Nittany Lions to tip off season with exhibition

Jeff Rice

Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis likes preseason exhibition games against Division II opposition, such as the one his Nittany Lions will play against Slippery Rock at 6 p.m. tonight in the Bryce Jordan Center, because it gives his younger players a chance to “get rid of some jitters” and “play in front of some people.”

The downside, of course, is the risk of a humbling upset.

In the last week alone, Syracuse, a preseason top 25 team, lost by three points to Le Moyne, a Division II school, in the Carrier Dome. Florida International lost to Northwood, an NAIA school. Slippery Rock gave Pittsburgh all it could handle for much of the first half, then made a late second-half charge before falling 75-64.

“It’s early, and some of these Division II schools have very good players,” said DeChellis, whose team lost to Shippensburg three years ago during an exhibition game in the Jordan Center.

The Rock, who went 21-8 last season, shot 46 3-pointers against the Panthers, making 15, and 29 2-pointers, making seven. Junior forward Jabril Bailey made six of those threes and scored 18 points. Slippery Rock has just three players on its roster taller than 6-foot-5, which, coupled with the long-range shooting, will force some of the bigger Nittany Lions (David Jackson, Jeff Brooks, Andrew Jones, Andrew Ott and Sasa Borovnjak) to play a lot more perimeter defense than they’re accustomed to.

It should also encourage Penn State’s guards to get involved with the defensive rebounding, a focal point for DeChellis last year and this preseason. Five-foot-11 guard Talor Battle averaged more than five boards per game last season but the coaches want the rest of the backcourt to pitch in, too.

“I think (Tim) Frazier’s done a good job, (Chris) Babb has done a decent job,” DeChellis said. “We tell these guys that if you go back and rebound it with two hands, the break starts a lot quicker.”

Freshman forward Billy Edwards is out with an MCL injury in his knee and red-shirt freshman forward Billy Oliver, who continues to miss practice time with headaches, is questionable. The rest of the Nittany Lions are healthy and more than ready to return to face another team in front of fans for the first time since the NIT final against Baylor.

DeChellis, whose team opens its regular season on Nov. 14 against Penn in the Jordan Center, wants to see what various lineups are capable of as he mixes his new players with his returnees. But he also wants to win the game.

“I want us to contain the ball defensively,” DeChellis said. “We’re gonna have to really guard the three-point guys ... And offensively, continue to share the ball. We’ve done a nice job of sharing it in practice, and if we continue to do that, we’ll be pretty hard to guard.”

Notes: Admission to the game is free for season ticket holders and students and $5 for the general public. Penn State will hold a football pep rally following the game. ... Penn State has added walk-ons Justin Hamilton, a 6-5 junior forward, and Ryan Harro, a 5-11 freshman guard, to its roster. ... Battle has been added to the preseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy. Battle, a junior, is one of 50 players on the list.

TONIGHT'S GAME

SLIPPERY ROCK vs. PENN STATE

WHEN: 6 p.m.

WHERE: Bryce Jordan Center

COST: General admission $5, Free for season ticket holders and students

Jeff Rice can be reached at 231-4609.