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Northwestern vs Penn State (1/22/05 at State College, Pa.)

Centre Daily Times | 01/22/2005 | Free throws could be key for Penn State:

“They’re considered free points if they’re made, ones that got away if missed. They are free throws, and they could very well determine which team gets its first Big Ten win (weather permitting) at 4 p.m. today at the Bryce Jordan Center — Penn State or Northwestern.

“The Nittany Lions (6-11, 0-4 Big Ten) have been mainly solid from the line this season, making 69 percent, good for seventh in the Big Ten. Two problems: The team’s best free throw shooter, sophomore guard Marlon Smith, is out for the season. And the remaining Nittany Lions haven’t hit free throws when it has counted.

“‘The more you talk about it sometimes, the worse it can be,’ Penn State men’s basketball coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘I don’t think we’ve been horrible — if you look at our stats, we’re shooting almost 70 percent. It’s at the times when (the misses have) come is the most troubling.’

“Particularly during the last few games at home, where Penn State has lost four in a row — three by a combined total of eight points. The Nittany Lions missed several key free throws during those three games, losses to Buffalo, Texas A&M; and Michigan. The fundamentals have been sound — no Nittany Lion regular is shooting worse than 68 percent — but no one has been immune to the lapses in the clutch. …”

Basketball: Penn State searching for confidence, wins:

“Rebuilding is the general term folks use for this process, but such talk discounts the details. This, more appropriately, is a full-time construction project. And a frustrating one.

“At Penn State, a freshman recruiting class comes in and plants hope. Then a foundation of veterans crumble.

Wins come early in the season. Then losses follow in nine of the team’s next 10 games.

“Confidence builds. Then it erodes.

“In his second season as men’s basketball coach at Penn State, Ed DeChellis already knows this much about his so-called rebuilding process: When the pieces fall apart just as quickly as they’re stacked together, results come slowly. If at all.

“Today, when the Nittany Lions (6-11, 0-4 Big Ten) play host to Northwestern, they’ll take the court looking far different from the team DeChellis anticipated at the start of season. In recent games, DeChellis has used, at times, a lineup featuring four freshmen and a junior college transfer. He has just nine scholarship players at his disposal and admits that players are wearing down in practice. If this sounds familiar to the chorus of last season — young team, little depth, few victories — that’s because, well, it is. …”

FightOnState.com: Hoop Preview : Northwestern:

“Penn State Notes:

• PSU shooting guard Morrissey hurt his right (shooting) shoulder during a collision in practice early in the week. That’s not good news for a player who has made 2 of his last 16 triples. He is expected to play today.
  
• With starting guard Marlon Smith lost for the season due to illness, DeChellis may be forced to use the 240-pound Travis Parker on the perimeter at times for the rest of the year. And that will likely mean seeing more of rookie Brandon Hassell at power forward.
  
• State is down to 11 healthy players, nine of them on scholarship. That means assistant coaches James Johnson is being pulled into five-on-five scout-team situations in practice….”

FightOnState.com: Pregame Intel: Penn State:

“Pregame Intel: Penn State

By Roy Lamberton Publisher, Purple Reign

Date: Jan 21, 2005

“After playing 3 Big 10 Powerhouse teams in a row [2 on the road], the Northwestern Wildcats hit the road to face an improving Penn State Squad. Once again – those Pennsylvania based Cats are young and trying to build on the future.

“Here’s the latest from the snowy land of the Nittany Lion…”

Penn State lands two Europeans:

“Penn State’s men’s basketball program is again mining Europe to fill its yawning needs for big men.

“Head coach Ed DeChellis confirmed yesterday that PSU has received verbal commitments from two big Euros — one from Finland, the other from Serbia & Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia.

“Though DeChellis did not name the players, The Patriot-News learned the Fin is Joonas Suotamo, a 6-9, 225- pound forward who is said to be well built, springy and active. UCLA and Utah were recruiting Suotamo in the fall period before getting commitments from other players and dropping off.

“That left Penn State as the major suitor. PSU lead assistant Kurt Kanaskie has been working hard to find European players since his arrival on the PSU staff. This one, he liked.

“When Kanaskie and DeChellis saw Suotamo in person on a quick visit last month, they could not speak to the player because it was a ‘dark’ non-contact period under NCAA guidelines. But they extended a scholarship offer.

“Suotamo visited Penn State over the Christmas holiday and liked what he saw. …”

The Daily Northwestern – Penn State in 10th place:

“Northwestern’s turnover problems may be bad, but no Big Ten team has been worse at taking care of the ball than Penn State.

“The Nittany Lions (6-11, 0-4 Big Ten) are one of three teams in the conference to have a negative turnover margin (NU and Michigan are the other two), but their minus 3.24 margin is 2.3 turnovers worse than the 10th-place Wolverines.

“Penn State has plenty of youth — of its seven players who see significant playing time, four are first-year players. Freshman forward Geary Claxton has started every game this season, and averages 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds.

“The Nittany Lions don’t have a true center, which means NU (8-8, 1-3) may try to get as many touches as possible for center Mike Thompson, who averages 11.9 points and a team-leading 5.3 rebounds. …”

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.’ …”

Wildcats, Lions try to move forward:

“Confidence is often hard to regain once it has been shaken. If it were in a box, it would be labeled ‘fragile.’

“The Penn State men’s basketball team has had its confidence shaken a great deal.

“The Nittany Lions (6-11, 0-4 Big Ten) are currently on a five-game losing streak that includes two heartbreaking losses to Texas A&M; — in which they lost a 17-point lead in the second half — and Michigan by a combined six points.

” ‘You lose a couple of close games like we’ve had, and get beat soundly on the road; there’s no denying that,’ Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. ‘That confidence is a very, very delicate thing. We just try to be positive with our players.’ …”

Luber and Smith: Planned PSU resurgence on hold:

“It hasn’t turned out exactly as they planned, just yet.

“They were going to be Penn State’s newest version of Fred and Barney, Lenny and Carl, Oscar and Felix, Simon and … well, you get the point. They were good friends, teammates, even roommates beginning last fall.

“It was their task to try and turn around a struggling program on the court — together.

“Heading into their second year on the men’s basketball team, guards Ben Luber and Marlon Smith were ready to take charge and rescue Penn State from its perennial spot at the bottom of the Big Ten. But there’s been one obstacle after another in their way. …”