Feb. 27, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a bye week, the Nittany Lion basketball team (15-13, 3-12 Big Ten) returns to the Jordan Center on Saturday to kick off its final two-game homestand against Iowa (18-10, 9-6 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. (ESPNU).
With three regular season games to play before the Big Ten Tournament, the Lions have their eye set on finishing the season on a high. The second bye week during conference play came at a great time for Penn State to regroup, recharge and focus on playing its best basketball during the final nine days of the regular season.
"After the (Northwestern) game, we looked like a beaten team, mentally, physically, we looked drained," Chambers said. "This week off came at a great time...We had two days off to reboot, reset and get refreshed. Everybody needs it. We've had some really healthy practices these last couple days. James Franklin came in and spoke to the team. Now, I want to see us run through the finish line."
Saturday will be a special evening for the program, as the game against Iowa will be Coaches vs. Cancer themed. For each ticket sold, $4 will benefit Coaches vs. Cancer. Penn State men's basketball pledges a yearlong fight against those impacted by cancer. Saturday's game is just another opportunity for the program to do its part in helping those impacted. And it's a cause that hits close to home for the Nittany Lions.
"Look, we are going through it right now," Chambers said. "We have Mitch Stover, our equipment manager, and he's battling and he's fighting right now. Kathy Drysdale is battling, and she's fighting right now. I lost my brother last year to cancer. So, it means a lot to us. Obviously, D.J. (Newbill) lost his mom, and a lot of our staff members have lost family members. So this is not just a surface thing. This is deep. This has roots. It's inside of us to want to be a part and make a difference.
Iowa Peaking Down the Stretch
The Hawkeyes come in to Saturday's game as one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten. Riding a three-game winning streak, Iowa is firmly entrenched in the fight for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes topped Illinois, 68-60, on Wednesday inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Forward Aaron White has been superb of late. On the heels of a career-high 29 points, the versatile big man is averaging 15.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Junior forward Jarrod Uthoff is averaging 12 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Defensively, Iowa has been stout in conference play. The Hawks are second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense (39.3 percent) and third in scoring defense (61.5 ppg).
Saturday's game marks the lone regular season meeting between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions. Penn State is 10-8 all-time against Iowa in games played in Happy Valley.
As Career Winds Down, Travis Remains Epitome of Effort, Hustle
Feature by Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For Ross Travis, the art of rebounding has never been all that complicated.
Sure, the Penn State basketball senior knows there's a bit of strategy involved. Positioning yourself is certainly important, as is tracking the trajectory of the ball.
At the end of the day, however, Travis believes that the man who finishes the game with the most rebounds isn't always the tallest, but the one who exerts the most effort.
"It's definitely all effort, it's me wanting the ball more than the other guy," Travis said. "Every ball that goes up and goes off the rim is a 50/50 chance to all 10 guys on the floor. Percentages say if it's shot from the right side it'll go to the left. Just being able to read the trajectory of the ball, wanting the ball more and my athletic ability to go up there and get it."
For the past four years, Travis has used that mindset to cement himself as one of the greatest rebounders in Penn State history. Now in his final season, the forward is third on the Nittany Lions' all-time list with 774 boards (6.2 career average) and is leading the team in that category for the third straight year.
It's quite an accomplishment, yet one that is initially hard to believe if you've never seen him play. At 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, Travis doesn't have the height that is typically associated with top glass-protectors.
What he lacks in size however, the senior captain makes up for in grit and determination. Quiet off the court, Travis turns into a bull in a china shop the minute he steps on it, diving for loose balls, boxing out bigger players and generally playing with reckless abandon.
Last season, Travis finished fourth in the Big Ten in rebounding with 7.0 average, and was the only player in the top four shorter than 6-foot-10. While he didn't initially envision this role for himself when he came to Penn State, he's learned to embrace doing whatever it takes to get on the court.
"No, not at all, but coming in as a freshman you have to find your niche with the team and that's how I got playing time right away," Travis said. "I played hard, I defended and I got rebounds for the team. Rebounds are huge, especially offensive rebounds. You get a couple a game you can get your team a couple extra shots."
Currently, Travis is averaging 6.1 rebounds in just over 24 minutes of playing time. His intensity, long his biggest trademark, has been as high as ever in recent games.
While the power forward certainly isn't the first player to mark a name for himself based off of toughness, his ability to handle adversity is certainly worth noting. Take a look at his early injury history, and you can't help but wonder how he plays basketball at all, let alone in such a physical manner.
When Travis was in the fifth grade, he lost all the sight in his left eye after being shot accidentally with a BB gun. After improbably regaining his vision, the Chaska, Minnesota, native went through more turmoil in high school, missing most of his first three seasons with a broken hand, a torn hip muscle and a fractured vertebrae in his back that required him to wear a brace for seven months.
"The doctor said I had a one in 10,000 chance of getting my vision back in my left eye," Travis said. "I carry that with me each and every day. It could have gone a whole different way so I'm fortunate for that.
"I missed most of my freshman, sophomore and junior years. I was fortunate to not get injured senior year. Just overworked some areas in my body and paid the price but I recovered well."
You would think after going through all that, maybe Travis would alter his game a bit, spend a little less time diving over the court and try to avoid as much physical contact as possible.
But that's just not in his DNA. Even after seeing his career nearly end multiple times, Travis only knows one way to play basketball, and that's full throttle.
"You've got your scorers, and I'm kind of behind the scenes and I'm cool with that," Travis said. "I like to get down and dirty on the ground, I like to push guys around and I like to outwork people, it's just who I am."
That mindset helped Travis become one of the best players in Minnesota during his lone full season of high school ball in 2011. Although he initially was interested in attending a Pac-10 school, a visit to Penn State and the idea of competing against the Big Ten schools he grew up watching changed his mind.
He's been a lineup mainstay ever since, playing more than 17 minutes a game as a freshman before developing into a starter the next two years. Though his playing time has gone up and down this season as the Lions have played more small ball, Travis' leadership and effort are still as valuable as ever.
"I thought Ross the last few games has played as hard as he's ever played in a uniform," head coach Patrick Chambers said. "That's saying a lot because he usually plays hard. He understands the end is near and he's going to give everything he has."
The end may be near for Travis, but his legacy as one of the Nittany Lions' greatest rebounders will remain. A telecommunications major, Travis hopes to pursue a career in the music industry as a producer after he graduates.
Until then, the forward is going to continue playing the way he always has, like there is no tomorrow.
"If I get a limited amount of minutes, I have to go out there and do what I do, to the best of my abilities in the time frame given," Travis said. "I've got to go out there and get my eight, nine, 10 and even more some nights, boards."