2021–22 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team

2021–22 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record14–17 (7–13 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBryce Jordan Center
Seasons
2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Illinois 15 – 5   .750 23 – 10   .697
No. 14 Wisconsin 15 – 5   .750 25 – 8   .758
No. 10 Purdue 14 – 6   .700 29 – 8   .784
Rutgers 12 – 8   .600 18 – 14   .563
No. 16 Iowa † 12 – 8   .600 26 – 10   .722
Ohio State 12 – 8   .600 20 – 12   .625
Michigan State 11 – 9   .550 23 – 13   .639
Michigan 11 – 9   .550 19 – 15   .559
Indiana 9 – 11   .450 21 – 14   .600
Maryland 7 – 13   .350 15 – 17   .469
Penn State 7 – 13   .350 14 – 17   .452
Northwestern 7 – 13   .350 15 – 16   .484
Nebraska 4 – 16   .200 10 – 22   .313
Minnesota 4 – 16   .200 13 – 17   .433
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll


The 2021–22 Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry and played their home games at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania as members of the Big Ten Conference.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Nittany Lions finished the 2020–21 season 11–14, 7–12 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 10th place. As the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Nebraska before losing to Wisconsin in the second round.

On October 21, 2020, head coach Pat Chambers resigned after an internal investigation by the school into inappropriate conduct by Chambers.[1] It had been reported in July that former player Rasir Bolton had left the program due to inappropriate comments to him by Chambers.[2] New allegations surfaced after a later investigation by the school that led to Chambers resigning.[1][3] Assistant coach Jim Ferry was named interim coach for the season.[4]

Following the end of the season, the school hired Purdue assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry as head coach.[5]

Offseason

Departures

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Myreon Jones 0 G 6'3" 180 Junior Birmingham, AL Transferred to Florida
Jamari Wheeler 5 G 6'1" 170 Senior Live Oak, FL Graduate transferred to Ohio State
Kyle McCloskey 10 G 6'5" 212 Junior Lower Gwynedd, PA Walk-on; transferred
Izaiah Brockington 12 G 6'4" 200 RS Junior Philadelphia, PA Transferred to Iowa State
Patrick Kelly 14 F 6'8" 215 RS Freshman Raleigh, NC Transferred to Fordham
Trent Buttrick 15 F 6'8" 240 Senior Bloomsburg, PA Graduate transferred to Massachusetts
Taylor Nussbaum 20 G 6'2" 175 Senior South Salem, NY Walk-on; graduated
DJ Gordon 23 G 6'5" 175 Freshman Pittsburgh, PA Transferred to Fordham
Abdou Tsimbila 30 F 6'8" 235 Freshman Yaoundé, Cameroon Transferred to Fordham

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous college
Irekefe Oweh 0 G 6'2" 188 Sophomore North Brunswick, NJ St. Thomas Aquinas
Greg Lee 5 F 6'9" 217 Graduate Student Rockford, IL Western Michigan
Jaheam Cornwall 11 G 6'0" 190 Graduate Student Brooklyn, NY Gardner–Webb
Jevonnie Scott 13 F 6'7" 252 Junior Toronto, ON South Plains College
Jalanni White 14 F 6'8" 205 Graduate Student New Haven, CT Canisius
Jalen Pickett 22 G 6'4" 202 Senior Rochester, NY Siena

Recruiting classes

2021 recruiting class

There were no incoming recruits for the class of 2021.

2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jameel Brown
#23 SG 		Haverford, PA The Haverford School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 23, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Kanye Clary
#38 PG 		Woodstock, VA Massanutten Military Academy 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 3, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Evan Mahaffey
SF 		Cincinnati, OH Archbishop Moeller High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Aug 11, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Kebba Njie
#17 C 		Centerville, OH La Lumiere School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Aug 18, 2021 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2021–22 Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Irekefe Oweh (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) So St. Thomas Aquinas North Brunswick, New Jersey
F 1 Seth Lundy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 217 lb (98 kg) Jr Roman Catholic High School Paulsboro, New Jersey
G 2 Myles Dread 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Gonzaga College High School Detroit, Michigan
G 3 Sam Sessoms 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Sr Binghamton Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F 4 Caleb Dorsey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So The Hill School Westminster, Maryland
F 5 Greg Lee 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 217 lb (98 kg) GS Western Michigan Rockford, Illinois
G 11 Jaheam Cornwall 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Gardner–Webb Brooklyn, New York
F 13 Jevonnie Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 252 lb (114 kg) Jr South Plains College Toronto, Ontario
F 14 Jalanni White 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS Canisius New Haven, Connecticut
G 15 Dan Conlan (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Dickinson College Sewickley, Pennsylvania
F 21 John Harrar 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS Strath Haven High School Wallingford, Pennsylvania
G 22 Jalen Pickett 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 202 lb (92 kg) Sr Siena Rochester, New York
G 23 Dallion Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Phillips Academy Haverhill, Massachusetts
G 33 Andy Christos (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 179 lb (81 kg) So Madison High School Madison, New Jersey
G 35 Ishaan Jagiasi (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Huntington Prep (WV) Wilmington, Delaware
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Coaching staff

