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Penn State basketball preview: Five things to watch as the Micah Shrewsberry era begins

IMG_1698 5 (1)by:David Eckert11/09/21

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Penn State basketball forward Seth Lundy is among the players to watch as the season begins. ((Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)

Micah Shrewsberry takes charge of his first game as Penn State’s head coach on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., when the Nittany Lions host Youngstown State.

Here are five things to watch for as Penn State hoops begins its season.

1.) A willingness — and need— to play small ball

Shrewsberry made himself clear while speaking to the media on Monday: He won’t be constrained by the positional norms of conventional, old-school basketball.

As he put it, if his best players are all 5-foot-6, Penn State will have five 5-foot-6 guys on the court.

That’s not a new idea for Shrewsberry. He’s been talking that way since he arrived.

Realistically, though, his hand may have been forced by an injury to 6-foot-9 transfer forward Greg Lee, who will miss the beginning of the season.

That leaves the Nittany Lions razor thin at that spot. John Harrar can only play so much. Jalanni White, presumably now Penn State’s second big man off the bench, averaged 14 minutes per game at Canisius last season in the MAAC.

It’s a situation that requires some creativity. How Shrewsberry handles it will be interesting to watch.

2.) Jalen Pickett’s transition to Power Conference basketball

A sought-after talent in the transfer portal this offseason, Siena guard Jalen Pickett made his way to Happy Valley, where he’ll be a key cog in Shrewberry’s first season.

RELATED: Why Penn State basketball’s experienced roster gives Micah Shrewsberry’s first season a unique feel

Pickett earned a place on the All-MAAC first team in each of his three seasons at Siena, also claiming the conference’s player of the year award in 2019-20.

The Nittany Lions are counting on him making a quick transition to life at Penn State and in the Big Ten.

An excellent passer, Pickett thrives in ball-screen situations. In fact, Shrewsberry’s willingness to put Pickett in those situations played a key role in his decision to come to Penn State, he said.

He’s also an effective scorer. He averaged 15 points per game during his career at Siena, shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.

3.) A less aggressive Penn State defense

Fans who tuned in to watch Penn State last season found a team selling out for steals.

Penn State lead the Big Ten with 7.9 steals per game last season. But the Nittany Lions had one of the conference’s worst defenses by field goal percentage, with the opposition connecting on over 46 percent of their attempts.

Shrewsberry wants those numbers to flip. He’s fine with the Nittany Lions generating fewer takeaways if it means they’re playing more solid defense at the other end of the floor.

4.) Seth Lundy’s next steps

A key inflection point for Penn State’s season could be what it gets out of Seth Lundy.

Lundy, now entering his junior season, flashed frequently a year ago. He turned in six performances of 15 points or more, including a 31-point and 32-point effort.

But Lundy wasn’t consistent enough to be a reliable scorer for the Nittany Lions, failing to crack double digits in 15 of his 25 games last season.

If he can attain a greater level of reliability, he could be one of the pieces which helps carry Penn State forward.

5.) Can Dallion Johnson or Caleb Dorsey carve out a place in the rotation?

Penn State is one of the oldest teams in college basketball this season.

With no freshman class, the only two scholarship underclassmen on the roster are sophomores Dallion Johnson and Caleb Dorsey.

Both struggled to crack interim coach Jim Ferry’s rotation last season. Johnson, a 6-foot-3 guard, played 1.8 minutes per game. Dorsey, a 6-foot-7 forward, played 2.2

It will be interesting if either can break through amongst the older players in front of them after playing so sparingly last season.

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