Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
Penn State Nittany Lions | |||
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University | Pennsylvania State University | ||
Conference | Big Ten | ||
Location | University Park, PA | ||
Head coach | Pat Chambers (6th year) | ||
Arena |
Jordan Center (Capacity: 15,261) | ||
Nickname | Nittany Lions | ||
Student section | Legion of Blue | ||
Colors |
Blue and White[1] | ||
Uniforms | |||
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NCAA Tournament Final Four | |||
1954 | |||
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||
1942, 1954 | |||
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1952, 1954, 1955, 2001 | |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1942, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1965, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2011 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
Atlantic 10: 1991 | |||
Conference division season champions | |||
Eastern Collegiate League West: 1977 |
The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and play home games at the 15,261-seat Jordan Center, moving there from boisterous Rec Hall during the 1995–96 season. Their student cheering section is known as The Legion of Blue.
The program has eight NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954, reaching the Final Four. Its most recent appearance was in 2011, when the team lost to the Temple Owls in the round of 64. The program also has 10 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with the most recent being in 2009, when they beat Baylor to win the NIT championship.
In the shadow of football
At a school where the football program captures the vast majority of media and fan interest, the basketball program has historically struggled for relevance. According to ESPN.com writer and Penn State graduate[2] Dana O'Neil,
“ | For years the basketball team has been a little sister of the poor stepchild to football, a winter afterthought given all the tending and care of a vegetable garden positioned in the middle of a nuclear field. Administrative support waffles between tepid applause and casual indifference.[3] | ” |
In O'Neil's view, the "stepchild" status of the program was most starkly illustrated by the last weeks of the 2010–11 season. The team normally practices at a dedicated facility within the Jordan Center. However, for nearly a week in February, while the team was making a run for an NCAA at-large bid, Bon Jovi took over the entire BJC—including the practice facilities—for rehearsals for their upcoming concert tour, which opened at the BJC. The following week, the team was evicted from the BJC for a career fair[2] and for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.[4] On both occasions, the team was forced to practice at the nearby Intramural Building, a facility normally used by Penn State's volleyball teams. Although retrofitted with basketball hoops, the space left much to be desired. Multiple holes for volleyball net stanchions had to be taped over. During the Bon Jovi rehearsals, the hoops had been visibly lower than regulation height. While this error was corrected the following week, one of the hoops remained visibly misaligned.[4]
Current coaching staff
Position | Name | Year | Alma mater |
---|---|---|---|
Head coach | Patrick Chambers | 2011 | Philadelphia University (1994) |
Associate Head Coach | Brian Daly | 2011 | University of Richmond (1994) |
Associate Head Coach | Keith Urgo | 2011 | Saint Joseph's University (1992) |
Assistant Coach | Dwayne Anderson | 2013 | Villanova University (2009) |
Director of basketball operations | Ross Condon | 2011 | Villanova University (2007) |
Athletic trainer | Jon Salazer | 2001 | Penn State (1993) |
Director of Player Development | Ryan Devlin | 2014 | University of Pittsburgh (2005) |
Strength and conditioning coach | Brandon Spayd | 2013 | Juniata College (2010) |
Coaching history
Coach | Years | Seasons | Record | Pct. | Cnf. Record | Pct. | Cnf. Titles | Nat. Titles |
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No coach | 1897–1915, 1917–1918 | 20 | 131–65–1 | .668 | 0 | |||
Burke M. "Dutch" Hermann | 1916–1918, 1919–32 | 15 | 148–73 | .716 | 0 | |||
