UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Three Penn State alum will represent the Nittany Lions when the NBA's 75th season tips off this week. Lamar Stevens '20 begins his second season on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster, Calvin Booth '98 is set for his second year as the General Manager of the Denver Nuggets, and Andrew Jones '11, M '15 begins his first season as Assistant Coach with the Detroit Pistons.
Stevens, who signed a multi-year deal with the Cavs in April 2021, looks to build upon his successful NBA Summer League performance as he enters his second season in Cleveland. Stevens averaged 14.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.7 blocks per game during the Cavs' five-game summer stretch. The Philadelphia native started all five summer league games for Cleveland, playing an average of 28.1 minutes per contest.
A two-time first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection and team MVP, Stevens led the Nittany Lions in scoring in both his junior and senior campaigns and made critical contributions to help Penn State to its first Associated Press poll ranking and its first top-10 ranking since 1996. Stevens finished his career as Penn State's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 2,207 career points. He was seven points shy of the school scoring record when the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournaments were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Booth was named General Manager of the Nuggets in July 2020. The former Penn State star was previously Assistant General Manager with the Nuggets from 2017-2020. After a 10-year NBA playing career, he entered the front office with the New Orleans Pelicans as a scout in 2012 before working with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a scout and Director of Player Personnel from 2013-17.
The 1998 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Booth was a three-year starter and two-time captain at Penn State. He holds the school record for career blocked shots (428). He led the Big Ten in blocks in all four years that he played, and his career total ranks second in conference history. After his senior season, Booth became the highest drafted Nittany Lion in history when he was taken as the 35th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 1999 NBA Draft.
Jones was hired as the Assistant Coach of Player Development by the Pistons in July 2021 after previously having served as a Player Development Coach with the Philadelphia 76ers for two years. Jones was also previously with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2014-19 as a player development coach, video analyst and assistant with their G League affiliate.
Jones was a four-year starter during his time in Happy Valley, finishing his career as the school's 12th-leading rebounder. The Philadelphia native played a key role in leading Penn State to the 2009 NIT Championship, averaging 10 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in that postseason run, before helping guide the Nittany Lions to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. He later returned to Penn State as a graduate assistant in 2013 and received a master's degree in educational leadership before playing professionally overseas for several years.
The 75th NBA season tips off with two games Tuesday night before the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Pistons are all in action Wednesday.
