| Penn State Nittany Lions |
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| University |
Pennsylvania State University |
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| Conference |
Big Ten |
| Location |
University Park, PA |
| Head coach |
Pat Chambers (2nd year) |
| Arena |
Bryce Jordan Center
(Capacity: 15,261) |
| Nickname |
Nittany Lions |
| Student section |
Nittany Nation |
| Colors |
Blue and White
|
| Uniforms |
|
|
| NCAA Tournament Final Four |
| 1954 |
| NCAA Tournament Elite Eight |
| 1942, 1954 |
| NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen |
| 1952, 1954, 1955, 2001 |
| NCAA Tournament appearances |
| 1942, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1965, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2011 |
| Conference tournament champions |
| 1991 (Atlantic 10) |
| Conference division season champions |
| 1977 (Eastern 8 West) |
The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and play home games at the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center, moving there from boisterous Rec Hall during the 1995–96 season. Their student cheering section is known as Nittany Nation.
The program has eight NCAA tournament appearances with its best finish coming in 1954, reaching the Final Four. Its most recent appearance was in 2011, when the team lost to the Temple Owls in the round of 64. The program also has 10 appearances in the National Invitation Tournament, with the most recent being in 2009, when they beat Baylor to win the NIT championship.
In the shadow of football [edit]
At a school where the football program captures the vast majority of media and fan interest, the basketball program has historically struggled for relevance. According to ESPN.com writer and Penn State graduate[1] Dana O'Neil,
| “ |
For years the basketball team has been a little sister of the poor stepchild to football, a winter afterthought given all the tending and care of a vegetable garden positioned in the middle of a nuclear field. Administrative support waffles between tepid applause and casual indifference.[2] |
” |
In O'Neil's view, the "stepchild" status of the program was most starkly illustrated by the last weeks of the 2010–11 season. The team normally practices at a dedicated facility within the Bryce Jordan Center. However, for nearly a week in February, while the team was making a run for an NCAA at-large bid, Bon Jovi took over the entire BJC—including the practice facilities—for rehearsals for their upcoming concert tour, which opened at the BJC. The following week, the team was evicted from the BJC for a career fair[1] and for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.[3] On both occasions, the team was forced to practice at the nearby Intramural Building, a facility normally used by Penn State's volleyball teams. Although retrofitted with basketball hoops, the space left much to be desired. Multiple holes for volleyball net stanchions had to be taped over. During the Bon Jovi rehearsals, the hoops had been visibly lower than regulation height. While this error was corrected the following week, one of the hoops remained visibly misaligned.[3]
Current coaching staff [edit]
Coaching history [edit]
| Coach |
Years |
Seasons |
Record |
Pct. |
Cnf. Record |
Pct. |
Cnf. Titles |
Nat. Titles |
| No coach |
1897–1915, 1917–1918 |
20 |
131-65-1 |
.672 |
|
|
|
0 |
| Burke M. "Dutch" Hermann |
1916–1918, 1919–32 |
15 |
148-73 |
.670 |
|
|
|
0 |
| Hugo Bezdek |
1919 |
1 |
11-2 |
.846 |
|
|
|
0 |
| Earl "The Spike" 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 |
| Elmer Gross |
1949-54 |
5 |
80-40 |
.667 |
|
|
|
0 |
| John Egli |
1954-68 |
14 |
187-135 |
.581 |
|
|
|
0 |
| Johnny Bach |
1968-78 |
10 |
122-121 |
.501 |
9-11 |
.450 |
0 |
0 |
| Dick Harter |
1978-83 |
5 |
79-61 |
.564 |
13-11 |
.542 |
0 |
0 |
| Bruce Parkhill |
1983-95 |
12 |
181-169 |
.517 |
82-116 |
.414 |
1 |
0 |
| Jerry Dunn |
1995–2003 |
8 |
117-121 |
.492 |
45-87 |
.341 |
0 |
0 |
| Ed DeChellis |
2003–2011 |
6 |
114-138 |
.452 |
41-95 |
.301 |
0 |
0 |
| Pat Chambers |
2011–present |
2 |
22-41 |
.349 |
6-30 |
.167 |
0 |
0 |
| Totals |
1897–present |
116 |
1361-1066-1 |
.561 |
211-357 |
.371 |
1 |
0 |
Postseason appearances by year [edit]
NBA draft [edit]
Penn State Men's Basketball Radio Affiliates [edit]
[5]
References [edit]
- ^ a b O'Neil, Dana (February 18, 2011). "Some things never change at Penn State". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ^ O'Neil, Dana (May 23, 2011). "The ball is in Penn State's court". College Basketball Nation Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ^ a b Bauer, Nate (February 15, 2011). "Inside the Den: News and notes from the hardwood". Blue White Illustrated. Rivals.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ^ "1954 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket". Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/nl-update-affiliates.html 2011-2012 PSU Network Affiliates - Men's Basketball
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Penn State Nittany Lions basketball head coaches
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