Tag: Kebba Njie

Meet Penn State basketball’s second highest recruit ever: Carey Booth

Penn State basketball’s second highest-rated recruit is a legacy commit.

Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] has been attacking the recruiting trail hard since he’s come to State College.

The 2022 class was the highest-rated class in Penn State basketball program history. Headlined by four-star recruit [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], there were five overall commits with the other players being three-start recruits according to 247Sports.

Njie, [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Evan Mahaffey[/autotag] were all in the rotation this season getting valuable experience as Penn State looks to rebuild their roster talent.

One of the things that has plagued the Nittany Lions in recent years is their lack of size and talent at the big man positions. Their inability to rebound and guard taller players in the Big Ten has been a big reason why Penn State has struggled during conference play.

It looks like Shrewsberry found his answer to those problems.

Four-star recruit and ESPN Top 100 player, [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag], committed to Penn State in the Class of 2023.

He’s the son of former Penn State star, [autotag]Calvin Booth[/autotag], who is now the General Manager of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.

Booth is the second highest-rated recruit in program history according to 247Sports. He ranks second behind [autotag]Tony Carr[/autotag] from the 2016 class.

Booth ranks 74th in the ESPN Top 100 for the class of 2023. He is listed at 6’10” and 190 pounds with a very advanced skill set.

He’s an athletic big who can attack and play above the rime. He also possesses the ability to dribble and create his own shot off the bounce. Booth is a natural athlete who is a shot blocker on the defensive end.

This is a major recruit for Shrewsberry and Penn State. Getting the son of a program legend is always a good sign about the health of the program overall.

It’s to be seen if Booth’s game at the high school level can translate to high major basketball in the Big Ten, but this is an exciting signing for Penn State as they continue to increase the level of athlete on the roster.

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Penn State holds off Indiana to advance to Big Ten Championship game

Jalen Pickett leads Penn State over Indiana and into the Big Ten championship game

It’s been a magical ride for Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament so far. After beating Illinois and Northwestern in close games, they faced their toughest test on Saturday against Indiana.

Indiana came into the tournament with hopes of winning it for the first time in program history. Penn State had those same aspirations, although they were certainly a longshot to pull it off.

It was Penn State who prevailed in the semifinal, winning 77-73, advancing to their second ever championship game.

The Nittany Lions got off to a slow start early and was down by six points four minutes into the game. After the media timeout, Penn State went on an 8-0 run to take a 14-12 lead after a [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] three.

They never relinquished their lead in the first half was dominating the game.

In the previous two games of the tournament, [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] had been very quiet on the offensive end. He wasn’t hitting his scoring averages and looked to be running out of gas.

He put that notion to bed early in this game. Pickett scored 13 points in the first half and was a big reason why Penn State was explosive on the offensive end.

They went into the locker room leading 34-26 at halftime.

After the Nittany Lions stifled Indiana’s offense in the first half, it was only a matter of time before the Hoosiers made their run.

Penn State did a good in the early minutes of the second half, extending their lead to 10 points. But right around the 17 minute mark, the Indiana run started.

Indiana tied the game at 47 with just over ten minutes left after a big [autotag]Trayce Jackson-Davis[/autotag] dunk. It looked like the momentum was swinging towards the Hoosiers and the game was getting away from Penn State.

The seniors for Penn State took over the game. Pickett made a layup, [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] buried a three and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] assisted freshman [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] for a dunk during their immediate 7-0 run.

From that point on, it was all Penn State. It looked like Funk put a dagger into Indiana when he drilled a 30 foot three point shot as the shot clock was expiring. That shot put them up by 11 points with four minutes left in the game.

But like all Penn State fans know, it’s not a Penn State basketball game unless it’s a nail biter.

With two minutes remaining in the game and the Nittany Lions up 13 points, it looked like the game was over.

That was certainly not the case.

Four turnovers and missed free throws kept Indiana in the game. They clawed at the lead possession by possession, capitalizing on all the late game mistakes given to them.

