Basketball is Back: Penn State vs Winthrop Preview
Year two of the Micah Shrewsberry era tips off Monday when Penn State welcomes Winthrop into the Bryce Jordan Center. The Nittany Lions have a lot of potential heading into this season, with expectations increasing for Shrewsberry’s squad.
The blue and white returns its leading scorer from last season in guard Jalen Pickett, who’s expecting another great year. Pickett has received plenty of preseason recognition, including being named to the preseason All-Big Ten team.
Pickett led the Nittany Lions in points, assists and steals in 2021-22 and led the entire conference in 37.2 minutes per game. Even with the success Pickett was able to achieve in his first year at Penn State, he expects an even better season this year.
“I’m definitely more comfortable in the system,” Pickett said. “Having a year under my belt and knowing what coach Shrewsberry wants and how we're trying to play is definitely going to be key for us. Last year we had a good group of guys, but this year we have 14-15 different guys that can play at any time. We're deep, which is going to help us play faster."
The Nittany Lions also have their highest-ranked recruiting class in program history coming to University Park this season, led by big man Kebba Njie. Njie is the highest-ranked recruit to come to Happy Valley since Tony Carr in 2016. The Centerville, Ohio, product expects to play big minutes at the five position in the absence of John Harrar.
Shrewsberry has been impressed by the freshmen, especially their work ethic, and he expects them to contribute right away.
“They have a thirst for knowledge,” Shrewsberry said. "They all want to be good. They all want to be better. They learn a lot in practice. They are the foundation of what this program is going to be."
The new members of the Penn State team will be challenged early by a veteran Winthrop squad who is projected to finish second in the Big South. The Eagles have had recent success that has gotten all of Shrewsberry’s attention.
“It’s a great challenge for us — Winthrop was 23-9 last year,” Shrewsberry said. “So right out of the gates, you’re not just playing a good team, you’re playing a program.”
The Eagles boast nine upperclassmen, led by senior forward Cory Hightower, who’s impressed Penn State’s staff during their scouting of the Eagles.
“Cory Hightower is a really good player,” Shrewsberry said. “We have to be ready for him right out of the gate.”
Hightower was selected to the All-Big South first team in the preseason and is the leader on this Eagles squad. Winthrop was picked to finish second in the Big South, and are looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament this season.
Penn State and Winthrop tip off at 7 p.m. on Monday inside the BJC with the home team excited to get started.
“I want to see what our environment looks like,” Shrewsberry said. “There’s a lot of people around telling me how excited they are about basketball. Like, ‘show me alright, show me and sit in the stands and cheer for us,’ like I want to see that.”
Adam Sheetz is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ads360@psu.edu.
