Jan. 22, 2015
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Everyone has days that don't go according to plan. For Penn State men's basketball player Kevin Montminy, August 6, 2014 was one of those days.
The senior walk-on went to practice that afternoon expecting a normal workout session, yet ended up on the floor instead, his nose bleeding profusely after he broke it as he dove for a loose ball.
But that was just the beginning.
Before Montminy could be taken to the hospital, head coach Patrick Chambers gathered the team at midcourt to make an announcement. For his final season at Penn State, Montminy would receive a full scholarship.
"I was just going into it like any other practice or game with the same approach and ended up having to go to the hospital which is never fun, with blood coming out of my nose, and I was like `oh jeez, this is not going to be a good day,'" Montminy said. "But then coach pulled everyone aside. It sort of blew me away, I wasn't expecting it at all."
Now in his fourth season, Montminy has played a combined 96 minutes and scored just 24 points during his career. So what about him made Chambers believe he deserved a scholarship?
While there are plenty of hardworking players on the Nittany Lions, Montminy is usually the first guy mentioned by coaches and teammates when attributes like effort and attitude are being discussed. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection last year and was named a team captain prior to this season.
When asked about the Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, native, Chambers wasn't shy about his feelings.
"I'd let my daughter marry that kid," Chambers said. "He's a beast. Leadership, academically, just does the right things, community service, locker room, his effort in practice, he's vocal, our guys respect him. When he talks they listen. I mean, what a great human being to have a part of your program."
Now in the last season of his career, Montminy is starting to reflect on what the past four years have meant to him.
For a kid who grew up 20 minutes away from the Bryce Jordan Center however, Montminy's Penn State journey began long before he first suited up for the Nittany Lions.
Born to Bleed Blue and White Long before he was a member of Penn State's basketball team, Montminy was already a member of Nittany Nation.
Living close to State College has its benefits, and being able to attend as many Penn State sporting events as possible was the biggest one for him.
"Ever since I was younger, I was coming into the BJC or Beaver stadium seeing games," Montminy said. "My parents had season tickets to football games, my dad would also get a ticket voucher pack for Penn State basketball. So yeah, I would go to multiple games, whether it was with my family or with my friends in high school. That really made it that much more special that now I'm on the court instead of watching."
Still, when it came time to pick a college, the choice wasn't easy for the promising student athlete. As someone who was the valedictorian of his class and a star wide receiver and shooting guard at Penns Valley High School, Montminy's options of schools certainly weren't limited.
At first, it seemed like football might win out. While the 6-foot-3 guard was originally recruited by mostly Division III schools for basketball, he received serious interest from a number of Ivy League football programs, including Pennsylvania and Princeton.
What seemed like a tough call became easier when then-Penn State head basketball coach Ed DeChellis reached out to him with an offer to walk-on. Right away, Montminy knew he wanted to be a Nittany Lion.
"I had a different options and I wasn't even sure what sport I wanted," Montminy said. "Whenever [Penn State] offered that chance, it was sort of, I can't really pass that up, because it was the academics, it was the ability to play in the Big Ten, have that opportunity that I just couldn't pass up."
The decision was met enthusiastically by Montminy's parents and three sisters, not to mention his friends, coaches and teachers at Penns Valley. Although he may not play every game for the Nittany Lions, he always has a cheering section.
"I'm not playing in every game or getting significant minutes but my family comes to every single game," Montminy said. "They're the best and I wouldn't trade them for anything."
Montminy has shown his alma mater plenty of appreciation as well. Even though he graduated Penns Valley four years ago, makes sure to attend at least one Rams game a year.
"I was able to make it to the [Penns Valley] holiday tournament this year. Just going up and talking to people and hearing, `hey we've been watching you and following your career,' means a lot to me."
Putting the `Student' in `Student Athlete' When you ask Montminy how much time he spends on schoolwork compared to basketball, you can already start to tell how diligent a student he is.
In about 10 seconds, the double business major has already calculated it in his head. Most weeks he spends about 28 hours (four a day) on basketball and an additional 14 (two a day) studying after practice. Not to mention that he is generally occupied with class and schoolwork from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm everyday (he usually gets to the BJC for practice at 2:30).
It may seem stressful, but it has certainly paid off for him. A member of both the Smeal College of Business and Schreyer's Honors College, Montminy has had five consecutive semesters with a 4.0 GPA.
"If I have a test [the hours studying] will definitely be more, I'll just go to the library straight after practice and go, not all night, but pretty late. And then wake up and do it again," Montminy said. "It's something I wouldn't pass up for anything. You can sleep when you're dead."
Although this is his last season with the basketball program, the guard will stay in school for a fifth year to earn his master's degree in accounting to go with two bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance.
Until then, Montminy is going to continue to enjoy what is left of his last season in blue and white. Over the past four years, he has learned to love his role as something of a player-coach for the Nittany Lions.
"Coach, at the very beginning said, `I'm not going to promise you anything, so keep working and good things will come out of that,'" Montminy said. "He relies on me for things that aren't necessarily on the court during games. I know that I can bring someone aside and tell them, `this is what you're doing.' I think understanding my role and understanding what's best for the team allows me to not worry about the selfish things like wanting to play more."
Having already secured an accounting internship with KPMG in Philadelphia this summer, Montminy is well on his way to starting his post-basketball career.
Both his teammates and coaches have no doubt that the former walk-on will be a success in life, just like they have no doubt that they will miss him.
"He's great in every aspect," junior forward Donovon Jack said. "He's a guy that's all in on Penn State basketball, whether he's cheering us on or pushing us. Just a great, overall leader."
"That kid is going to be a stud, whatever he chooses he's going to be a superstar," Chambers added. "I couldn't be more thankful about having him a part of my program in the beginning of my tenure here at Penn State."