With 33 seconds left in the game, it was all of a sudden Penn State winning 74-73. [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] was fouled and hit two clutch free throws to put them up three points. Indiana’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, J[autotag]alen Hood-Schifino[/autotag], missed the game tying three and Nittany Lions players, coaches and fans let out a loud exhale in unison.

Pickett finished with a game high 28 points while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Lundy was the only other Penn State player in double figures with 16 points.

It was going to be difficult for Penn State to stifle consensus All-American Jackson-Davis. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. They did a good job on Hood-Schifino holding him to 11 points on 4-13 shooting.

Penn State now advances to the Big Ten Championship game for the second time in school history. In their only previous appearance, they lost to one seed Ohio State during the 2010-11 season.

This is the third time a double digit seed has made the championship game. Illinois did it twice in 1999 and 2008.

They’ll be facing a one seed again in Purdue who has already beaten the Nittany Lions in convincing fashion twice this season. Probable Player of the Year winner [autotag]Zach Edey[/autotag] has been a major problem for Penn State to contain and will have their hands full on Sunday.

The championship game will tip at 3:30pm ET on CBS.

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Penn State advances to Big Ten Tournament semifinals

Penn State is going to the Big Ten tournament semifinals

Another game, another thriller for Penn State basketball!

They survived another close game against Northwestern on Friday night, winning 67-65 in overtime.

This was the second time in the last two meetings between these teams that the game was decided in the overtime period. On March 1, at Northwestern, [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] hit the game winner at the buzzer. On Friday night, in the Big Ten tournament, the roles were almost reversed.

To start the game, it was classic Big Ten basketball to put it kindly. There was a total of 14 combined points with ten minutes to play in the first half. Northwestern looked rusty and Penn State looked tired.

The scoring pace eventually ticked up and the Nittany Lions found themselves in another seesaw game. There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first half, which has been a staple of Penn State’s tournament games.

At the halftime buzzer, Penn State trailed 25-26.

After starting the first half on the back foot, the Nittany Lions came out swinging to start the second. Their mini 6-0 run gave them a 31-26 lead four minutes into the half.

Penn State kept Northwestern at arms length for a while, taking their largest lead of the game at seven points. But the Wildcats kept hanging around and hanging around, using their defense to stifle a normally potent attack.

With just over six minutes left in the game, Northwestern took their first lead of the second half.

[autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] answered with a three to give immediately give Penn State the lead back and the race to the finish was on from there.

In the final six minutes, the lead changed three times and the score was tied twice. It looked like Penn State was going to hit another walk-off shot against Northwestern, but [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag]’s three just missed off the back rim to keep the game knotted at 56.

Penn State looked to put the game away early in the extra period, getting out to a quick four point lead. Northwestern clawed their way back into the game and took the lead with over one minute left. Then Lundy hit another big three to give the lead back to the Nittany Lions.

That lead was never relinquished. Penn State survived a shot at the buzzer to advance to their first Big Ten Tournament semifinal since 2018.

The box score may not show it, but it was another quiet offensive night for [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag]. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, but wasn’t as effective as normal. Lundy was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points and hit big shot after big shot. Yesterday’s star Andrew Funk had an off shooting night but finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.

A huge shoutout needs to be given to freshmen [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag]. They stepped up and made huge plays tonight. Clary scored 11 points and dished two assists. Njie added three points and four rebounds, but played a huge part in not allowing Northwestern to use their size on the interior. Clary and Njie were headliners of the highest rated recruiting class Penn State has ever had.

Northwestern’s star players had an off night. Second team All-Big Ten guard Boo Buie scored 16 points but shot 35% from the field. Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year Chase Audige finished with six points when he averages 14.1 per game.

It’s been a fantastic run for Penn State who has now won six out of their last seven games. They are playing fantastic team basketball and earned their way into the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

They’ll play the winner of Indiana and Maryland on Saturday at roughly 3:30 pm ET on CBS (25 minutes after the consluion of Purdue vs. Ohio State).

