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Penn State Basketball: 3 improvements Nittany Lions must make next season

By Evan Smith

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Sam Sessoms (12) shoots the ball against Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) during the Big Ten tournament on Friday, March. 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 69-61.Ncaa Basketball Big10 Men S Tourney Purdue At Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Sam Sessoms (12) shoots the ball against Purdue Boilermakers guard Jaden Ivey (23) during the Big Ten tournament on Friday, March. 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue Boilermakers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions, 69-61.Ncaa Basketball Big10 Men S Tourney Purdue At Penn State Nittany Lions /
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Penn State Basketball
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry of Penn State Basketball (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Penn State Basketball’s late-season surge and run to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals lends optimism, but the Nittany Lions must make key improvements 

Penn State Basketball finished the 2021-2022 season at 14-17, bowing out of the Big Ten Tournament in the quarterfinals in a year that featured its fair share of ups and downs.

But, what must the Nittany Lions do this offseason to ensure growth next year, capitalizing off the momentum of its highly-rated incoming recruiting class.

What Penn State Basketball must do to take the next step as a program next year:

Step 1 — Frontcourt Help, Right Away!

Fifth-year senior John Harrar, the King of Delco, has played his final game for the Nittany Lions.

The collegiate basketball careers of fellow forwards Greg Lee and Jalanni White are also over, meaning the returning 2022-2023 frontcourt includes:

SF — Seth Lundy, Myles Dread

PF — Jevonnie Scott

And, that’s assuming all three choose to return, with Dread being of particular interest since he would be opting-in to his COVID year, having already played four years for Penn State Basketball.

Shrewsberry’s incoming recruiting class does include Kebba Njie (6’8″ center), Demetrius Lilley (6’10” center), and Evan Mahaffey (6’5″ small forward). While all three are strong recruits, it’s difficult to count on new players to the B1G conference, as even season veterans like Lee, Scott, White, and Jaheam Cornwall showed us this year.

So, Penn State Basketball must hit the transfer portal hard for front-court help.

The Lions will need at minimum two forwards (or a forward and a center) that can play 20 Big Ten Conference minutes.

Do those players exist?  Absolutely.

Is it easy to get them?  Absolutely not.

Shrewsberry’s first foray into the portal was lauded in the off-season but didn’t really come to fruition, especially in the frontcourt.

It will be essential for Shrewsberry to find significant frontcourt contributions in the transfer portal this offseason.

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