State of Penn State Basketball: 10 games in, where are we?
By Evan Smith
No one else on Penn State Basketball’s roster is averaging more than six minutes per game.
None of Kyle McCloskey, DJ Gordon or Daillion Johnson have been able to make a real move into the rotation, and no one has played even 15 minutes this year.
Somehow, McCloskey has five free throws his year (can anyone remember when?) but otherwise, no one including Caleb Dorsey, Patrick Kelly and Taylor Nussbaum has threatened real playing time.
Coaching:
If you’ve watched any telecast, you know Coach Jim Ferry was Pat Chambers’ “Offensive Coordinator” last year.
Without much of a front court, Ferry’s had some rough hands of cards dealt to him thus far. Ferry’s attempt at a 2-3 zone to mitigate the Fighting Illini bigs was, well an attempt?
I give Ferry credit for trying, and for inserting Buttrick in the starting lineup. It didn’t really work, but I think that’s because he hung onto the zone too long.
The second Kofi Cockburn went to the bench, The Nittany Lions should have been out of the zone.
The bigger issue here is the team’s insistence on fouling.
Penn State has 206 fouls this season, compared to just 168 from their opponents. That 38-foul gap was at FORTY FIVE prior to the Rutgers game.
Is fouling on coaching? A little. It’s also on the players (and, let’s face it, the refs).
I don’t believe Ferry is the man to lead this program to potential relevance in the conference and national stage. I do think Chambers gets one of those games vs IU or Michigan and that’s the difference between being on the bubble or in the dance.
Ferry received his first fine for complaining about the officiating … he can talk to Chambers more about that, as it’s a reputation Penn State has had to fight for years.
This score would be very different if the Nittany Lions lost to Rutgers.