UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team opens the 2019-20 season at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore at the Bryce Jordan Center. Hawk coach Jason Crafton and Nittany Lion coach Patrick Chambers worked on the Villanova staff together during the 2004-05 season.
This is the first meeting between these two schools since December 1994. Penn State has won both games in the series.
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Coach Patrick Chambers addressed members of the media on Monday, Nov. 4.
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ROSTER: Penn State | Maryland Eastern Shore
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Maryland Eastern Shore
STATS: Penn State | Maryland Eastern Shore
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Maryland Eastern Shore
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Maryland Eastern Shore
MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
Coach: Jason Crafton (Nyack College, 2003)
Maryland Eastern Shore: First year
Career Record: 47-108 (Six seasons)
2018-19 Record: 7-25, 5-11 MEAC
Top Returning Scorer
#0 A.J. Cheeseman, Sr., F – 8.8 ppg
Top Returning Rebounder
#22 Gabriel Gymafi, Sr., F – 5.1 rpg
Top Returning Assists Leader
#13 Bryan Urrutia, Sr., G – 5.4 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 127-140 (9th season)
Career Record: 169-168 (11th season)
2018-19 Record: 14-18, 7-13 Big Ten
Top Returning Scorer
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 19.9 ppg
Top Returning Rebounder
#11 Lamar Stevens, Sr., F – 7.7 rpg
Top Returning Assists Leader
#5 Jamari Wheeler, Jr., G – 2.8 apg
STARTING 5
Penn State has won 13 of its last 14 season openers and seven of eight under Patrick Chambers. The Nittany Lions are 92-31 overall in season openers and 109-14 in home season openers.
Tuesday's season opener against Maryland Eastern Shore, on Nov. 5, will be the program's earliest season opener. The Nov. 9 date in 2018-19 tied the earliest with two other seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14).
Penn State starts its new campaign at home for the 15th-straight year.
The 87 points scored in the 2018-19 season opener marked the highest point total in a season opener in this century.
Maryland Eastern Shore coach Jason Crafton and Patrick Chambers were both on Jay Wright's staff at Villanova during the 2004-05 season.
SERIES VS. MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
Penn State and Maryland Eastern Shore have met only two times previously with both games won by the Nittany Lions.
Dec. 12, 1993 – at University Park – Penn State 81, Maryland Eastern Shore 54
Dec. 6, 1994 – at University Park -- Penn State 86, Maryland Eastern Shore 55
FOR OPENERS
The Nittany Lions open the 2019-20 season at home in the Bryce Jordan Center for the 15th-straight year. Penn State has won 13 of its last 14 season openers.
In the 2018-19 season opener vs. North Florida, the Nittany Lions scored 87 points, tying the highest point total in a season opener since 2000-01 when PSU defeated Loyola, (Md.) 87-58.
EARLY OPENING NIGHT
When the Nittany Lions open their 2019-20 season on Tuesday, Nov. 5 against Maryland Eastern Shore in the Bryce Jordan Center, it will be the program's earliest season opener. Penn State will start the new campaign at home for the 15th-straight year.
MOST EXPERIENCED TEAM
Penn State returns several veterans to its squad in 2019-20, the most experienced team coach Patrick Chambers will put on the court to date.
The 2018-19 team ranked in the 300s by kenpom.com for experience level (with No. 1 being the most experienced) and rose to 295 (average of 1.27 years) by the end of the season.
BIG TEN LEADER TIMES TWO
Senior Lamar Stevens returns in 2019-20 as the Big Ten Conference's top returner in both scoring (19.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). He stands fifth all-time on Penn State's career scoring list with 1,660 points and became the fastest Nittany Lion junior to reach the 1,500-point mark.
Stevens announced his return to Penn State for his senior year on May 29 as he "wanted to come back to Penn State and finish what I started and take this team to new heights."
STEVENS ON MALONE AWARD WATCH LIST
Lamar Stevens was named as one of 20 players on the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward Watch List as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
New this year, Nittany Lion fans can participate in the voting for Stevens at http://www.hoophallawards.com.
Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the honor recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of college basketball personnel determined the list of 20 candidates.
MIKE SWAT-KINS
Senior Mike Watkins, who stands second behind Calvin Booth on the Nittany Lions' all-time blocked shot list, needs only one more block to reach 200 for his career. Watkins blocked 90 shots his freshman season (2.7 bpg) and owns a 2.2 per game career average, the third-highest career average in Penn State history.
"HOME" COMING AT THE PALESTRA
Six Nittany Lions have ties to Philadelphia, as does coach Patrick Chambers, the all-time assists leader for Herb Magee at Philadelphia University. Penn State will play host to Iowa on Jan. 4, 2020, at The Palestra for a "home" game in Philadelphia. Tickets for this game are available for purchase at gopsusports.com/mbbphilly.
BY THE NUMBERS
2
Nittany Lions on 2019-20 NBA opening night rosters (Tim Frazier, Detroit Pistons, & Josh Reaves, Dallas Mavericks).
5
Wins in the month of February 2019, marking the first time the Nittany Lions hit that total since the 1997-98 season.
67
Number of 3-point field goals by Myles Dread in 2018-19, one shy of Penn State's freshman record.
199
Career blocked shots by senior Mike Watkins, second on Penn State's all-time list.
1,660
Points by senior Lamar Stevens, currently No. 5 on the Nittany Lions' career list.