In bounce back performance, Sam Sessoms shows value to Penn State
Nearly 15 minutes into a 74-67 loss to Purdue on Saturday, Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry went in on Sam Sessoms.
Returning to the bench after two failed first-half stints against the Boilermakers, the senior guard listened to the rant. And given his stat line, missing both shots, picking up a personal foul, and committing a turnover in five combined minutes, Sessoms knew he deserved it.
“I wasn’t on the bench angry because I knew I wasn’t doing my best effort,” Sessoms said. “I was just supporting my teammates from the bench. But I knew the next game I had to come out there and play as hard as I can.”
Tuesday night against Rutgers, Sessoms did.
Leading the Nittany Lions with game-highs in points (17) and assists (6), Sessoms logged 30 minutes. Contrasted with his season-low nine against Purdue, every element of the effort helped propel his team to a 66-49 win over the Scarlet Knights.
Now in his second season at Penn State, Sessoms’ production is understood as critical to the program’s opportunities for success. Starting the season’s first eight games before transitioning to come off the bench the past six outings, his 11.9 points and 3.2 assists per game are third and second on the team, respectively.
Absent those contributions against Purdue, Sessoms’ turnaround was exactly as Shrewsberry intended.
“I didn’t say anything to him. He knew. I didn’t have to. Him playing nine minutes was the message,” Shrewsberry said Tuesday night. “You need to be on board with what we’re doing and playing as hard as possible. The video doesn’t lie.
“I got on him on Saturday. That’s hard to take when you’re somebody that has been counted on and you’re somebody that scores a lot. And now you played nine minutes.”
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Particularly on Penn State’s offensive end, an area in which Sessoms’ drives free up space for shooters and easy buckets, the letdown was crushing against Purdue.
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A no-show in a game Penn State kept within range against the nation’s No. 3-ranked program, Sessoms acknowledged the regret he’d felt in the interim. Taking in that video after the loss on Sunday, followed by a Monday practice, Sessoms said he couldn’t wait for the opportunity for redemption.
“Mentally it is just horrible, he said. “I know the coaches expect a lot from me. I know my teammates expect a lot from me. So knowing that I didn’t give my best effort, which is the thing you can control, just eats me up until the next opportunity. I feel like I’m letting my teammates down in a selfish way… I was just itching to get the next opportunity.”
Improving to 8-6 on the season and 3-3 in Big Ten play after Tuesday night’s win, Penn State’s reliance on Sessoms isn’t likely to diminish. Contributing double-digit scoring in six of the Nittany Lions’ eight Ws on the year, while held to fewer than eight in three of the losses, his future production remains integral to the program’s success.
“There are two things you can do: You can be a locker room lawyer. You can go to somebody else that didn’t play and start talking,” Shrewsberry said. “Or, you can come back and fix it. You can take ownership. You can look inside.
“That says a lot about his character, who he is as a person, his resiliency to just bounce back and play.”
Penn State returns to the hardwood Sunday when it meets No. 16 Ohio State in Columbus. The game tips at noon and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
