UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - When faced with adversity, Nittany Lion
basketball coach Patrick Chambers always says that you have two choices.
You can face the adversity with a positive attitude and enthusiasm.
Or you can deal with the adversity with a negative outlook.
In Chambers' mind, there is no thought process that went into how he and the
Nittany Lion basketball program will deal with Tim Frazier's season-ending
Achilles injury.
"We're going to go out and compete," Chambers said. "Don't feel sorry for
us. We're going to go out and
grind."
It goes without saying that Frazier's production will be sorely missed by the
Nittany Lions in 2012-13, but the senior guard will bounce back from the
injury.
"He is resilient. He will
persevere. He will rebound from this
injury. And he will come back bigger,
better and stronger," Coach Chambers said.
Without Frazier's production - 21.7 points per game and 5.0 assists per game
through the first three outings - the Nittany Lions will need a collective team
effort every night on the floor. One
person will not fill the shoes of Frazier.
It is going to take a committee of players stepping up on a nightly
basis.
"Now, somebody has to step up," Chambers said.
"It is a great opportunity for some of our freshmen and for some of our
guys who have been wanting to play. They
have to step up. We always talk about
play with a purpose. Maybe Tim Frazier
is just that purpose that you need to play a little bit harder."
Sophomore guard D.J. Newbill will take the reins of the offense as the primary
ball handler, something he is looking forward to.
"I think I am adjusting to it fine.
Coach is working with me," Newbill said.
"We can't play as fast as we did with Tim, but we can still push the
ball, move the ball and get good shots.
Guys have to step up."
Newbill added that everyone on the team understands how important it is for the team to compete every time it steps on the floor. Junior Jermaine Marshall is a player that will play a key role in Penn State's offensive attack moving forward. Marshall is a skilled guard with the capability of being a consistent scorer, but he also understands the importance of each player providing consistent effort on defense.
"We have to win games on defense," Marshall said. "That's our staple and we just have to continue to play hard."
There is no time for the Nittany Lions to dwell on the absence of Frazier. An undefeated Bucknell team (5-0) will be in the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Bison have wins over Purdue (70-65) and George Mason (61-56).
"We have a great team coming in on Friday," Chambers said. "We have to defend and rebound. We have to play Penn State basketball."
Newbill and the Nittany Lions have one option heading into Friday's game - play hard.
"It's unfortunate, but we can't sulk on it," Newbill said. "We have to move forward. We have a long season ahead of us. We still have a great group of guys who are willing to work hard, and we can still come out and compete."
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