MILWAUKEE – It was the first 24-rebound game Penn State Coach Ed DeChellis had ever seen. Luckily for him, it was his own player who did it.
Aaron Johnson was one of five Nittany Lions who scored in double figures but the only one with two dozen boards Monday as Penn State defeated Western Carolina 78-63 in the second round of the Black Coaches Association Classic.
‘Twenty-four rebounds was tremendous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before. He’s a workhorse on the boards,’ DeChellis said after Penn State evened its record at 1-1.
Catamount Coach Steve Shurina was equally impressed with Johnson’s bullish performance. ‘He’s a bear inside,’ he said.
Johnson also had 13 points in a game in which Penn State (1-1) got offensive help from plenty of players. Danny Morrissey led with 16 points, and Marlon Smith had 14, Ben Luber 11 and Geary Claxton 10.