UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - Ahead of the holiday season Penn State Men's basketball is embracing the importance of team bonding and togetherness. Over Thanksgiving break the Nittany Lions are set to play LSU and either Oregon State or Wake Forest in the 2021 Emerald Coast Classic at Northwest Florida State's Raider Arena.
Penn State forward John Harrar stated that team trips like this play a key factor into bonding as a team.
"I think Thanksgiving break and Christmas break are the best times with your team," Harrar said. "You have all day to spend together going to the movies, bowling. It's fun to get out together and it all translates onto the court."
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry expresses how Harrar's leadership in particular, has helped build the team chemistry.
"John has been an awesome leader for us," said Shrewsberry. "He does things to get the guys together and to help our team bond."
Shrewsberry also notes the energy that Sam Sessoms brings to the team and how it aids in strengthening team relationships.
"Sam's energy is what helps us as a team; he talks and communicates," said Shrewsberry. "Every day he comes in with this energy ready to work and that is where his leadership lies."
In addition to the leadership from the team's returning veterans, Shrewsberry states how his players can relate to each other through their shared college experiences, even with so many newcomers this season.
"All the players really enjoy being together," he said. "Especially when it comes to the older guys, they are around each other every day and can relate through their shared experiences of being college athletes."
Outside of the chance to bond, Penn State is looking forward to this trip as it gives the team a chance to focus on basketball more and test themselves on the court.
"Now we get the chance to focus on basketball with the break from school," said Shrewsberry. "We have the chance to go test ourselves and see what we are going to look like on the court. That's what we want to do as a college team, get to these events and really test ourselves."
The holiday tournament opens on Friday Nov 26, 2021 at 7 p.m. ET as Penn State takes on LSU. The winner of the Penn State-LSU will then advance to take on the winner of the Oregon State-Wake Forest game Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Penn State is coming off of a two-game winning streak into the tournament, Shrewsberry notes the overall growth of his program and how that will translate into the tournament.
"I'm excited about the growth of our team," said Shrewsberry. "Every single day we come in and work to get better and hopefully you can see the progress we made. Being able to learn from film and practice is what I am most excited for with this team."
When it comes to the first matchup of the tournament against LSU, Shrewsberry expresses the importance of moving the ball on the court.
"We need to keep people off balance with moving the ball side to side," he said. "LSU is going to be a team that switches every single screen and will try to make our offense stagnant. They are a really good defensive team, and we are going to need to create open shots for ourselves. We have some major key points we have been focusing on in the ways that can help us win."
Focusing on those key points will be critical for the Nittany Lions, and the team is looking to continue to make the most of every moment this season.
"We have to have the same mentality every time we play," Harrar said. "We need to focus on winning with this group of guys now because you only get one chance to make it happen."
With the way this group is bonding together, there's no doubt that winning will continue to come.
