Friday, November 14, 2008
Sports Info: Red Land's Jermaine Marshall Signs To Play For Nittany Lion Basketball Team
6-5 guard joins Houston guard Tim Frazier among Penn State early signeesUNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Nov. 14, 2008 – Penn State coach Ed DeChellis and the Nittany Lion basketball program has added another highly sought after guard in the NCAA early signing period as Red Land High School’s Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.) signed his National Letter of Intent on Friday.
“Jermaine is a very versatile and athletic guard who can play a number of positions for us,” DeChellis said. “He has tremendous court vision, is a terrific passer and his long arms and athleticism make him a great on-the-ball defender. He can play either guard spot, and we think he could even grow some more and eventually play a wing for us.”
The 6-5, 185-pound Marshall is Red Land’s all-time leading scorer with 1,425 career points and is coming off an outstanding junior season in which he averaged 19.1 points per game while leading the Patriots to a 22-7 record and an appearance in the PIAA Class AAAA tournament. Showing his shooting range, Marshall made 18 three-pointers last season. He scored 20 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out eight assists in a first round loss in the PIAA tournament. Marshall was a PIAA Class AAAA second-team all-state selection and the Carlisle Sentinel Area Player-of-the-Year last season.
“He comes from a great family and was really well coached by Scott Slayton at Red Land, so we think he is just a tremendous fit for our program,” DeChellis said. “We really targeted Jermaine from the beginning as a player we wanted in our program.”
Marshall is a two-time Harrisburg Patriot-News Big 15 selection. He set a record with seven blocked shots in the 2008 Harrisburg Showcase and is described as a “very complete player” who can “score on the box or play point guard” and “rebounds and jumps well” by ESPN.com. He led the Patriots to the Mid-Penn Keystone division title as a sophomore.
Marshall will join 2008 signees Chris Babb (6-5) and Cammeron Woodyard (6-5) to give Penn State three big guards to join current Nittany Lion point-guard Talor Battle (5-11) and fellow 2009 early signee Tim Frazier (6-2, Houston, Texas) in the Penn State back court in the coming seasons.
Marshall recently underwent surgery to repair a knee injury that may cause him to miss a significant portion of his senior campaign at Red Land.
“We are very familiar with Jermaine’s situation with his knee and have no doubt he will make a complete recovery and be an outstanding player for us,” DeChellis said. “He’s a great kid and we know he’ll put a lot of energy into his rehabilitation process and expect he’ll be ready to go for us next season.”
Assistant coach Kurt Kanaskie, a former mid-state standout himself, headed up Marshall’s recruitment. Kanaskie was an all-state selection at Cumberland Valley before going on to play at LaSalle.
Penn State does not expect to add any other signees in the early period.
By Phil Axelrod, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteA major misfortune midway through last season might turn out to be the catalyst for the good fortunes Penn State is expecting in the 2008-09 men's basketball season.
When senior star Geary Claxton had a season-ending knee injury, coach Ed DeChellis was forced to reconfigure his lineup and give extended minutes to some players who otherwise would have had limited roles.
"It was an opportunity for guys that were able to step up and insert themselves into the offense and defense and make some basketball plays," DeChellis said. "I think guys really grew up and had to grow up quickly."
All of those players are back from a 15-16 team that knocked off No. 7 Michigan State, 85-76, and No. 17 Indiana, 68-64, in overtime: Jamelle Cornley (12.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg), Talor Battle (10.2 ppg, team-high 40 steals). Danny Morrissey (7.6 ppg), Stanley Pringle (6.9 ppg) and David Jackson (5.8 ppg).
The Nittany Lions also can expect significant contributions from 6-foot-5 freshmen Chris Babb and Cammeron Woodyard.
"I think it was important our players made big shots and gained some confidence as the year went on," said DeChellis, who is entering his sixth season as head coach.
"I think we can compete every night. We can beat anyone in the country. I don't know if I could have said that six years ago, there's no way."
