How Penn State basketball’s Seth Lundy made the most of his expanded role in win over Ohio State
Freshman forward Seth Lundy has spent most of the season on the bench.
The true freshman played 143 minutes in Penn State basketball’s first 16 games, and eclipsed more than 20 minutes in a game just once. He was averaging 7.1 minutes per game and making his mark in small spurts as needed when star senior forward Lamar Stevens would get into foul trouble.
That small role grew substantially when the Nittany Lions traveled to Minnesota Wednesday night, and maintained its size in Penn State’s 90-76 victory over Ohio State Saturday afternoon. Stevens said he never needed to speak with Lundy when the freshman found out he would start alongside his former Roman Catholic High School teammate in Minnesota.
“Honestly, I knew I didn’t have to (talk to him),” Stevens said. “I knew whether he played or didn’t play, whenever his number was called he was going to be ready.”
Lundy proved Stevens right. He played with energy and confidence in Penn State’s 75-69 loss to the Golden Gophers, and that attitude carried over into Saturday’s game. Stevens said his teammate’s confidence is a big part of his game.
“He’s a confident, confident person,” Stevens said. “In practice you can tell he’s confident. Just as a person he is, and I’ve always known that ... He’s a guy that can guard multiple positions and just plays so hard. Being a freshman he has a Big Ten-ready body. He’s able to come in and impact the game with rebounding and he can shoot He’s a super confident kid. He stepped up in big situations.
The freshman’s mentality translated to six attempted shots from beyond the arc against Ohio State, three of which went in, and 12 points on the offensive end and two blocks on the defensive end.
His confidence was on full display early against the Buckeyes. The freshman forward was fouled on a 3-point attempt less than 30 seconds into the game, but he only made one of his three free throws. Yet, he still took those six shots from deep the rest of the way. The confidence to do that in front of an announced crowd of 14,785 isn’t common among players his age.
“Coach put him (as a) freshman in a tough spot starting his first game in Minnesota,” Stevens said. “He just stepped up and did what he does. He’s a special kid. I haven’t met many freshman as confident or as ready when his number was called.”
Even with his limited minutes heading into the Nittany Lions’ last two games, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtman knew he had to account for Lundy whenever he was on the floor.
“He was a big part of the scouting report,” Holtman said. “He’s a good player.”
Now that Lundy is making an impact in games, expectations will be higher. Even so, his impact will come from beyond the box score.
His addition to the lineup adds shooting to a team that desperately needed it of late. His shot-making ability obviously helps on the scoreboard in a direct way, but it helps his teammates, too. With Lundy on the court, teams will have to stay close to him at all times. That creates space for his teammates to operate and makes it difficult for Lundy’s defender to double team players like Stevens. As long as Lundy is playing at the level he is now, Chambers plans on keeping his workload high.
“As long as he keeps producing (he’ll play),” the coach said. “We’re going to go with the guys that are playing well, competing, defending and rebounding, getting on the floor. He’s making shots too. He’s shooting the ball particularly well right now ... He hit some big ones in the first half for us.”
The freshman forward’s, and the team’s, next test will be a tough one. He and the Nittany Lions will travel to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines. Winning on the road has been nearly impossible for Big Ten teams. Home teams are 40-6 within the conference and the Nittany Lions are 0-3 on the road. If they want to get back to .500 in Big Ten play, their newly minted freshman starter will have to have an impact.
If Lundy plays like he did against the Buckeyes, Penn State will have a chance. In this conference, a chance is as good as you’ll get.
This story was originally published January 18, 2020 at 6:06 PM.