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Best photos from Penn State basketball’s win over Illinois

Here are the best photos from Penn State basketball’s big win over Illinois.

After four difficult losses in Big Ten play, to say Penn State needed a win on Tuesday night would be a massive understatement, But Penn State came out with some hot shooting and [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] electrified the offense with a 41-point outburst as the Nittany Lions snapped its losing ways with a home win against Illinois,

Penn State knocked off Illinois in a high-scoring affair with a 93-81 victory in the Bryce Jordan Center on Tuesday evening. The win improved Penn State to 15-11 overall and 6-9 in Big Ten play. The win came on a big night for the Big Ten standings as Wisconsin and Nebraska also won their games on Tuesday night, allowing the Nittany Lions to avoid falling farther down the Big Ten standings.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s big home win against the Illini.

Best photos from Penn State’s game vs. Purdue at the Palestra

Here are the best photos from Penn State basketball’s game at the Palestra vs. Purdue

Penn State basketball once again made itself at home in one of college basketball’s historic venues, the Palestra in Philadelphia, on Sunday evening against one of the top teams in the sport, the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue brought a no. 1 ranking into the Palestra and looked to avoid being the first top-ranked team in the AP poll to lose a game in the arena in over 60 years, but Penn State gave the Boilermakers a bit of a scare in the first half.

Penn State couldn’t build off the energy of leading Purdue at halftime and struggled to slow down the momentum shift favoring Purdue after halftime.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s virtual home game in the Palestra against No. 1 Purdue.

Penn State stays hot from three in rout of Loyola

Penn State basketball makes more history from three-point land in win over Loyola

Just days after setting a program record for three-pointers made in a season-opening win, Penn State’s men’s basketball team kept draining from beyond the arc in a blowout victory over Loyolya on Thursday night in the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State drained 16 three-pointers and got a balanced attack from across the lineup in a 90-65 victory over Loyola to improve to 2-0.

“I’m just proud of our guys for the second game in a row. How we played, the pace we played at, the maturity that we started the game with,” head coach Micah Shrewsberry said after the win. “That was the biggest thing that I talked to those guys about, is we want to be better every game we play. We want to get better. We don’t want to take any steps back, and I didn’t feel like we did that.”

[autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag], a key transfer from Drexel, was Penn State’s leading scorer with 18 points and [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag], [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag], and [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] each scored in double figures. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] was an assist machine with 11 assists in the game.

Penn State jumped out to an early lead on the strength of its three-point shooting but Loyola cut the Penn State lead to 21-19 with a run with just under nine minutes to play in the first half. Dread helped regain control with three three-pointers in the next five minutes to fuel a 14-4 Penn State run to help take a 40-29 halftime lead. Penn State kept Loyola at a healthy distance for the rest of the night.

With the 90 points scored on Thursday coupled with the 93 points scored in Penn State’s season-opening win against Winthrop, Penn State has scored 90 points in back-to-back games for the first time since December 2016. It is also the first time Penn State has hit 15 or more three-pointers in back-to-back games in program history.

Next up for the Nittany Lions is a home game against Butler, of the Big East. Penn State hosts Butler in the 2022 Gavitt Games, an eight-0game series between schools from the Big Ten and Big East. Penn State is 1-2 all-time against Butler but has not faced the Bulldogs since 1992. Penn State is 2-1 in the Gavitt Games. The Big East won last year’s Gavitt Games, 6-2.

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Penn State Basketball Snapshot Profile: Kebba Njie

Penn State men’s basketball should see an early impact from freshman Kebba Njie.

Penn State men’s basketball is heading into its second season under head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], and the bar is looking to be raised as the Nittany Lions look to return to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2011. With a roster of key returning veterans and fresh new talent from the recruiting efforts of the new staff, there is a sense of optimism to rely on in the 2022-23 season.

Over the course of the preseason, will are profiling each player on the roster to help fans get acquainted with this year’s roster of Nittany Lions men’s basketball players and what kind of role each player will be taking on for Shrewsberry.