Position Name Year Alma mater
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry 2021 Hanover (1999)
Associate head coach Adam Fisher 2021 Penn State (2006)
Assistant coach Aki Collins 2021 Clark Atlanta (1997)
Assistant coach Mike Farrelly 2011 Saint Joseph's (2003)
Director of Basketball Operations Nicholas Colella 2015 Penn State (2013)
Director of Recruiting Brian Snow 2021 Ohio State (2007)
Athletic trainer Jon Salazer 2001 Penn State (1993)
Director of player development Mike Green 2021 Butler (2008)
Strength and conditioning coach Greg Miskinis 2009 Penn State (2008)

Schedule and results

Games against VCU and Quinnipiac were canceled due to positive COVID-19 results within the PSU program.[6][7]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 10, 2021*
8:30 p.m., BTN 		Youngstown State W 75–59  1–0
  23 – Lundy   14 – Harrar   8 – Sessoms  Bryce Jordan Center (7,884)
University Park, PA
November 15, 2021*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at UMass L 56–81  1–1
  14 – Lundy   12 – Harrar   7 – Pickett  Mullins Center (3,022)
Amherst, MA
November 18, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+ 		St. Francis Brooklyn
Emerald Coast Classic campus site game 		W 74–59  2–1
  26 – Sessoms   13 – Harrar   3 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (7,769)
University Park, PA
November 22, 2021*
6:30 p.m., BTN 		Cornell W 85–74  3–1
  23 – Lundy   12 – Harrar   6 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (7,515)
University Park, PA
November 26, 2021*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		vs. LSU
Emerald Coast Classic semifinal 		L 63–68 OT 3–2
  14 – Pickett   10 – Sessoms   5 – Sessoms  The Arena at NFSC (2,146)
Niceville, FL
November 27, 2021*
4:00 p.m. 		vs. Oregon State
Emerald Coast Classic third place game 		W 60–45  4–2
  14 – Pickett   7 – Lundy   2 – Dread  The Arena at NFSC (1,350)
Niceville, FL
December 1, 2021*
9:15 p.m., ESPNU 		Miami (FL)
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		L 58–63  4–3
  16 – Harrar   12 – Harrar   4 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (8,221)
University Park, PA
December 5, 2021
7:30 p.m., BTN 		Ohio State L 64–76  4–4
(0–1) 		 23 – Pickett   12 – Harrar   4 – Sessoms  Bryce Jordan Center (9,128)
University Park, PA
December 8, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN+ 		Wagner W 74–54  5–4
  16 – Tied   7 – Harrar   5 – Sessoms  Bryce Jordan Center (7,499)
University Park, PA
December 11, 2021
2:00 p.m., BTN 		at No. 19 Michigan State L 64–80  5–5
(0–2) 		 18 – Lundy   11 – Harrar   5 – Pickett  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
December 18, 2021*
3:30 p.m., NBCSN 		at VCU Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Penn State Siegel Center 
Richmond, VA
December 22, 2021*
5:00 p.m., BTN+ 		Quinnipiac Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Penn State Bryce Jordan Center 
University Park, PA
December 29, 2021*
6:00 p.m., BTN+ 		Delaware State Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Penn State Bryce Jordan Center 
University Park, PA
January 2, 2022
4:00 p.m., BTN 		Indiana W 61–58  6–5
(1–2) 		 15 – Pickett   12 – Harrar   2 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (8,844)
University Park, PA
January 5, 2022
9:00 p.m., BTN 		at Northwestern W 74–70  7–5
(2–2) 		 23 – Lundy   8 – Harrar   4 – Tied  Welsh–Ryan Arena (2,764)
Evanston, IL
January 8, 2022
12:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 3 Purdue L 67–74  7–6
(2–3) 		 21 – Pickett   8 – Harrar   10 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (10,464)
University Park, PA
January 11, 2022
6:30 p.m., BTN 		Rutgers W 66–49  8–6
(3–3) 		 17 – Sessoms   12 – Lee   6 – Sessoms  Bryce Jordan Center (9,063)
University Park, PA
January 16, 2022
12:00 p.m., BTN 		at No. 16 Ohio State L 56–61  8–7
(3–4) 		 15 – Sessoms   8 – Tied   5 – Pickett  Value City Arena (13,565)
Columbus, OH
January 22, 2022
4:30 p.m., BTN 		at Iowa L 51–68  8–8
