Still gritty, Penn State basketball to infuse dose of pretty

Asked to describe the identity of his team this season, Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry provided some instruction. Entering his second season at the helm, the foundational elements of the Nittany Lions’ debut would remain. 

And, importantly, it shouldn’t be expected to change through his tenure with the program.

“I think we will always be a program built around the defensive identity, toughness, being a pest, and making things hard for the opponent. We want to be a fundamental team, a solid team, and a disciplined team,” Shrewsberry said. “I don’t think that’ll ever change.”

He wasn’t finished.

“Now, how we look and how we do those things could change from year to year,” Shrewsberry said, acknowledging this year’s lack of a physically imposing big man. That absence, of course, is expected to be offset in other ways, though. “We have the potential to score a lot better and score a lot easier. Offensively, we could look different in terms of how we play. But, that’s what we’re hanging our hat on is gritty, not pretty.”

In the wake of a season in which Penn State produced the Big Ten’s best scoring defense, allowing just 65.0 points per game, the team’s offensive production was its diametric opposite. At 64.6 points per game in conference play, the Nittany Lions were its lowest-scoring team. 

An intentional decision to slow down games, forcing opponents to be patient for shots while waiting for late shot-clock looks themselves, the formula helped produce a 14-17 overall record for the year. But, in what should serve as a reflection of the program’s evolving and improving offensive skill, the deliberately slow pace of play is likely to be transformed.

On the front end of that equation are Penn State’s veteran, returning pieces. In Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy, the Nittany Lions welcome back their top two scoring options from the 2021-22 season at 13.3 and 11.9 points per game, respectively. Shooter Myles Dread also returns for a bonus year of eligibility, having knocked down 55 3-pointers a year ago, as does another sharp-shooting threat, Dallion Johnson.

Already anticipating a natural evolution with time offensively, the infusion of transfer portal additions Camren Wynter and Andrew Funk has sped up the process. To what degree remains to be put into action, with Penn State set to open the season on Monday, Nov. 7 at the Bryce Jordan Center when it hosts Winthrop. Through the summer and preseason of work, though, Shrewsberry and the Nittany Lion coaching staff have been witness to possibilities. Some of them, in fact, are options of which even they weren’t necessarily initially aware.

“They just have a different way about them,” Shrewsberry said. “They play well with others, but you don’t always know how are they going to adjust to not getting the most shots, not having the ball the entire time. But their moments, what they do, how they fit, how they’ve helped us, you can see. 

“Some of the best stuff that we’ve put in offensively has been those guys freelancing different things or different actions. And things that they’ve done on their own, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s really good. We’re gonna add this. We’re gonna do this.’ And it’s just because of how smart those guys are. That part sticks out more than their basketball abilities.”

Understanding that both could play, what Shrewsberry admittedly didn’t know was how they’d come to impact the pieces around them. In Wynter, a four-year point guard at Drexel, the Nittany Lions have found a dynamic playmaker off the ball. He can work the pick-and-roll, hit midrange jumpers, and play defense. In turn, Pickett’s playmaking and shot availability have improved concurrently.

And, with Funk repeatedly demonstrating a versatility beyond the 3-point proficiency that was his calling card before the transfer, the result is a Penn State offense that has looked fundamentally different this season. 

“They just keep the ball popping,” Shrewsberry said. “And it’s been a drastic difference in terms of how quickly the ball has been moving in practice from one guy to the next. And then when they get their opportunity to attack, they pounce on it.”

What shape that takes is still to be determined. In a Big Ten that saw eight teams score between 70-74.4 points per game last season, the Nittany Lions are nearly certain to find themselves taking a step forward in scoring while defensive numbers could take a hit.

With a season under their belts and an opportunity to improve upon it, the Nittany Lions are eager to take the next steps toward shaping that identity.

“We’re a tough group,” Pickett said. “We play a lot of different styles and a lot of different guards and different combinations. But, the way we guard is just gonna be tough. We’re gonna make people work for everything they get on offense. We’re gonna set solid screens, we’re gonna share the ball. 

“That’s kind of the pretty part. We say gritty, not pretty. But, the offense is kind of pretty. We shoot a lot of threes. We want to be pretty on offense, but gritty on defense.”