UNIVERSITY PARK — Tim Curley has his man.
Penn State hired Boston University’s Patrick Chambers as its men’s basketball coach on Friday, 11 days after Ed DeChellis resigned to take the head coaching post at Navy.
Chambers told the AP he signed a five-year deal, but he and a team spokesman said financial terms were confidential. An open records report released last week by Penn State showed DeChellis earned nearly $807,000 in compensation in 2010.
“I am truly honored and excited to be joining the Penn State family,” Chambers said in a Penn State release. “I’m looking forward to bringing passion,
energy and enthusiasm to Nittany Lion Basketball. We will play a style, and bring an attitude, that Nittany Nation can be proud of.”
Chambers, 39, will be formally introduced at a news conference on Monday afternoon. The native of Newtown Square took his first head coaching job at Boston in April of 2009, succeeding Dennis Wolff. He led the Terriers to back-to-back 21-14 seasons, taking them to the CBI semifinals in 2010 and the NCAA tournament this past winter.
“Get ready. We’re going to bring energy, enthusiasm and a great deal of passion,” Chambers, said in a phone interview with the AP on Friday evening. “You’ll love the style of play and new attitude.”
Chambers spent the previous five seasons on Jay Wright’s staff at Villanova — one as director of operations, three as an assistant and one as associate head coach. Previously, Chambers had been an assistant at Delaware Valley College and Episcopal Academy. He was a point guard at Philadelphia University, finishing as the school’s all-time assists leader. Chambers and his wife, Courtney, have two young children.
“Penn State Basketball begins a new era today,” Curley said in the release, “and Patrick Chambers ushers in that era with proven success, an appreciation of and commitment to Penn State ideals, and the energy and enthusiasm required to compete at the highest level. His outstanding record of achievement in a relatively young coaching career is a direct testament to his knowledge of the game, his passion for his players and his relentless pursuit of success. We’re confident that under Pat’s leadership, the Nittany Lion Basketball program will rise to new heights in the years ahead.”
Curley hired former Vanderbilt and South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler as a consultant for the search. According to sources, Penn State interviewed Duquesne’s Ron Everhart and Milwaukee’s Rob Jeter this past week. Both men had publicly pulled out of the running by Friday afternoon.
“Out of respect for Penn State, the Big Ten and Eddie Fogler, and as someone who has coached in the Big Ten, I listened to what they had to say,” Jeter said. “But ultimately I continue to be very excited to be here in Milwaukee coaching my guys next season.”
Chambers is just the fourth different coach to take over the program in the last 28 years. Bruce Parkhill led the Nittany Lions from the Atlantic 10 to the Big Ten during a 12-year tenure and, after resigning in 1995, was succeeded by two of his former assistants, Jerry Dunn (1995-2003) and DeChellis (2003-2011).
Chambers inherits a Penn State team that went 19-15 and to the NCAA tournament this past season but lost four senior starters, including three-time all-conference guard Talor Battle. The Nittany Lions, who have five incoming freshmen this season, will have no available scholarships for next year’s class, assuming Juwan Staten still decides to transfer to Penn State from Dayton.