(3–5) 		 14 – Pickett   8 – Lee   4 – Sessoms  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056)
Iowa City, IA
January 26, 2022
8:30 p.m., BTN 		at Indiana L 57–74  8–9
(3–6) 		 14 – Pickett   9 – Harrar   5 – Pickett  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
January 31, 2022
7:00 p.m., BTN 		Iowa W 90–86 2OT 9–9
(4–6) 		 19 – Harrar   11 – Lundy   3 – Dread  Bryce Jordan Center (7,977)
University Park, PA
February 5, 2022
6:00 p.m., BTN 		at No. 11 Wisconsin L 49–51  9–10
(4–7) 		 14 – Sessoms   9 – Tied   3 – Pickett  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
February 8, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Michigan L 57–58  9–11
(4–8) 		 14 – Pickett   7 – Harrar   2 – Tied  Bryce Jordan Center (8,650)
University Park, PA
February 12, 2022
8:30 p.m., BTN 		at Minnesota L 70–76  9–12
(4–9) 		 18 – Sessoms   9 – Harrar   6 – Pickett  Williams Arena (9,948)
Minneapolis, MN
February 15, 2022
6:30 p.m., BTN 		No. 19 Michigan State W 62–58  10–12
(5–9) 		 17 – Lundy   16 – Harrar   3 – 4 tied  Bryce Jordan Center (8,390)
University Park, PA
February 17, 2022
7:30 p.m., BTN 		Minnesota
Rescheduled from January 19 		W 67–46  11–12
(6–9) 		 20 – Pickett   10 – Harrar   6 – Sessoms  Bryce Jordan Center (7,726)
University Park, PA
February 21, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Maryland L 61–67  11–13
(6–10) 		 17 – Sessoms   13 – Harrar   6 – Pickett  Xfinity Center (15,184)
College Park, MD
February 25, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		Northwestern W 67–60  12–13
(7–10) 		 15 – Johnson   20 – Harrar   6 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (10,280)
University Park, PA
February 27, 2022
7:00 p.m., BTN 		Nebraska L 70–93  12–14
(7–11) 		 12 – Lundy   8 – Harrar   5 – Pickett  Bryce Jordan Center (8,273)
University Park, PA
March 3, 2022
7:00 p.m., FS1 		at No. 20 Illinois L 55–60  12–15
(7–12) 		 18 – Pickett   6 – Harrar   7 – Pickett  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
March 6, 2022
12:00 p.m., BTN 		at Rutgers L 58–59  12–16
(7–13) 		 20 – Lundy   17 – Harrar   4 – Sessoms  Jersey Mike's Arena (8,399)
Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten tournament
March 9, 2022
8:30 p.m., BTN 		(11) vs. (14) Minnesota
First round 		W 60–51  13–16
  22 – Pickett   12 – Harrar   4 – Pickett  Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
March 10, 2022
9:15 p.m., BTN 		(11) vs. (6) Ohio State
Second round 		W 71–68  14–16
  18 – Sessoms   9 – Harrar   5 – Pickett  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (13,565)
Indianapolis, IN
March 11, 2022
9:00 p.m., BTN 		(11) vs. (3) No. 9 Purdue
Quarterfinals 		L 61–69  14–17
  16 – Pickett   12 – Harrar   6 – Pickett  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (16,415)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[8]

References

  1. ^ a b "PSU's Chambers resigns after probe into conduct". ESPN.com. October 21, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Washington, Jesse (July 6, 2020). "Noose comment by Penn State basketball coach points to larger NCAA problem". Andscape. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Penn State coach Pat Chambers resigns from position following internal investigation into conduct". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Leah Asmelash. "A remark about a noose around a player's neck led to Penn State basketball coach's resignation". CNN. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "PSU hoops hires Shrewsberry as head coach". ESPN.com. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "COVID-19 outbreak cancels Penn State men's basketball at VCU". ABC27. December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Wogenrich, Mark. "Penn State Cancels Second Men's Basketball Game Because of COVID-19". Sports Illustrated Penn State Nittany Lions News, Analysis and More. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". gopsusports.com. Retrieved September 15, 2021.