# Penn State Nittany Lions basketball

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They play home games at the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center, moving there from Rec Hall during the 1995–96 season. Their student cheering section is known as the Legion of Blue.
The team played its first season of basketball in 1897, finishing with a 1-1 record after playing Bucknell twice. They lost the first game 4-24, and won the second 10-7. The team went without a formal head coach until Burke Hermann in 1916.
The program has ten NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954, reaching the Final Four. Its most recent appearance was in 2023, when the team beat Texas A&M in the first round. The program also has 11 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with the most recent being in 2018, when they beat Utah to win the NIT championship. They also won the NIT championship in 2009.

## Current coaching staff

| Position | Name | Year | Alma mater |
| Head Coach | Mike Rhoades | 2023 | Lebanon Valley (1995) |
| Associate Head Coach | Jamal Brunt | 2023 | Randolph-Macon College (2003) |
| Assistant Coach | Brent Scott | 2023 | Rice University (1993) |
| Assistant Coach | Jimmy Martelli | 2023 | Dickinson College (2005) |
| Assistant to the Head Coach | Joe Crispin | 2023 | Penn State (2001) |
| Director of Recruiting | Brandon Rozzell | 2023 | Virginia Commonwealth University (2011) |
| Associate Director of Athletic Training Services | Jon Salazer | 2001 | Penn State (1993) |
| Assistant Director of Athletic Performance | Greg Miskinis | 2009 | Penn State (2008) |

## Coaching history

| Coach | Years | Seasons | Record | Pct. | Cnf. Record | Pct. | Cnf. Titles | Nat. Titles | NCAA Appearances |
| 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 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 | 1 |
| Elmer Gross | 1949–54 | 5 | 80–40 | .667 | | | | 0 | 2 |
| John Egli | 1954–68 | 14 | 187–135 | .581 | | | | 0 | 2 |
| Johnny Bach | 1968–78 | 10 | 122–121 | .502 | 9–11 | .450 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dick Harter | 1978–83 | 5 | 79–61 | .564 | 13–11 | .564 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bruce Parkhill | 1983–95 | 12 | 181–169 | .517 | 82–116 | .414 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jerry Dunn | 1995–2003 | 8 | 117–121 | .492 | 45–87 | .341 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ed DeChellis | 2003–2011 | 8 | 114–138 | .452 | 41–95 | .301 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pat Chambers | 2011–2020 | 9 | 148–150 | .497 | 56–110 | .337 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Ferry | 2020–2021 | 1 | 11–14 | .440 | 7–12 | .368 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Micah Shrewsberry | 2021–2023 | 2 | 37–31 | .544 | 17–23 | .425 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Rhoades | 2023–Present | 1 | 15–16 | .484 | 9–11 | .450 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 1897–present | 125 | 1560–1257–1 | .555 | 296–499 | .372 | 1 | 0 | 10 |

## Postseason
### NCAA tournament results

The Nittany Lions have appeared in the NCAA tournament 10 times. Their combined record is 10–11.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 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 | First Round | #7 Temple | L 64–66 |
| 2023 | #10 | First Round Second Round | #7 Texas A&M #2 Texas | W 76–59 L 66–71 |

### NIT results

The Nittany Lions have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 11 times. Their combined record is 27–9. They were NIT champions in 2009 and 2018.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 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 |
| 2018 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals | Temple Notre Dame Marquette Mississippi State Utah | W 63–57 W 73–63 W 85–80 W 75–60 W 82–66 |

### CBI results

The Nittany Lions have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once. Their record is 1–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2014 | First Round Quarterfinals | Hampton Siena | W 69–65 L 52–54 |

## Statistical Leaders
### 1,000 Point Scorers

| Rank | Player | Points | Years | Rank | Player | Points | Years | Rank | Player | Points | Years |
| 1 | Talor Battle | 2,213 | 2007-2011 | 17 | John Amaechi | 1,310 | 1992-1995 | 33 | Gyasi Cline-Heard | 1,058 | 1997-2001 |
| 2 | Lamar Stevens$^+$ | 2,207 | 2016-2020 | 18 | Brandon Taylor | 1,289 | 2012-2016 | 34 | Steve Kuhn | 1,057 | 1976-1980 |
| 3 | Jesse Arnelle | 2,138 | 1951-1955 | 19 | Calvin Booth | 1,288 | 1995-1999 | 35 | James Barnes | 1,025 | 1987-1991 |
| 4 | Joe Crispin | 1,986 | 1997-2001 | 20 | Seth Lundy | 1,283 | 2019-2023 | 36 | Tony Ward | 1,020 | 1984-1988 |
| 5 | D.J. Newbill | 1,812 | 2012-2015 | 21 | Dan Earl | 1,256 | 1993-1999 | 37 | Mike Edelman | 1,019 | 1978-1982 |
| 6 | Shep Garner | 1,629 | 2014-2018 | 22 | Monroe Brown | 1,244 | 1988-1992 | 38 | Gene Harris | 1,018 | 1959-1962 |
| 7 | Pete Lisicky | 1,605 | 1994-1998 | 23 | Ron Brown | 1,184 | 1972-1974 | 39 | Mike Lang | 1,014 | 1979-1983 |
| 8 | Jamelle Cornley | 1,579 | 2005-2009 | 24 | Mike Watkins | 1,171 | 2016-2020 | 40 | Jeff Miller | 1,008 | 1974-1978 |
| 9 | DeRon Hayes | 1,570 | 1989-1993 | 25 | Carver Clinton | 1,165 | 1963-1966 | | | | |
| 10 | Tim Frazier | 1,543 | 2009-2014 | 26 | Tony Carr | 1,161 | 2016-2018 | | | | |
| 11 | Geary Claxton | 1,542 | 2004-2008 | 27 | Mark DuMars | 1,139 | 1958-1961 | | | | |
| 12 | Tom Hovasse | 1,459 | 1985-1989 | 28 | Myles Dread | 1,097 | 2018-2023 | | | | |
| 13 | Jarrett Stephens | 1,372 | 1995-2000 | 29 | Bob Weiss | 1,091 | 1962-1965 | | | | |
| 14 | Titus Ivory | 1,369 | 1996-2001 | 30 | Jeff Persson | 1,090 | 1965-1968 | | | | |
| 15 | Freddie Barnes | 1,342 | 1988-1992 | 31 | Josh Reaves | 1,079 | 2015-2019 | | | | |
| 16 | Ed Fogell | 1,329 | 1985-1990 | 32 | Jalen Pickett | 1,068 | 2021-2023 | | | | |
$^+$ 2020 B1G Tournament and 2020 NCAA Tournament cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
$^{**}$ denotes active player.