Hugo Bezdek | 1919 | 1 | 11–2 | .846 | 0 | |||
Earl "The Spike" Leslie | 1933–36 | 4 | 29–28 | .509 | 0–10 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
John Lawther | 1937–49 | 13 | 150–93 | .617 | 17–13 | .567 | 0 | 0 |
Elmer Gross | 1949–54 | 5 | 80–40 | .667 | 0 | |||
John Egli | 1954–68 | 14 | 187–135 | .581 | 0 | |||
Johnny Bach | 1968–78 | 10 | 122–121 | .502 | 9–11 | .450 | 0 | 0 |
Dick Harter | 1978–83 | 5 | 79–61 | .564 | 13–11 | .564 | 0 | 0 |
Bruce Parkhill | 1983–95 | 12 | 181–169 | .517 | 82–116 | .414 | 1 | 0 |
Jerry Dunn | 1995–2003 | 8 | 117–121 | .492 | 45–87 | .341 | 0 | 0 |
Ed DeChellis | 2003–2011 | 8 | 114–138 | .452 | 41–95 | .301 | 0 | 0 |
Pat Chambers | 2011–present | 5 | 63-78 | .447 | 15–56 | .211 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 1897–present | 116 | 1412–1322–1 | .516 | 222–399 | .357 | 1 | 0 |
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the NCAA Tournament nine times. Their combined record is 9–11.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Results |
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1942 | Elite Eight Regional 3rd Place Game | Dartmouth Illinois | L 39–44 W 41–34 | |
1952 | Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Kentucky NC State | L 54–82 L 60–69 | |
1954 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National 3rd Place Game | Toledo LSU Notre Dame La Salle USC | W 62–50 W 78–70 W 71–63 L 54–69 W 70–61 | |
1955 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game | Memphis State Iowa Kentucky | W 59–55 L 53–82 L 59–84 | |
1965 | First Round | Princeton | L 58–60 | |
1991 | #13 | First Round Second Round | #4 UCLA #12 Eastern Michigan | W 74–69 L 68–71 OT |
1996 | #5 | First Round | #12 Arkansas | L 80–86 |
2001 | #7 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #10 Providence #2 North Carolina #11 Temple | W 69–59 W 82–74 L 72–84 |
2011 | #10 | Second Round | #7 Temple | L 64–66 |
NIT results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ten times. Their combined record is 22–9. They were NIT champions in 2009.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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1966 | First Round | San Francisco | L 77–89 |
1980 | First Round | Alabama | L 49–53 |
1989 | First Round Second Round | Murray State Villanova | W 89–73 L 67–76 |
1990 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Marquette Maryland Rutgers Vanderbilt New Mexico | W 57–54 W 80–78 W 58–55 L 62–75 W 83–81 |
1992 | First Round | Pittsburgh | L 65–67 |
1995 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Miami (FL) Nebraska Iowa Marquette Canisius | W 62–56 W 65–59 W 67–64 L 79–81 W 66–62 |
1998 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | Rider Dayton Georgia Tech Georgia Minnesota | W 82–68 W 77–74 W 77–70 W 66–60 L 72–79 |
2000 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Princeton Siena Kent State Notre Dame NC State | W 55–41 W 105–103 W 81–74 L 52–73 W 74–72 |
2006 | Opening Round | Rutgers | L 71–76 |
2009 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | George Mason Rhode Island Florida Notre Dame Baylor | W 77–73 OT W 83–72 W 71–62 W 67–59 W 69–63 |
CBI results
The Nittany Lions have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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2014 | First Round Quarterfinals | Hampton Siena | W 69–65 L 52–54 |
NBA draft
Year | Name | Team |
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| Jesse Arnelle | |
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Penn State Men's Basketball Radio Affiliates
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References
- ↑ Penn State Artwork (PDF). The Pennsylvania State University. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- 1 2 O'Neil, Dana (February 18, 2011). "Some things never change at Penn State". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ↑ O'Neil, Dana (May 23, 2011). "The ball is in Penn State's court". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- 1 2 Bauer, Nate (February 15, 2011). "Inside the Den: News and notes from the hardwood". Blue White Illustrated. Rivals.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/nl-update-affiliates.html 2011-2012 PSU Network Affiliates - Men's Basketball