On Campus
Penn State
By Zak Koeske

Penn State enters the 2009-10 season coming off one of the most successful and surprising campaigns in school history. Last year, the Nittany Lions won a school-record 27 games and their first-ever national tournament title, the 2009 NIT.

Entering his seventh season in Happy Valley, head coach Ed DeChellis will need to find a way to replace clutch, do-it-all leader Jamelle Cornley and sharpshooter Stanley Pringle.

The play of junior sensation Talor Battle and high-energy forward Andrew Jones will likely determine whether Penn State can remain a threat in the Big Ten and again advance to postseason play.

Last year as a sophomore, Battle joined the exclusive 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game club. His 16.7 a game scoring average led the Big Ten and his 189 assists set the Penn State single-season record. For his efforts, Battle was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. This summer, he led the U.S. World University Games team to a bronze medal, while averaging a team-high 10 points per game. Heading into the 2009-10 season, Battle is one of the premiere players in the Big Ten and is a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award.

A physical 6-10 forward, Dew Jones is primed to take on the bulk of the frontcourt responsibilities for the Lions. As a first-time starter last year, Jones stepped up and was a handy compliment to Cornley around the basket, dropping in 6.2 points and collecting 5.7 boards per game. The Philly product turned it on down the stretch, dominating during the Nittany Lions' NIT run, and finishing the tournament averaging 10 points and a team-leading 8.2 rebounds a game. The coaching staff expects Jones to be a legitimate double-double threat each and every night.

Talor will lead and Jones will bang, but the rest of the Nittany Lions' rotation is untested.

Redshirt junior forward David Jackson is a returning starter, but he took a step backward last year. A return-to-form is vital for the Penn State offense.

Forward Jeff Brooks, one of the Nittany Lions most highly touted recruits three years ago and their leading bench scorer last year, finally moves into a starting role. His athleticism gives him the most potential upside of any of Penn State's forwards, but a lack of confidence has stunted his progress through his first two seasons in State College.

Sophomore Chris Babb will fill out the starting five at the two-guard spot. Babb, essentially a spot up jump shooter, struggled from distance early last season but picked up the pace later in the year, connecting at a 40 percent clip from behind the arc over his last 23 games. At 6-5, he has the ability to get his shot off over most perimeter defenders.

Penn State's bench will include highly touted freshman Tim Frazier, a quick and athletic DeChellis hopes to get depth from a green bunch that includes three-point specialist Cameron Woodyard, 6-10 Villanova-transfer Andrew Ott, freshman swingman Jermaine Marshall and versatile forward Sasa Borovnjak.

Penn State opens up at home against Penn on Nov. 13

Inside the Jordan Center
Head Coach: Ed DeChellis, 6th season (#-#)
2008-09: 27-11, 10-8
Postseason: NIT Champion

Probable starters
o   Talor Battle, JR, PG, 6-0, - .First team All-Big Ten guard leads the way
o   Chris Babb, SO, SG, 6-5 - Texas native must replace Stanley Pringle
o   Jeff Brooks, JR, F, 6-8, -- Will replace Jamelle Cornley but has yet to tap into his enormous potential
o   David Jackson, JR, F, 6-7, --39 starts and 72 games in career
o   Drew Jones, JR, F, 6-10 - Averaged 10 points and 8.2 rebounds in NIT title run

Key Stretch: Jan. 31 - Feb. 13
at Purdue
at Ohio State
MINNESOTA
MICHIGAN STATE
Four straight games against ranked teams, with bookends vs. Top 10 clubs. The Lions must compete during this two-week period to keep their confidence up.