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sports Info: Houston's Tim Frazier Commits To Play For DeChellis And Nittany Lions
Penn State basketball announces first signee of early period, expected to announce one more this week.
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Nov. 12, 2008 – Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis received a National Letter of Intent from Houston, Texas native Tim Frazier to play for the Nittany Lions Wednesday on the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period which runs through Nov. 19. Frazier is the first of two early commitments Penn State is expected to receive this week.
The 6-2, 160-pound guard out of Strake Jesuit High School in Houston was ranked No. 13 among point-guards in the class of 2009 by ESPN and given an overall grade of 89, which ranks among the top 115, 2009 prospects ranked nationally by ESPN. He was rated a three star recruit by the Rivals national recruiting service.
“We are very excited to have Tim join our program,” DeChellis said. “He is a very fast, quick player with tremendous speed in the back court and a good shooter. He possesses the kind of athleticism that Stanley Pringle does. He can get in the lane and find open guys and is a great drive and kick passer and he can score. He is a very good on-the-ball defender and a tremendous athlete and we think he really solidifies our back court for the future.”
Frazier averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game last year for Strake and was selected the District 17-5A Defensive Player-of-the-Year after posting 98 steals, an average of three per game. He helped his Strake team to a 27-7 mark while scoring more than 20 points in four games and posting double-digit rebounds in five.
“Tim is the quickest player from baseline to baseline with the basketball that I have ever coached,” said Strake Jesuit head coach Wayne Jones. “He has a 35-inch vertical leap and is deceptively strong. But, Tim’s greatest asset may be his competitiveness, he never takes a play off and he is always working in practices and games.”
Frazier was the second leading scorer on the team behind 6-5 senior forward Joey Brooks who signed to play at Notre Dame. Frazier will be a key player returning to a senior-laden Strake Jesuit squad that will be a contender to win the district title in his senior season. He has scored nearly 550 career points heading into his senior campaign while averaging 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game over his career.
“Frazier is a lightning quick guard who relentlessly attacks the basket,” ESPN.com recruiting coordinator Reggie Rankin said on the ESPN site. “He possesses great speed and quickness in transition and can score from either wing or with a mid-range pull up. He has strong hands and quick feet which allow him to keep other guards out of the lane.”
Frazier plays on the Houston Elite AAU team that produced current Bradley University players Anthony Thompson, Eddren McCain and Chris Roberts.
“They are getting a point guard that is quick with the basketball that can get everyone involved and make things happen on the offensive end and he’s really aggressive on the defensive end of the floor,” Rick Nelson, Frazier’s Houston Elite coach said on Rivals.com. “He can control the tempo of every game he plays in.”
“I decided to be a Nittany Lion because I felt it was a great fit for me,” Frazier said. “Penn State has great academics as well as a great basketball team and that’s what I was looking for.”
Penn State assistant coach Dan Earl headed up the recruitment of Frazier.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Battle leads Lions with 17 points on 7-of-12 shootingNov. 9, 2008
Final StatsUNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Nov. 9, 2008 - The Nittany Lion basketball team displayed a strong full-court press and diverse offensive attack Sunday in the Bryce Jordan Center as they dispatched Bloomsburg, 77-51, in an exhibition tune-up for the season opener this Friday vs. William and Mary.
Sophomore point-guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) led Penn State with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and was joined in double-figures by senior Danny Morrissey (Cleveland, Ohio) who posted 14 hitting his first four treys before finishing 4-of-6 from three. Sophomore David Jackson (Farrell, Pa.) also got 14 on the day going 8-of-8 from the charity stripe and 3-of-4 from the floor.
Penn State used full-court pressure to grab 14 steals and force 20 Bloomsburg turnovers. The Nittany Lions capitalized scoring 23 points off turnovers and pushed the ball up the court throughout the game to score 27 fast break points.
"We just used our basic thing tonight where we just trapped the first pass, rotated out, and then played man-to-man on the floor," Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. "Just to give some pressure up the floor and get our guys going.
