Tag: Jamari Wheeler

Penn State fields team for annual The Basketball Tournament

Check out this roster of former Penn State basketball stars gearing up for The Basketball Tournament.

The Basketball Tournament has turned into one of the best basketball events in the United States. It’s a single elimination bracket with the majority of team rosters full of college basketball alumni from years past. The winning team of the tournament takes home $1 million. This event first started in 2014 and takes place every summer.

This year, Penn State will be represented with a roster to compete for the $1 million prize.

Happy Valley Hoopers is a team made up of all Penn State alumni of years past. It was put together by [autotag]John Harrar[/autotag] and is full of familiar faces and a program legend.

Here is the full roster.

  • Ross Condon – Head Coach
  • Austin Waggoner – Assistant Coach
  • Zach Zygmunt – Assistant Coach
  • John Harrar
  • Myles Dread
  • Shep Garner
  • Mike Watkins
  • Josh Reaves
  • Sam Sessoms
  • Jamari Wheeler
  • Trent Buttrick
  • Curtis Jones Jr.
  • Taylor Nussbaum

This is the first time a team full of Penn State alumni will compete in The Basketball Tournament. They’re in the Syracuse region and are playing The Nerd Squad in the first round.

Condon was an assistant coach and Director of Basketball Operations for Penn State on Pat Chamber’s staff. He currently is the Manager of Basketball Partnerships for Teamworks.

[autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] is the most recent Penn State alumni coming off the magical run in March. He gets to play with his old teammates [autotag]Josh Reaves[/autotag], [autotag]Mike Watkins[/autotag], [autotag]Sam Sessoms[/autotag] and Harrar again.

Program legend [autotag]Shep Garner[/autotag] returns to represent Penn State again. He holds the record for most made three pointers in a career and in a single season.

[autotag]Jamari Wheeler[/autotag] and [autotag]Trent Buttrick[/autotag] are back with Penn State after graduate transferring to Ohio State and UMass respectively.

The Happy Valley Hoopers will play their first round game against The Nerd Squad on July 24th at 4pm Eastern Time and can be watched on the ESPN networks.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=11]

Ex-Penn State guard transfers to Ohio State

Penn State basketball lost a key player to a Big Ten rival by way of the transfer portal.

The good news had been rolling in for everyone involved regarding the Penn State basketball program. New head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] had hit the transfer portal hard, getting some big names to join the Nittany Lions for the upcoming season. He was also able to convince [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] to stay with the program after the head coaching change.

There was hope that [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] would be one of the players that would come back to Penn State after entering his name in the transfer portal around five weeks ago.

Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition.

Mahaffey committed to Big Ten foe Ohio State on Wednesday after one year in State College.

He was part of the 2022 class that was Penn State’s highest recruiting class ever and was able to see the floor in his freshman season. He appeared in 34 games for Penn State last year, averaging 9.4 minutes per game.

Mahaffey is an Ohio native who decided to leave the state despite being offered by two Ohio universities when coming out of high school. Mahaffey was a consensus three-star recruit who was the sixth-ranked player in the state and the 192nd-ranked player in the country.

This may seem eerily similar to some Penn State fans who saw former Nittany Lion guard, [autotag]Jamari Wheeler[/autotag], depart State College for Columbus in 2021, although, Wheeler did leave as a graduate transfer.

Mahaffey leaving is a bit of a blow to Penn State who sees one of their young rotation players leaving after one season. In the 9.4 minutes per game, he averaged 2.8 points and 1.1 rebounds but started to come on strong towards the end of the year. There was no doubt that he would have played major minutes his sophomore season for Penn State after the departures of the graduating seniors.

Ultimately, Mahaffey decided to go back to his home state and will now see his former school at least two times a year. Based on the reception that Wheeler received, the fans may have those games circled on their calendars.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

[mm-video type=video id=01gzfk6fpqfhz4cb318v playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gzfk6fpqfhz4cb318v/01gzfk6fpqfhz4cb318v-7050f734b25d704acd13643ec4d5896d.jpg]

Jamari Wheeler, Meechie Johnson both game time decisions for Minnesota game

Hopefully, these two can go and Ohio State can keep pace with the top of the Big Ten.

The Ohio State basketball team gets back in action Thursday night when it travels to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It’ll be OSU’s first game since it ran IUPUI off the court last Tuesday. The Buckeyes were supposed to play this past weekend, but their game against Nebraska was shelved because of COVID-19 protocols within the Huskers’ program.

