Penn State could 'soon' see contributions from freshman forward

Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry, coming off a 68-62 win over Butler on Monday night, is working through the balancing act. Now 3-0 on the young season, the Nittany Lions are through three games in eight days. 

Traveling to Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday for a three-game slate in the Charleston Classic on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, the pace isn’t letting up. 

A schedule that demands quick turnaround after quick turnaround, Shrewsberry said Penn State’s stockpile of older, experienced players is helpful. But, still needing to coalesce as a group, with eight new faces integrating with the program this offseason, the need to make improvements is obvious. 

“Early in the year, you have to constantly get better as a team. You have to worry about your own team, about how you can take steps to get better,” Shrewsberry said. “We have to worry about that, but we also have good opponents that we have upcoming, and Furman, they’re right there at the top, in terms of really good teams.”

Penn State will open against the Paladins at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday (ESPNU).

Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry weekly press conference

Before getting there, though, a small news item emerged when Shrewsberry met with the media Tuesday afternoon ahead of the program’s trip south. 

On the Nittany Lions’ 15-man roster, a total of 14 players have seen at least some game action in the first three games of the season. That is, save for true freshman big man Demetrius Lilley, who has been dealing with an injury in the preseason and into the start of the 2022-23 campaign.

According to Shrewsberry on Tuesday, that sidetrack could soon be coming to an end for the 6-foot-10, 260-pound forward. 

Acknowledging that Lilley has practiced more this week than at any other time since camp started in October, Shrewsberry called him “close” to being ready to see game action. It isn’t necessarily likely to come in Charleston, though, as Shrewsberry also described the tournament and its demands of playing other experienced, smart teams as “for the old guys.”

Still, boasting a “physicalness” that Penn State can use this season, Shrewsberry said with some improved conditioning, and selective opportunities to work “Meech” into games, that time could soon be coming.

“Sometimes, you don’t play people to protect them,” Shrewsberry said. “I think all our freshmen are going to be really good. But I don’t know if last night’s game was the game for them. The first time you’re playing a high-major opponent in a pretty tense atmosphere and environment, both teams were playing really hard, sometimes you don’t want to put a guy out there and have him fail in that moment. Now his confidence is shook a little bit. 

“I think those guys need to continue to earn their way into time, through what they do when they get their time, and what they’re doing in practice. I think Meech has to do that. He’s gotta be able to see himself play. Hopefully, we get some opponents where we can get up and give him five to six minutes of action so he can get his feet wet and get going a little bit.”

Demetrius Lilley scout

Noting the pronounced difference between inconsistent practice reps, full-go practicing, and game action, the next steps are to create those conditions as best as possible and allow Lilley to catch up to the speed. 

And when he does, Shrewsberry said, the results could be noticeable. 

“He’s determined on the glass; he really goes after the offensive glass. He’s got great hands,” Shrewsberry said. “But, he’s really crafty offensively. Facing the basket, he can pass, handle the ball, and slip through the cracks a little bit when he’s rolling. 

“So he can bring us another type of element when he’s in, so I’m looking forward to getting him some time before we get going here into this season.”