Centre Daily Times | 01/21/2005 | Freshmen showing their age:
“Since the Nittany Lions started Big Ten play, there has been but one problem with Geary Claxton’s game — he is making the other Penn State freshmen look, well, like freshmen.
“While Claxton has thrived — scoring 15.8 points per game in conference play — as the competition has improved, fellow froshes Mike Walker and Danny Morrissey have found the going a lot rougher. And with starting two guard Marlon Smith out for the remainder of the season, both know their performances will need to improve if Penn State is to turn around what has thus far been a brutal Big Ten start.
“‘I think Danny and I have to step it up a little bit now,’ Walker said before Wednesday’s practice.
When sophomore point guard Ben Luber took a five-game leave of absence earlier this season, Walker, a 6-foot-2 point guard with impressive range, filled in admirably, averaging just better than 10 points and 3.5 assists in seven games as the starter. He contracted a stomach virus when the Nittany Lions went to Arizona, playing just 16 minutes, all in the first half, against Valparaiso and missing the Long Island game, and Luber returned to the starting lineup.
“Playing both guard spots, Walker has since struggled to find his shooting touch, averaging just 3.2 points the last five games. What he hasn’t lost is the confidence and fire (not to mention the propensity to launch 25-footers) that remind many Penn State fans of Joe Crispin.
“‘The shots right now just aren’t falling, and they haven’t been falling,’ Walker said. ‘Personally, I’m just as confident as ever. I’m taking shots, I know they’re going in.’ …”