ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State was represented with four individuals selected to Big Ten Conference men's basketball honors lists as announced by the league office on Monday, March 9. Senior forward Lamar Stevens, junior forward John Harrar, junior guard Jamari Wheeler and sophomore guard Myreon Jones were recognized for their efforts this season. The 2019-20 Nittany Lions recorded 21 overall wins and their second-highest Big Ten Conference wins total in program history with 11.
Stevens was selected to first-team All-Big Ten Conference lists by both the coaches and the media as he becomes only the second Nittany Lion to earn first-team honors twice. Penn State's top scorer at 17.6 points per game and second-best rebounder at 6.9 boards per contest, Stevens had 30 games in double figures and nine with 20 or more points. He tallied his career best, a 33-point outing vs. Minnesota and had 24 points in victories over No. 16 Michigan State and No. 21 Ohio State.
Congrats to Lamar Stevens (➡️@LamarStevens11), one of only two Nittany Lions to earn first team All-@BigTen honors in two seasons. 🔵🦁⚪ #ClimbWithUs pic.twitter.com/gfv66udfQv
— Penn State Men's Basketball (@PennStateMBB) March 9, 2020
Junior guard Jamari Wheeler earned a spot on the coaches' All-Defensive Team, the fourth Nittany Lion to receive such recognition. The Big Ten's leader in steals with 48 and steals per game (1.5), Wheeler was a disruptive force and harassed opponent point guards. In addition to his defensive prowess, Wheeler maintained one of the Big Ten's best assist to turnover ratios and has 99 assists on the year.
.@bigten steals leader, junior guard Jamari Wheeler (➡️@Jamariwheeler5) earns a spot on the All-Defensive Team! 🔵🦁⚪ #ClimbWithUs pic.twitter.com/StrXD66Ea4
— Penn State Men's Basketball (@PennStateMBB) March 9, 2020
Penn State's second leading scorer, sophomore Myreon Jones, was named an honorable mention by members of the Big Ten Conference media contingent. Myreon Jones averaged above 14.0 points per game and led the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage for most of the season. From Birmingham, Alabama, Myreon Jones connected for 56 treys, good for third in the league, and dished off to teammates 74 times.
The Nittany Lions' second-leading scorer, sophomore Myreon Jones, (➡️@MyreonJones21), was selected by the @BigTen media for honorable mention recognition. 🔵🦁⚪ #ClimbWithUs pic.twitter.com/VsVySJ4O4T
— Penn State Men's Basketball (@PennStateMBB) March 9, 2020
Junior forward John Harrar was selected the 2020 Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Award winner for Penn State. A member of the program's leadership council, Harrar has started 14 games for the Nittany Lions in 2019-20 and recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 14 rebounds vs. Northwestern Saturday.
.@Penn_State's Big Ten Sportsmanship award is presented to consummate teammate, junior forward John Harrar! 🔵🦁⚪ #ClimbWithUs pic.twitter.com/B7ApQs4TPF
— Penn State Men's Basketball (@PennStateMBB) March 9, 2020
Penn State opens Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday, March 12, as the No. 6 seed. The Nittany Lions will face the winner of Wednesday's No. 11 Indiana/No. 14 Nebraska game. The first 10 games will be carried by the Big Ten Network and available on the Fox Sports app and the radio broadcasts will be available on the Penn State Sports Network and on GoPSUsports.com
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