The McDonald’s Change of Pace

Story posted November 11, 2016 in CommRadio, Sports by Joseph Esquivel-Murphy

Any Penn State student that went to a basketball game last season would know that McDonald’s would give out free food the next day, if the team scored more than 70 points. Unfortunately for the students, the team struggled to get 70 points, averaging 65.8, good for a tie for 317th in the nation.

As the new season is about to begin, McDonald’s has stated that they will not give away free food if the team scores more than 70 points. The reason for the change is that Penn State have a realistic chance of scoring over 70 a game due to the changes in the backcourt.

Junior guard Shep Garner returns for the Nittany Lions after scoring just under 15 points per game last season. His three-point shooting is an asset and a detriment to Penn State as he can be lights out from behind the arc or struggle to find the bottom of the net.

Last season, Garner was forced to run the offense last season, making it harder for him to find his own shot. There were many games Garner was just distributing the ball and not looking to attack the defense in any way.

This season, Penn State have UConn transfer Terrance Samuel and top recruit Tony Carr joining the attack as their preferred position is point guard. The mix of experience and youth that the two bring will help this team try and contend for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Of all the players on the Penn State roster, Samuel by far has the most big game experience as he was part of the 2014 National Champion UConn team. While he did not have a huge role for the Huskies that year, his consistent bench role was needed as he was a solid playmaker and defender.

His ability to defend the point guard position and push the pace are vital for the Nittany Lions as they struggled at times to defend point guards. It also helps Penn State that Samuel played with Shabazz Napier and Ryan Boatright, two point guards who were capable of carrying teams to victory.

Carr enters Penn State as the top recruit in the last decade for the program. He is joined by teammates Lamar Stevens and Nazeer Bostick after leading Roman Catholic to back-to-back state championships.

Carr’s game meshes well with Garner as he is not a player that is going to shot over 15 times and rarely distribute the ball. Carr is more of a facilitator, willing to take the ball into the paint and find an open teammate in the post or on the three point line.

His ability to play defense on the perimeter also means that Pat Chambers could employ a small-ball lineup and run three point guards. Carr and Samuel are the same height, but Carr is a little longer, making it very plausible that Penn State will run Garner, Samuel and Carr at the same time.

The Nittany Lions are fully embracing a quicker tempo this season and the three guard connection would give Big Ten teams fits trying to stop them.

 

Joe Esquivel-Murphy is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email jje5139@psu.edu