If Ohio State is going to win, it may have to do it while being a little rough around the edges. Both Jamari Wheeler and Meechie Johnson will be game-time decisions according to head coach Chris Holtmann.

Wheeler, the team’s main ball-handler, point guard, and defensive annoyance for other teams, has been dealing with a foot injury that has limited his time in practice said Holtmann. Wheeler is averaging 7.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest in 29.8 minutes per night.

Johnson has been unavailable the past three games after suffering a facial fracture and concussion in practice leading up to the Wisconsin home game. He has come off the bench to provide a boost at times, averaging 6.6 points per game.

The game against Minnesota will be a key contest the Buckeyes need to win in order to keep pace at the top of the league. You can catch all the action starting at 8 p.m. EST.

[listicle id=67137]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Projecting the Ohio State basketball starting lineup, key players for next season 3.0

Now that we know what E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington are going to do, here’s an updated look at what the starting lineup and rotation could be for OSU hoops next season. What do you think?

As soon as the season ended, we went through an exercise of projecting what Ohio State basketball’s starting lineup and key contributors could look like for the 2021-2022 season. We then followed that up after some more changes. Musa Jallow transferred out of the program. The Buckeyes brought in Penn State transfer guard Jabari Wheeler and Indiana transfer Joey Brunk. Kyle Young surprised everyone by deciding to come back for one more season.

And now, with both NBA decisions being made by E.J. Liddell (he’s returning) and Duane Washington (he’s not), the roster is as set as it has ever been. Yeah, seems like the perfect time to go through projecting the Ohio State basketball lineup again. Sure, we could still see a transfer add maybe, but more or less, we know the general landscape of everything.

With all of that in mind, here is our third — and likely final effort — at projecting what the five starters for the next hoops season at Ohio State could look like, with a run through the rest of the key contributors.

As always, and as we’ve stated before, we reserve the right to change this and be wrong, because — well, college basketball.

Next … The projected starting lineup

A look at the Big Ten basketball steals leaders in 2020-21

In the latest installment of this series looking back at the best of the Big Ten from last season, I will be reviewing the leaders in set…

Despite frequent struggles last season on the offensive side of the ball, the Wisconsin Badgers played solid team defense throughout most of last year. Two players who exemplified that were guards Brad Davison and Jonathan Davis, who both made the top 15 in steals for this season. It was exciting to see two Badger players create turnovers at such a high-level last season, especially Davis, who was playing limited minutes as a true freshman.

Related: A look at the Big Ten basketball assists leaders in 2020-2021

Below is the ranking of the top 15 players in steals per game from the Big Ten Conference 2020-21 season. Players from Wisconsin, Penn State, Illinois, Michigan, Rutgers, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota, Maryland and Indiana have all made the list:

[listicle id=30323]

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

Jamari Wheeler’s transfer from Penn State to Ohio State is now official

Jamari Wheeler has officially been added to the Ohio State program, bringing his defensive skills to one of Penn State’s Big Ten opponents.

Jamari Wheelers’s status as a former Nittany Lion is now officially official. Ohio State confirmed the addition of Wheeler to the Buckeyes’ basketball program, sealing the transfer process for Wheeler from Happy Valley to Columbus.

Wheeler was among the large number of Penn State men’s basketball players to enter the transfer portal at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season for the Nittany Lions. About two weeks later, Wheeler announced he had made his decision, with the Buckeyes getting the nod.

Now that all of the paperwork and documentation has been filed, Ohio State was able to make the formal announcement and welcome Wheeler to the Ohio State family.

Another Nittany Lion on his way out via the transfer portal could be closing in on his decision as well. Myreon Jones is reportedly focusing his transfer decision on four SEC schools. Jones is reportedly focusing on Florida, LSU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. A decision could come as early as this week.

Meanwhile, new Penn State men’s basketball coach is busy trying to figure out how to move forward with his new program. Figuring out just who will be back on the roster is the first key to Shewsberry’s first offseason as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

Follow Nittany Lions on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Penn State Nittany Lions Men’s Basketball NCAA Tournament History

Jamari Wheeler’s transfer from Penn State to Ohio State is now official

Jamari Wheeler has officially been added to the Ohio State program, bringing his defensive skills to one of Penn State’s Big Ten opponents.

[mm-video type=video id=01f10y16wa6dr1nyrp playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f10y16wa6dr1nyrp/01f10y16wa6dr1nyrp-4179c413037bdbceeec361fe1aaf4ce5.jpg]

Jamari Wheelers’s status as a former Nittany Lion is now officially official. Ohio State confirmed the addition of Wheeler to the Buckeyes’ basketball program, sealing the transfer process for Wheeler from Happy Valley to Columbus.

