Penn State basketball lands commitment from guard Logan Imes
Logan Imes is the newest member of Penn State basketball’s Class of 2023.
A 6-foot-4 point guard out of Zionsville, Indiana, Imes chose the Nittany Lions over the likes of Wake Forest, Creighton, Virginia Tech and Butler, among others.
“Coach [Adam] Fisher and Coach [Micah Shrewsberry] made me feel like family,” Imes said. “They’ve been reaching out to me all the time. They recruited me harder than anybody else, got to know my family super well.
“It’s the people that make the place and I just connected with them on a ton of different levels. It feels like a place I can definitely call home, so I thought, hey, let’s make the decision.”
Imes becomes Penn State’s second commit in the 2023 cycle, joining his friend Braeden Shrewsberry. That duo has played together with the Indiana Elite over the last two years.
That early connection with the Shrewsberry family helped Imes forge his path to Penn State.
“Braeden being there is a huge part of me coming,” Imes said. “Coach Shrews, too. The drive from where I live to Penn State is like eight hours. It’s not close. So I wanted to make sure if I’m going far away like that it’s not like I’m just around a bunch of strangers. I know people there. I can connect with people.”
The Nittany Lion coaching staff first offered Imes a scholarship back in early October, when he took an unofficial visit to campus.
He returned for an official visit beginning on March 16, with the knowledge that, if things went well, his decision could follow soon after.
“Leading up to my visit, I was talking with my family and it definitely was like, ‘hey, I’m really intrigued by this place. I like it a lot. If the visit goes well, it could be a quick decision afterward,'” Imes said.
“I went on the visit and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. I didn’t want to make a decision right away. When I got back to my house I took a week, talked to my family again. Then it was like, hey, there’s no reason to wait here. This is where I want to be.”
Penn State has recruited Imes hard from the very beginning, referencing his size and his ability to see the game.
Watching the Nittany Lions closely on TV this season, Imes feels he’s a good fit for the offense Shrewsberry is putting together in Happy Valley.
“They run a lot of pick-and-rolls and stuff,” Imes said. “The guards have a big creative role. They gotta drive. They gotta be able to handle the ball. When I was talking to Coach Shrews, he was saying that he wants three guys out there that can all handle the ball and go off picks and get downhill and create something for themselves.
“That’s me. I see myself as a creator — I know that my greatest attribute is I can make stuff happen breaking down defenses, reading defenses, using my IQ, finding open guys. I think that’s what he wants to do, so I feel like this is definitely a role that I could succeed in.”
Imes is set to arrive in Shrewsberry’s third season on the job. While it’s uncertain where Penn State’s program will be by that point, Imes isn’t afraid of building a new project.
“They’ve got a great recruiting class coming in before me,” Imes said. “I just feel like the way they run stuff — Coach Shrews is a great coach. He knows what he’s talking about, he’s been at all levels. Same with the other coaches.
“These dudes, they came to Penn State to build a winning culture. So I know they’re going to do what it takes to do that. I’m believing in them and I believe in my abilities to help them do that.”