"I think the press is one of those things where you use three or four possessions and try and change the game and try to create some energy in the building. At that point you may need to get out of it. I don't think the younger guys understood it and didn't get to their spots quick enough. The older guys were there at the start when we did it and it was pretty effective." Penn State shot 44 percent for the game, logged 17 assists and took care of the ball, committing just six turnovers in their first action.
"We had great practices Friday and Saturday taking care of the ball," DeChellis said. "I was anxious to see how we took care of the ball today. I thought we did a very good job passing the ball well and delivering the ball. I thought that was good for us."
Bloomsburg was led by 16 points and 12 rebounds from 6-7 freshman forward Larry Webster who made 8-of-9 from the floor. The Huskies had three players in double-figures, but shot just 39 percent from the floor and 4-of-16 from three against Penn State's man-to-man defense.
The Nittany Lions started the game with senior's Jamelle Cornley, Stanley Pringle and Morrissey along with sophomore's Battle and Andrew Jones. Jones had a solid game posting eight points and team-high seven boards in 19 minutes.
A Battle three from the wing gave Penn State and early 8-2 lead three minutes in. Bloomsburg cut the margin to two, 10-8, before Penn State went on a 19-3 run to extend to an 18-point lead, 19-11, with 7:59 to play in the first half. Freshman Chris Babb grabbed one of his four steals on the game off a trap in the press and dished it to Battle for an easy lay-up. Pringle, Jackson, Babb, Morrissey and Battle all scored during the run as Penn State used its press to produce five steals, three from Babb who finished the game with four points, four assists and four steals.
Bloomsburg got back to within 12 points, 35-23, on a Ruben Britt jumper with 1:25 to play. Following a Pringle miss from three, Cammeron Woodyard gathered the rebound and put it right back as Penn State took a 37-24 lead to the locker room.
The Nittany Lions continued their full court press to start the second half as Cornely stole the ball and passed it off for a Morrissey three from the wing giving Penn State a 42-24 lead. Pringle stole the ball and started a fast break that ended in a Jones jumper to give Penn State a 23-point lead, 52-29. Morrissey and Battle hit back-to-back threes from each wing extending the lead to 60-34 with 13 minutes to play. Penn State eventually pushed the margin to 36, 77-41, with 5:14 to play after six straight free throws, four from Jackson and two from Steve Kirkpatrick. Penn State cleared its bench and Bloomsburg scored the final 10 points of the game for the final margin.
Penn State, picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten by Lindy's College Basketball pre-season magazine, officially opens the season on Friday, Nov. 14 with a 6:30 p.m. match-up with William and Mary. That game will be played the night before the football team's Nov. 15 match-up with Indiana in Beaver Stadium. Football tickets for the Indiana game can be shown at the door of the Bryce Jordan Center to receive a 2-for-1, buy-one-get-one free ticket to the game.
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Thursday, October 23, 2008
With Stanley Pringle set to graduate following this season, Penn State will be left with only one scholarship point guard on the roster.
And while that point guard is a good one — sophomore Talor Battle — the position was clearly an area of need for Ed DeChellis and his staff this recruiting season.
But it is not anymore.
A few minutes ago, point guard Tim Frazier of Strake Jesuit High in Houston told us he committed to Penn State.
"Yes sir, I committed to Penn State," he said.
Since he was in school, he did not have time for an interview. But he did talk to Scout.com's Evan Daniels.
"I decided to be a Nittany Lion because I felt it was a great fit for me," Frazier said. "Penn State has great academics as well as a great basketball team and that's what I was looking for.
"The coaches were great and were really persistent in their recruiting and living up to what they said," he continued. "I had a great time on my official visit and my parents and coaches were all for so it there was no question that Penn State was the right place for me."
Frazier is a 6-foot-1, 160-pounder who is said to remind many in the Penn State camp of former Lion guard Danny Earl.
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