Season Highlights

SHREWSBERRY ERA BEGINS

Micah Shrewsberry was announced as the 14th men’s basketball head coach in Penn State history on March 15, 2021, and completed his first season at Penn State in 2021-22. Shrewsberry came to Penn State with a wealth of experience and success at both the collegiate and NBA levels, having coached in six NCAA Tournaments, two NCAA Final Fours, five NBA Playoffs and two NBA Conference Finals.

Shrewsberry immediately put his stamp on the Nittany Lion program during his first season at the helm. He engineered the Big Ten’s best scoring defense in 2021-22 and guided the Nittany Lions to their best defensive season (65.0 points allowed per game) in 11 years. The Nittany Lions advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament after winning two postseason games, making Shrewsberry one of just two first-year Big Ten coaches since 2008 to win two Big Ten Tournament games. The regular season saw Penn State earn a number of statement wins, including victories over 19thranked Michigan State, eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa, and eventual NCAA Tournament participants Indiana and Rutgers.

Shrewsberry’s efforts on the recruiting trail were felt immediately as he and the Penn State staff signed the highest ranked recruiting class in Penn State men’s basketball history in November 2021, less than eight months into his tenure in Happy Valley. The 2022 signing class ranks as a consensus top30 class in the nation by all major recruiting services.

BEST SCORING DEFENSE IN THE B1G

The Nittany Lions led the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 65.0 points per game. Penn State’s mark of 66.2 points allowed per conference game also led the Big Ten. Penn State’s 65.0 points per game allowed is its best defensive mark since the 2010-11 team surrendered just 62.5 points per contest.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT RUN

Penn State put together a thrilling run in the Big Ten Tournament to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018 and make first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry one of just two first-year Big Ten coaches since 2008 to win two Big Ten Tournament games.

The 11th-seeded Nittany Lions earned a 60-51 win over 14thseeded Minnesota for a first-round win. Penn State then rallied to defeat sixth-seeded Ohio State in the second round. The Nittany Lions trailed the Buckeyes by as much as 13, including an 11-point deficit in the second half, but Penn State shot 61.5 percent in the second half to pull off the upset of OSU. Penn State gave third-seeded Purdue all it could handle in the quarterfinal round, but the ninth-ranked Boilermakers closed the game from the charity stripe in the final minutes to earn a 69-61 win and end Penn State’s tournament run.

Senior Jalen Pickett led Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament, averaging 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per tournament game, while shooting 60.0 percent (21-35) from the field, and 54.5 percent (6-11) from 3-point range.

CLOSE GAMES

The Nittany Lions consistently found themselves in close games, with 16 contests decided by seven points or less.

Fourteen of Penn State’s 23 contests against Big Ten foes (including Big Ten Tournament) were decided by seven points or less.

Eight of Penn State’s 13 Big Ten losses came by seven points or less: #3 Purdue (67-74), at #16 Ohio State (56-61), at #11 Wisconsin (49-51), Michigan (57-58), at Minnesota (70-76), at Maryland (61-67), at #20 Illinois (55-60), and at Rutgers (5859). Including non-conference play, 10 of Penn State’s 17 losses in 2021-22 came by seven points or less.

PALPABLE BUZZ

With fans returning to the Bryce Jordan Center for the first time since the 2019-20 season (no fans in 2020-21 due to COVID-19 pandemic), and the excitement surrounding firstyear head coach Micah Shrewsberry, the buzz in Happy Valley was palpable.

Penn State sold nearly 2,800 student season tickets, the most ever sold in the history of Penn State Basketball student season ticket sales.

HARRAR’S CURTAIN CALL

Graduate student John Harrar put together the best season of his career after returning to Penn State for his fifth year thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harrar earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades for the second-straight year after being one of two players in the conference to average a double-double at 10.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He was the first Nittany Lion in 22 years to finish the season averaging a double-double.

