Penn State men’s basketball signs best recruiting class in program history

Three of the Penn State men’s basketball team’s signees entered the Roman Catholic High School gym to applause a little more than 10 minutes after 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Lamar Stevens, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick sat side-by-side at a table by halfcourt to continue the celebration of joining the Nittany Lions program. Penn State announced its official signings along with Oak Hill Academy forward Joe Hampton in the morning and early afternoon.

It was the best recruiting class in program history, and Penn State had started an event at the Bryce Jordan Center with season-ticket holders, among others, to welcome the future Nittany Lions.

When the Roman Catholic players took their seats at the table — they each wore purple sweaters and purple and gold ties, their high school colors, and Carr and Stevens both sported blue Penn State caps with “State ’16” embroidered on the side — Penn State was on Skype with Hampton.

“It’s a real big deal going on up there (in State College),” Roman Catholic coach Chris McNesby said to the group of about 50 people sitting in bleachers on the side of the court. “And they’re really excited about these young men coming out.”

The players then signed their National Letters of Intent for show and waited to Skype with the fans and coaches in gathered on Penn State’s campus. By the end of Wednesday, Penn State’s Class of 2016 was ranked eighth in the country by ESPN, 13th by Scout.com and 14th by 247Sports. They boasted the second-best class in the Big Ten, trailing only Michigan State’s class, which was ranked second in the nation by ESPN, Scout.com and 247Sports. Duke owned the No. 1 class, according to all three outlets.

Wednesday marked the start of the early signing period, which continues through Nov. 18.

“It’s a big day in the history of this program,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said on a teleconference call.

It was the culmination of years of work by Chambers and his staff.

Chambers is entering his fifth season at the helm, and he said it’s been a “long five years.” He said there’s been “a ton of no’s” on the recruiting trail. But in the past two years, Chambers and his staff have put together top recruiting classes.

This group follows the highly touted Class of 2015, which included Josh Reaves, Mike Watkins and Deividas “Davis” Zemgulis. Reaves and Watkins were both ranked in the top 100 recruits in the country by ESPN.

The Nittany Lions then signed four more talented players to add to the future core.

“This was a big step for us, and it’s a testament to my staff and what we’ve been through over the last five years,” said Chambers, who has a 56-75 record at Penn State. “There’s been a ton of obstacles, but yet we continued to plod along — maybe at a snail’s pace for some people’s liking, especially in this society we have today. But it definitely — we’ve got over some hurdles.”

And these players want to change the perception of Penn State basketball, a program that’s been to the NCAA tournament just twice in the last 15 years, with its last trip in 2011.

“I think we all realize that we can make history if we all go to a school like Penn State,” Stevens said. “This is really our dream but we’re staying focused on just becoming better every day.”

Carr said he was drawn to that opportunity rather than going to a school with an established basketball tradition.

“We’ve never been the type of guys to, like, follow the lead or try to fit in,” Carr said. “We always stand on our own two feet and we feel like we can go to this school and kind of like change the culture.”

And they hope that means NCAA tournament bids during their time at Penn State.

“Our main goal is to turn Penn State around to a basketball program and make the tournament,” Bostick said.

Together, they make up one of the most talented classes in the nation.

The top player in Penn State’s class, according to rankings, is Carr.

The Roman Catholic point guard is the top recruit in Pennsylvania, according to ESPN and 247Sports. He is ranked the No. 50 recruit and No. 10 point guard in the nation by ESPN.

Hampton and Stevens are ranked No. 98 and No. 100, respectively.

Carr, Hampton and Stevens are all rated four-star recruits by ESPN. Bostick is a three-star recruit.

Chambers called the 6-foot-3 Carr the “quarterback” and leader of the group, praising his poise and describing him as a pass-first point guard. Chambers said Stevens, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound forward, is a mismatch for opponents who is “Big Ten ready.” He called the 6-foot-4 Bostick a fierce competitor and a “jack of all trades.”

And the coach said Hampton, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 275 pounds, is another “Big Ten-ready body” who can play inside and outside.

Chambers highlighted those strengths before each player answered questions on Skype. And McNesby answered some questions too, enjoying the special day about his players’ futures while looking forward to the high school season ahead.

“They have a legacy to finish here at Roman Catholic,” McNesby said.

And they plan to leave a legacy at Penn State: To turn the program around and become a fixture in March.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Penn State men’s basketball signs best recruiting class in program history."