Wheeler was among the large number of Penn State men’s basketball players to enter the transfer portal at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season for the Nittany Lions. About two weeks later, Wheeler announced he had made his decision, with the Buckeyes getting the nod.

Now that all of the paperwork and documentation has been filed, Ohio State was able to make the formal announcement and welcome Wheeler to the Ohio State family.

Another Nittany Lion on his way out via the transfer portal could be closing in on his decision as well. Myreon Jones is reportedly focusing his transfer decision on four SEC schools. Jones is reportedly focusing on Florida, LSU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. A decision could come as early as this week.

Meanwhile, new Penn State men’s basketball coach is busy trying to figure out how to move forward with his new program. Figuring out just who will be back on the roster is the first key to Shewsberry’s first offseason as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

Follow Nittany Lions on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Penn State Nittany Lions Men’s Basketball NCAA Tournament History

A look at the Big Ten basketball assists leaders in 2020-2021

This article will look at the Big Ten Conference season leaders in assists, who are some of the best players in not only the Big Ten this…

As the 2020-21 men’s basketball season is nearing its end, we begin to look back at the Big Ten Conference and the great individual performances from this season.

Despite a senior season that had its fair share of difficulties, Wisconsin guard D’Mitrik Trice was able to make the top 10 among very impressive players such as Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu, Michigan guard Mike Smith and Iowa guard Jodan Bohannon. These players have been the most dominant at their position this season, and it is no surprise to see them leading the Big Ten in such an important category that shows their ability to create plays for their team in addition to their electric scoring.

It will be interesting to see how the Badgers will attempt to replace the playmaking ability of D’Mtrik Trice at the point guard position going into next year, especially with the entrance of backup point guard Trevor Anderson into the transfer portal.

Below are the top 10 leaders in assists from the Big Ten Conference 2020-21 season. Players from Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn State, Northwestern, Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota have all made the list.

Penn State basketball transfer Jamari Wheeler commits to Ohio State

On the same day Penn State introduced its new basketball coach, one of its key players announced he is heading to the Buckeyes.

Penn State men’s basketball welcomed a new era as Micah Shrewberry delivered his first press conference as head coach. Just hours later, former Penn State guard Jamari Wheeler announced he will play basketball at Ohio State next season.

Wheeler announced he would enter the transfer portal two weeks ago. He originally committed to Jim Ferry at Duquesne and followed him to Penn State when Ferry took an assistant role under Pat Chambers. With both coaches now out of the picture in State College, Wheeler’s transfer shouldn’t come to a surprise.

What is, however, is Wheeler’s commitment to a conference rival like Ohio State. An All-Big Ten defensive player, Wheeler brings length and size to Columbus to help compete for a national championship.

Shrewsberry has his work cut out for him before the season even starts. John Harrar, Myreon Jones and Seth Lundy also announced they will be leaving the program. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, Izaiah Brockington who entered the transfer portal as well, will return to Happy Valley.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter @NittanyLionWire.

Like Nittany Lions Wire on Facebook.

Micah Shrewsberry knows he can always call Brad Stevens or Matt Painter for some advice

 

Ohio State basketball gets Penn State transfer Jamari Wheeler

Ohio State received news that Penn State guard Jamari Wheeler will transfer to the program next year. The defense just got instantly better.

Just when you thought things might be relatively quiet with the roster for Ohio State hoops, we get word that the Buckeyes have landed Penn State transfer guard Jamari Wheeler.

Wheeler already notched four years in Happy Valley but has decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility the NCAA has allowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 6-foot, 170-pounder averaged 6.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 31.2 minutes of play his senior season.

But where Wheeler may really make a difference for Ohio State is his ability to defend. He is known as an elite defender and created havoc against the OSU guards during a run in the second half of the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. He averaged 1.8 steals per game this past season.

Wheeler announced the news on Twitter.

Buckeye head coach Chris Holtmann said that getting better defensively was a priority in the offseason. Little did we know it would come in the form of a transfer that will immediately mark some improvement on that end of the floor for one season in Columbus. Also, of note, the addition of Wheeler puts Ohio State one over the scholarship limit so we’ll be on the lookout to see who leaves the program to make room.

Welcome to the dark side Jamari. Games against Penn State should take on some unique fun next season.

[listicle id=48163]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.