Needing big man boost, Penn State could soon see Jevonnie Scott's return
Penn State basketball’s frontcourt could soon be getting a boost.
Meeting with the media Monday afternoon for his weekly in-season press conference, Nittany Lions’ head coach Micah Shrewsberry shed light on the status of Jevonnie Scott. A 6-foot-7, 252-pound transfer from South Plains College, Scott has not played this season but could be ready to contribute soon.
“He’s actually really close to playing,” Shrewsberry said Monday. “He’s doing great things for us in practice. Because of what he did in the classroom, we dressed him last game. And now hopefully I can put him in here pretty soon.”
According to Shrewsberry, the program-wide shutdown for COVID-19 problems in December, one that would create a 22-day gap between games and a return to the hardwood on Jan. 3 against Indiana, also impacted academics.
Though Scott had done well in the classroom through the fall semester at Penn State, the timing of infection prevented the completion of necessary coursework.
“COVID hurt some things academically for us,” Shrewsberry said. “You can’t take tests in person when you’re in quarantine. Rules don’t allow that. We had to push a few things back. So he finished up in the classroom great. He just didn’t get a chance to finish up around finals week as everybody else did on Penn State’s campus.”
Scott’s addition to the lineup would complete a season-long challenge toward full availability for the Nittany Lions.
At a position already without much depth, the issue has been particularly impactful among Penn State’s bigs. Returning only starter John Harrar from the 2020-21 team, Shrewsberry and his staff added help in the form of Western Michigan transfer Greg Lee, Canisius transfer Jalanni White, and Scott.
But with Lee sidelined by a foot injury through the first six weeks of the season and Scott unavailable thus far, Penn State’s contributors taller than 6-foot-7 have been limited to Harrar and White.
Bringing Lee back into the fold the past four games, the impact has been immediately noticeable for the Nittany Lions and particularly Harrar. Swinging a rebounding imbalance from the front half of the season into one more in Penn State’s favor, the Nittany Lions have bested or tied opponents on the boards in seven of the past eight games.
Hoping to provide yet another boost to that effort soon, Penn State hosting Rutgers Tuesday (6:30 p.m., BTN), Scott’s contributions could be of a defensive variety.
“I’m gonna have a conversation with him about, here’s what we need from you,” Shrewsberry said. “I need you to play as hard as you possibly can play. I need you to be as good as you can be defensively.
“He’s kind of playing out of position right now, based on what we have and who our team is, but he has the ability to drive the basketball. He’s a really good passer. And he can see the floor and make plays.”
Potentially providing an infusion to that end, while taking some of the wear off Harrar’s now 27.0 minutes per game through 13 games, Shrewsberry is eager to see what Scott’s contributions could be for Penn State.
“What he needs to do is play his game,” Shrewsberry said. “I’ve tried to tell him that every single day. Just because you’re guarding John or John’s guarding you, you don’t have to play like John. You’re not him. You need to be him defensively because he’s doing everything right. But offensively, you have to play your style and your own game.”
Scott could soon get that chance.
