| Geary Claxton |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., April 9, 2007 - The Penn State Nittany Lion basketball team has been invited to play in the eight-team Old Spice Classic over Thanksgiving weekend at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.
The Nittany Lions will play three games against a strong field that includes: Central Florida, George Mason, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Rider, South Carolina and Villanova. The second annual event will be bracketed, with the first round match-ups to be announced later this spring.
"We are proud and excited to have been selected to play in the second annual Old Spice Classic," said Coach Ed DeChellis. "It's an outstanding field and we're looking forward to playing three challenging games there. It will be a great opportunity to play three games on national television. This is a first class event and we're hopeful our fans will be there to support our team and enjoy the entire Disney experience."
Four first round games will be played on Thursday, Nov. 22 (12:00, 2:00, 7:00, 9:00 p.m.) at the Milk House at the Disney Complex. Four games will be played on Friday, Nov. 23 (10:30 a.m., 12:30, 5:00, 7:30 p.m.). The teams will have an opportunity to visit a Disney theme park on Saturday, Nov. 24 and return to action on Sunday, Nov. 25 (11:00 a.m., 1:00, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.).
All 12 games from the Old Spice Classic will be nationally televised on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Arkansas defeated West Virginia to win the inaugural Old Spice Classic last November. Michigan State will represent the Big Ten Conference in the 2008 event and Minnesota played in the 2006 event.
Penn State will be playing in its second early season tournament in the past four years under DeChellis, having played in the eight-team Black Coaches Association Classic during the 2004-05 campaign.
Penn State returns four starters and its top three scorers and rebounders for the 2007-08 season, including two-time All-Big Ten selection Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley, the 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Key contributors Mike Walker, Brandon Hassell and Danny Morrissey also return.
The Nittany Lions also will welcome four new players to the court next season as Andrew Jones (6-8, 225) and David "D.J." Jackson (6-6, 200) join the rotation after red-shirting during their freshman seasons. True freshmen Talor Battle (5-11, 160) and Jeff Brooks (6-8, 190) will join the Penn State program in the fall following very successful high school careers.
For more information on tickets, travel packages and events for the Old Spice Classic, go to: www.oldspiceclassic.com.