Centre Daily Times | 01/25/2005 | Nittany Lions living, dying with freshmen:
“Jamaal Tate had the ideal setup for a freshman, and not just because he played for one of the most remarkable teams in Penn State men’s basketball history.
“Talented enough to get some playing time — just under 10 minutes per game in 2000-01 — Tate had enough experienced guards ahead of him that he could ease his way into the college game.
” ‘They helped us out with everything,’ Tate recalled. ‘I mean, we learned as we went, but it was easier than what they have.’
“The first ‘they’ referred to Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory, the starting guards and senior leaders of the team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. The second ‘they’ referred to the current Penn State crop of freshmen, whose first year in a Penn State uniform couldn’t be more different from Tate’s. …”