He led the Big Ten in offensive rebounds for a second-straight season, while his 64.0% field goal percentage is tied for second in program history. Harrar became the first Nittany Lion to pull down 20 rebounds in a game in 17 years with an 11-point, 20-rebound effort on Senior Night against Northwestern.

He registered 12 double-doubles, 18 double-digit scoring games and 16 double-figure rebound contests during the 2021-22 campaign. His 12 double-doubles were tied for fourth-most all-time in a single season at Penn State, while his 320 rebounds were tied for third all-time in Penn State singleseason history. He collected the most rebounds by a Penn State player in a single Big Ten Tournament (32) while leading the Nittany Lions on a thrilling postseason run.

Penn State’s overall statistics as they rank historically.

OFFENSIVE

#T-4 – 3-Pt. FG Made – 249

DEFENSIVE

#7 – Fewest FT Att. – 457

2021-22 B1G STATS

Penn State’s Big Ten Conference statistics as they rank historically. The league played a 20-game schedule beginning in 2018-19, though Penn State only played 19 conference games in 2020-21.

OFFENSIVE

#1 - Rebound Margin - +3.4 #2 – 3-Pt. FG – 157 #3 – 3-Pt. FG Att. – 458 #3 - Total Rebounds - 707 #4 – Field Goals – 473 #4 – FG Attempts – 1,121 #5 - FT Pct. - 73.8 #5 - Total Points - 1,266 #6 - Rebound Avg. - 35.4

DEFENSIVE

#1 – Lowest FG% Allowed - .422 #4 - Lowest Pt. Avg. - 66.2 #7 - Lowest Reb. Avg. - 32.0 #10 - Steals - 112

2021, 2022 ALL-BIG TEN CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION 2022 BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR 2021, 2022 BIG TEN OUTSTANDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD 2020, 2021, 2022 BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD WINNER (PENN STATE)

• Returned to Penn State to utilize the fifth year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic and emerged as one of the best big men in the league as one of only two Big Ten players to finish the season averaging a double-double with 10.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. • Registered 12 double-doubles, 18 double-digit scoring games and 16 double-figure rebound contests. Shot 64.0 percent from the field, tied for the second-best singleseason mark in Penn State history. • Graduated No. 1 all-time in Penn State history with 146 career games played, No. 2 in school history in career field goal percentage (59.6%) and No. 5 in program history with 854 career rebounds.

JALEN PICKETT

• Transferred to Penn State after stellar three-year career at Siena and made immediate impact upon arrival, starting in all 31 games for the Nittany Lions. • Led team in scoring (13.3 ppg), assists (135), steals (35) and minutes played (37.2 mpg). His 37.2 minutes per game led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in all of Division I. • Finished senior season (2021-22) as one of just six active Division I players with 1,500 career points, 500 career rebounds and 500 career assists, and one of only two to reach all three marks in just four seasons. • Ranked second in the conference and 27th in the country with a 2.45 assist-toturnover ratio. • Scored in double figures in 25 games with four 20-point efforts.

SETH LUNDY

• Started all 30 games played, finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer (11.9 ppg) and third-leading rebounder (4.9 ppg). • Led the team in blocks (20) and finished third in steals (30). • Shot a team-best (min. 10 att.) 86.7 percent (52-60) from the free-throw line and drained a team-leading 64 3-pointers. • Tallied 20 double-digit scoring efforts and three 20-point games. • Emerged into one of the team’s leading defenders, consistently tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player.

MYLES DREAD

• Shot a career-best 40.7 percent (55-135) from 3-point range. • Played in all 31 games while making 20 starts, ranking second on the team with 55 made 3-point field goals and 31 steals. • Finished 2021-22 season with 232 career 3-pointers, the fifth-most all-time at Penn

State.

SAM SESSOMS

• Played in all 31 games while making 10 starts, leading Nittany Lions with 42.0 percent (34-81) 3-point shooting percentage. • Was third on the team in scoring with 11.6 ppg and second with 82 assists. • Tallied 19 double-digit scoring efforts, including two 20-point games.