 42-44 overall. Meanwhile, MSU has been 37-13 in the league, with two regular-season titles and another in the postseason, and 72-25 overall, with trips to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 and Final Four. So much for comparing the current coaches of the league's 10th and 11th members. In just three years of disappointment, Dunn's nickname has changed from "Well" to "All." And all the optimism has disappeared, vanishing faster than the school's home-court advantage with a move from intimate Rec Hall to the cavernous Jordan Center. Dunn and his program have always been seen as a diversion, not a passion, in Happy Valley, especially compared to living legend Joe Paterno and Penn State football. That lack of fervor can't help as the Lions try to show recruits they're a big-time program, not just a team that plays in a big building. Penn State has won 20 or more games six times in the last 11 seasons. It has also had four losing records, however. If Dunn plans to stick around as long as predecessor Bruce Parkhill, who lasted 12 years, he will need to do a better job of signing top talent. It would also help if Dunn could keep his key players in uniform instead of in street clothes. One of the most injury-prone veterans, six-year point guard Dan Earl, has finally departed. And five-year center Calvin Booth has left for an NBA opportunity. The Lions need this season's veterans to play with the same maturity if they hope to surprise their critics and earn more than an NIT opportunity.
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT B- BENCH/DEPTH C+
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
Penn State is one of six Big Ten teams that could finish anywhere from sixth to 11th without raising too many eyebrows. Seventh might be the Lions' natural resting place. Can Jarrett Stephens play as well as he did before being injured or even get better? If so, his persistence should pay off individually and collectively for Jerry Dunn's program. And if Jon and Joe Crispin can generate consistent offense, the Lions can make some postseason tournament probably the NIT again. Joe has won some games for Penn State but has also shot his team out of contests that could have been victories. The Lions will play host to Clemson in the first ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The rest of the nonconference schedule has a strong Pennsylvania flavor, with visits to Villanova, Penn and Temple. Success there wouldn't hurt the Lions' image in the Philadelphia area. |
A key component is a healthy Jarrett Stephens, who tore up a knee in a loss to Minnesota in the 1998 NIT final and played just 37 minutes last season. Stephens (13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg in 1997-98), the brother of ex-MSU forward Dwayne Stephens, is one of Big Ten's best-kept secrets. The 6-7, 255-pound forward had decent quickness and led the Big Ten with a .640 field-goal percentage in 1997-98. If Stephens can play that well again, Penn State could fight for a spot in the league's first division. Otherwise, three returning starters from last season will have to improve and become more consistent for the Lions to play .500 basketball. Joe Crispin (14.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, .905 FT) is a 6-1 junior point guard with a hair-trigger penchant for firing from the perimeter. Titus Ivory (8.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg), a 6-4 junior guard, has been Penn State's defensive stopper for two seasons and led the league as a sophomore with an assist-turnover ratio of 2.26-1. With a little more scoring, he could be an asset in all areas. And 6-7 junior forward Gyasi Cline-Heard (7.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .568 FG) also needs to be more assertive for his team to reach its potential. Carl Jackson (1.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg), a 6-9 senior, might be a factor at center after 11 starts at power forward last season. Jackson has never had to be a force inside with Booth around to swat shots away. He will have to be huge underneath the basket on defense and contribute something on offense for that position not to be a liability. Center Scott Witkowsky, a 7-0 junior, had a chance to develop with the Big Ten's touring team in Europe but still has some work to do. He will certainly have that chance this winter. Greg Grays, a streaky shooter in two years with the Lions, has transferred to Detroit. He would help in one game, then be all-but-invisible the next two weeks. He probably made a wise decision to leave, based on the evidence he presented. Penn State should have better depth this year if six newcomers live up to expectations. Stephan Bekale, a 6-9 redshirt freshman from Gabon in Africa, could help immediately at power forward or center. And 6-2 guard Jon Crispin, Joe's brother, averaged 31.8 points last season. Obviously, he shares Joe's willingness to shoot. The other new faces belong to 6-7 forward and world-class scholar Ndu Egekeze, 6-9 forward B.J. Vossekuil, 6-0 guard Brandon Watkins and 6-10 forward Marcus Banta. If one or two of the rookies can work their way into the playing group, it would be great news for a program that longs to be good again.
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
