| Ben Luber will end his career seventh all-time in career assists at Penn State. |
| David Jackson averaged nearly seven points and more than three rebounds while starting nearly every game of his career. |
Senior Day is always a time of reflection. A time to cherish the ups and downs and thrills and spills of playing in front of passionate fans in one of the nation??s most respected conferences. It??s a time to remember the big shots, big games and big wins, but also the struggle, the perseverance and the determination to fight on in the face of adversity.
Senior guards Ben Luber and David Jackson have seen both in their careers in Blue and White, but what they will carry with them and remember most are the bonds they have formed with their teammates and coaches and how their experiences and challenges have changed them for the better.
??Off the court, the relationships I??ve built with teammates are really special,?? said Jackson, who started his first 47 games in a Nittany Lion uniform and has played in every game since coming to Penn State from Gulf Coast Community College. ??That??s the main reason why I chose Penn State, because the players when I came on my visit we really connected.??
??I spend almost 90 percent of my day with the team,?? Luber echoed. ??It??s great when you have guys that you like and you enjoy being around and you can all hang out together and have a good time. Everything we do off the court is together as a team. We bring our friends and girlfriends with us.??
Luber, who has started nearly 100 games and missed playing in just eight since he took the reigns at point-guard as a freshman in 2003-04, said those relationships are particularly important and valuable when they??ve been tested by the kind of adversity Penn State has faced this season.
??It feels like a real family,?? said Luber, who is on pace to become just the third player to lead Penn State in assists in four seasons. ??When you have a problem you can go to your parents or your brothers and sisters, and it??s the same with these guys. You can go to them and they are right by your side. ??It shows how important the friendships and relationships are that you build in college and how important your family is to you. There are bigger things in life than basketball. It shows you where to go in tough times and to have perseverance and how to deal with it.??
Named a freshman All-American by Street and Smith??s after setting a Penn State freshman record with 114 assists in his first season, Luber averaged 39.1 minutes per game in that first year and has rarely left the court since, playing more than 3,300 minutes in a Nittany Lion uniform. He will end his career among the top seven all-time on the Penn State career assists chart with more than 418 and is closing in on his 700th career point.
??I??m proud of myself for sticking with it and not giving up on anything,?? he said. ??I wish I could have done a little bit more as far as basketball goes, but, off the court, I couldn??t have asked for anything better as far as teammates go and the social experience of Penn State.??
Jackson, a rare junior college transfer for Penn State, took a long road on his way to Division I basketball. The 24-year old first worked with his aunt at an assisted living center doing everything from changing bed pans to tending to elderly residence before being guided to Bonner Academy prep school by and AAU coach and then on to Gulf Coast for two seasons before eventually landing in ??Happy Valley.??
??I??m proud of (my career),?? said the 6-1 guard who has posted 13 career double-figure scoring games. ??Just knowing that I had the dedication to go through it and never give up is a big thing to me. My grandfather always told me that good things are not easy to come by. So, I think this is a good program and a good school. I had to work hard to get here.??
Affectionately known as ??Mooch?? for his resemblance to the NBA??s Moochie Norris, Jackson has averaged nearly seven points and over three rebounds per game over his two year career, including a career-best equaling three, three-pointers in Penn State??s near upset of No. 2 Ohio State on Feb. 14. His life experiences and maturity have added a cool and collected demeanor to the Nittany Lions on the court as he has worked to also become a more vocal leader.
??I??ve really grown,?? said Jackson, who also owns a strong 3.21 GPA in the classroom. ??I??m not really a talkative person, but, ever since I got here, I??m so comfortable that I just open up and feel as though I can say anything I want to anybody. ??In the past, I used to let my actions speak for themselves. Here, we needed a vocal leader, so I??m trying to step up and be that vocal leader. It doesn??t have to be demanding or directing, just talking and keeping everyone loose and comfortable.??
Both Luber and Jackson have worked extremely hard to put the Penn State program on a winning path and their united, team-first attitudes have been key in leading younger Lions in developing a winning culture. They share the disappointment in not meeting the high expectations they had for their senior campaign, but both value the lessons they??ve learned and the strong bonds built by the common struggle.
??I feel more well rounded, as far as experiences and different challenges going through in college and developing more personal relationships off the court,?? Luber said. ??One of the most memorable moments is hanging out with the team during break when it??s just us and no else is around, and we still have the best time. We go to coach??s house for dinner and put basketball aside for a little bit and just enjoy yourself. It??s just like you??re with your family at Christmas or Thanksgiving.??
??I learned that constant communication is a key,?? Jackson said. ??Without that you can??t really do to much. All five guys have to be on the same page. The whole team has to be on the same page to be successful.
??Dealing with adversity within a team, you just have to stay together. Because at the end of the day for you to get a win you??re going to need everybody to contribute and if one person is sad or has attitude or is frustrated with themselves then you have to lift them up because your only as strong as your weakest link.??
Both would like to continue their basketball careers after graduation with an eye toward following several other Nittany Lions toward possible opportunities in Europe.
??If that doesn??t pan out, then I??ve got to get a job,?? Jackson, no stranger to real world work, said with a laugh. ??Hopefully that will be something that I enjoy. I want to work with kids in a gym or boys and girls club or something like that.??
Luber has his sights set on traveling a little bit to ??see what??s out there?? and then possible entrance into physical therapy school. For both, their Penn State experience will not be far from their hearts.
??I??m going to keep in contact with them as much as I can when I leave here,?? Luber said of his coaches and teammates. And of Senior Day, ??I??ll just be real ready to play and emotional. When you first get on the court go 100 miles an hour and leave nothing out there.??
And as for the young players coming into the program and those that will take over the reigns of leadership once they are gone.
??Just have dedication to whatever you??re doing, whether it be on the books or on the court,?? Jackson said. ??Take extra time to do what you??ve go to do as far as home work and studying. Basketball is really secondary. You??re a collegiate athlete, but your there to go to school first. On the court, work hard ?C in the summers and at home ?C just keep working because the sky is the limit.??