Feb. 3, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - When the Penn State men's basketball team kicked off the 2014-'15 campaign, there was no doubt the team had plenty of depth in the frontcourt.
With a rotation that featured starting forwards junior Brandon Taylor and senior Ross Travis, as well as junior forward Donovon Jack, junior center Jordan Dickerson and redshirt freshman forward Julian Moore, the Nittany Lions didn't lack options. One of the biggest questions however, was how much Dickerson and Moore would develop in their second full year in the program.
Penn State still has nine regular seasons games remaining, but the improvements made by the pair are showing. With the Nittany Lions needing more from their bench the past two games with Taylor out temporarily with a knee sprain, both Dickerson and Moore have given the team solid production and quality minutes.
"Again this has been the third game for Julian in my mind, he's played really well, he's really stepped up," head coach Patrick Chambers said. "Jordan since the Rutgers game, Minnesota and the last game has been great. He's dominating on the defensive end and he's done some good things for us on the offensive end, and he's rebounding the basketball."
In Penn State's tough 60-58 loss to Illinois on Saturday, both big men received over 20 minutes of playing time and both responded. In 24 minutes, Dickerson matched his career-high with six points to go with six rebounds and three blocks, while Moore reached double-digits in scoring for the first time with 10 points, and grabbed four rebounds in 22 minutes.
It was the second time in the last three games that Moore played more than 20 minutes, and the fourth time this season that Dickerson has reached that total. With Taylor's scoring and rebounding (he is second on the team in both categories) currently missing, the duo helped the Lions remain in a game that wasn't decided until the final possession.
If Dickerson and Moore can continue to progress, it will benefit the Nittany Lions in more ways than one. Along with giving Penn State some scoring punch in the paint, the two have the ability to further draw attention away from leading scorer D.J. Newbill, who registered his 13th 20-point game of the season against the Fighting Illini.
"They're really helping each other out," Newbill said. "Coach is doing a great job getting them in and out, rotating between Jordan, Donovon, Julian since BT has been out. I'm excited for those guys. Now teams can't just focus on me, because those guys are catching put backs, they're going up finishing, and now we can run plays for them and not me."
While Dickerson has two more years of playing experience than Moore, they are similar from the standpoint that both of them are in their second year under Chambers. Dickerson played at SMU as a freshman before transferring to Penn State prior to last season while Moore spent the 2013-'14 campaign as a redshirt.
For Dickerson, developing into a solid Big Ten player has meant refining every aspect of his game. Although he arrived at Penn State with plenty of shot-blocking ability, the 7-foot-1 center has strived to improve his rebounding and scoring the past two seasons.
It has taken plenty of hard work, but the Brooklyn, New York, native seems to have turned a corner. After working himself into the starting lineup at the end of last season, Dickerson has snagged at least six rebounds in five games this campaign and is shooting 83 percent (4-5) from the field and averaging three blocks the last two games.
"I think last year, I was kind of pressured when I had the ball in my hands because I wasn't used to scoring," Dickerson said. "Now I can take my time, I've actually developed my post game. I hit a hook shot [against Illinois] and it's just paying off, getting in the gym, hitting 25 to 50 hook shots a day just trying to keep my rhythm.
"I like to make little milestones. Like if I'm in a game and I only have one or two rebounds, I'm like, `I gotta get four and these kinds of increments and stuff.'"
As for Moore, his performance against Illinois is evidence that the talent he showed as an all-state player at Germantown Academy in Philadelphia is translating to the Division I level.
He may not be a finished product, but the 6-foot-10 freshman has seen minutes in every game but one in his first year and has earned the respect of his veteran teammates for his effort and willingness to learn.
"He just knows where to be, he's more confident, more understanding of our defense," Chambers said. "He still has a long way to go. But he's playing with a high motor, I have confidence playing him at the four now. He's just active and if he doesn't get the rebound he's tipping it to someone else. I always knew he could get it done offensively, he just needed to relax."
With both players set to return next season, Dickerson and Moore have a chance to give Penn State a powerful combination on the block. If anything, the duo is eager to build on the chemistry they established at Illinois.
"I always tell him, `I got your back if somebody drives,'" Dickerson said. "And we just build that chemistry. I'm always gonna have his back and he has mine. It was fun playing off of him, he's a good player. I think now coach can see that we can play together a little bit."
Lions Looking Ahead to Maryland
Penn State (14-8, 2-7 Big Ten) will travel to College Park for its first Big Ten meeting against Maryland (18-4, 6-3 Big Ten) on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. on BTN). The Lions and Terps have met 17 times prior to Wednesday's game, including five times in College Park.
The 16th-ranked Terrapins have been off since an 80-56 setback at Ohio State on Jan. 29. Standout freshman guard Melo Trimble leads Maryland in scoring at 15.7 points per game. Trimble is one of three Terps averaging double-figures, with the others being Jake Layman (14.1) and Dez Wells (13.5). As a team, Maryland is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense at 39.6 percent.
"I'm looking for a battle," Chambers said. "They are really skilled. They are really talented. They have great leadership in Dez Wells. They have a phenomenal freshman. I really like Jake Layman...It will be fun to get on a bus, go down (to Maryland) and compete and see what happens."
The Nittany Lions and Terps will meet again on Feb. 14 inside the BJC.