### Assists

| Rank | Player | Assists | Years | Rank | Player | Assists | Years |
| 1 | Tim Frazier | 641 | 2009-2014 | 11 | Jalen Pickett | 378 | 2021–2023 |
| 2 | Freddie Barnes | 600 | 1988-1992 | 12 | Ron Brown | 350 | 1972-1974 |
| 3 | Dan Earl | 574 | 1993-1999 | 13 | Tony Ward | 331 | 1984-1988 |
| 4 | Talor Battle | 517 | 2007-2011 | 14 | Tony Carr | 325 | 2016-2018 |
| 5 | Joe Crispin | 485 | 1997-2001 | 15 | Shep Garner | 317 | 2014-2018 |
| | Tom Wilkinson | 485 | 1976-1980 | 16 | Josh Reaves | 310 | 2015–2019 |
| 7 | Monroe Brown | 450 | 1988-1992 | 17 | Pete Lisicky | 291 | 1994-1998 |
| 8 | Titus Ivory | 443 | 1996-2001 | 18 | D.J. Newbill | 288 | 2012-2015 |
| 9 | Ben Luber | 418 | 2003-2007 | 19 | Brandon Watkins | 287 | 1999-2003 |
| 10 | Dwight Gibson | 385 | 1991-1995 | 20 | Lamar Stevens | 262 | 2016-2020 |

### Rebounds (650+)

| Rank | Player | Rebounds | Years | Rank | Player | Rebounds | Years |
| 1 | Jesse Arnelle | 1,238 | 1951-1955 | 12 | Carvin Jefferson | 713 | 1975-1979 |
| 2 | Mike Watkins | 956 | 2016–2020 | 13 | Randy Meister | 712 | 1972-1975 |
| 3 | Mike Lang | 912 | 1979-1983 | 14 | Jarrett Stephens | 703 | 1995-2000 |
| 4 | Lamar Stevens | 875 | 2016-2020 | 15 | Andrew Jones | 681 | 2007-2011 |
| 5 | Ross Travis | 816 | 2011-2015 | 16 | Gyasi Cline-Heard | 672 | 1997-2001 |
| 6 | Gene Harris | 762 | 1959-1962 | | | | |
| 7 | Geary Claxton | 755 | 2004-2008 | | | | |
| | Jamelle Cornley | 755 | 2005-2009 | | | | |
| 9 | John Amaechi | 745 | 1992-1995 | | | | |
| 10 | Carver Clinton | 734 | 1963-1966 | | | | |
| 11 | Calvin Booth | 728 | 1995-1999 | | | | |

## All-Americans

| Year | Team | Name | Outlet |
| 1954 | 1st Team | Jesse Arnelle | Helms Foundation |
| 1955 | 2nd Team | Jesse Arnelle | Helms Foundation |
| 2023 | 2nd Team | Jalen Pickett | AP, NABC, SN |

## NBA players
### NBA draft

| Year | Round | Pick | Name | Team |
| 1947 | 3 | 10 | John Rusinko | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1953 | 7 | 2 | Herman Sledzik | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1955 | 2 | 13 | Jesse Arnelle | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1965 | 3 | 22 | Bob Weiss | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1966 | 11 | 6 | Carver Clinton | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 1974 | 7 | 17 | Ron Brown | Boston Celtics |
| 1981 | 3 | 57 | Frank Brickowski | New York Knicks |
| 1983 | 8 | 12 | Mike Lang | New York Knicks |
| 1984 | 10 | 211 | Dick Mumma | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1994 | 10 | 211 | John Amaechi | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1999 | 2 | 35 | Calvin Booth | Washington Wizards |
| 2018 | 2 | 51 | Tony Carr | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2023 | 2 | 32 | Jalen Pickett | Denver Nuggets |
| 2023 | 2 | 46 | Seth Lundy | Atlanta Hawks |

### Other NBA players

The following is a list of undrafted Penn State players who have played at least one NBA regular or post-season game. Bold denotes players with active NBA or NBA G League contracts.
* Lamar Stevens
* Andrew Funk
* Izaiah Brockington
* Josh Reaves
* Tim Frazier
* Chris Babb
* John Amaechi
* Joe Crispin
* Tom Hovasse
* Herschel Baltimore
* John Barr