Here is a look at one of Penn State’s biggest new additions, freshman [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag].

Preseason Profile: PLAYER Kebba Njie

Position Forward
Year Freshman
Hometown (High School) Centerville, OH
(La Lumiere (IN))
Height 6-10
Weight 237

Recruiting Profile

Penn State scored one of the top recruits in program history by signing Kebba Njie in the Class of 2022. Njie was rated as a four-star recruit on the 247Sports composite rankings and a top 100 player in the nation by ESPN. He is reportedly the second highest-ranked player in program history. Njie’s recruitment was a big victory for Shrewsberry as Njie committed to Penn State over offers from Butler and Kansas State.

Role in 2022-23

Penn State fans may not have to wait too long to see Kebba Njie find his role on the team. The star freshman could quickly become a fixture in the starting lineup for Shrewsberry and the Nittany Lions. Njie is expected to be one of the top impact freshmen in the Big Ten according to 247Sports, and he will definitely be adding some needed size to the roster.

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Penn State men’s basketball adds 4-star forward to recruiting class

Penn Stae men’s basketball got a big-time legacy commitment for Micah Shrewsberry.

Penn State men’s basketball may finally be turning things around. Head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] has locked up one of the biggest recruits in the program’s history.

Four-star forward [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] announced his verbal commitment to play for Shrewsberry and his rejuvenated Nittany Lions when doing a live stream with 247Sports on Wednesday. His commitment comes on the same day that Penn State was a finalist for recruit Deshawn Harris-Smith, but he committed to Big Ten rival Maryland.

Booth is the second-highest-rated recruit in Penn State’s history, according to 247Sports. He joins guards [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] and [autotag]Logan Imes[/autotag] as the headlining trio for Penn State in the 2023 recruiting class.

The best part of Booth’s commitment is the size he will bring to the team. Current tall men on the team are [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] and [autotag]Demetrius Lilley[/autotag] who stand at 6’8″ and 6’10” respectively. Booth is listed at 6’8″ so while he won’t be the tallest on the team he will be a strong option at the forward position.

Another fun wrinkle to all of this, his father, Calvin Booth played for the Nittany Lions from 1995-1999. He would turn a successful Penn State college career into an 11-season career in the NBA. The elder Booth can now be found running the Denver Nuggets as the Head of Basketball Operations.

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Penn State Men’s Basketball Class of 2022 sets bar high for future of program

Here’s the full rundown of Penn State basketball’s Class of 2022, regarded as the best in program history

The future of Penn State men’s basketball provided a big dose of optimism with the signing of the first recruiting class under head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Shrewsberry quickly signed one of the best recruiting classes in Penn State’s program history. Penn State set the bar high on the recruiting trail as Shrewsberry begins forming the foundation for the future of the program.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 is actually the highest-rated recruiting class in school history, and this was without the benefit of a full recruiting cycle since being hired as the head coach for Shrewsberry.

Here’s a look at Penn State basketball’s Class of 2022, the first signed by Micah Shrewsberry.

Penn State men’s basketball extends offer to four-star center in Class of 2023

Micah Shrewsberry keeps building for the future with his latest offer to Kebba Njie, a four-star center from the state of Indiana.

Penn State men’s basketball is off to a solid start in building its future under new head coach Micah Shrewsberry. There is still a lot of work to be done, but Shrewsberry and Penn State have shown they are not afraid to jump into the water with the college basketball powers on the recruiting trail.

Among the latest offers extended by Penn State’s basketball program is one to Kebba Njie, a four-star center from Indiana. Njie updated the offer sheet he has accumulated with confirmation he has received an offer from Penn State.

If there is a point of emphasis on the Penn State basketball recruiting efforts, it is to improve their size, and Njie could potentially do just that. At 6′-8″, Njie is certainly a recruit to keep eyes on.

According to 247 Sports, Njie is currently holding offers from Kansas State and Dayton. He reportedly has an interest in Ohio State and Cincinnati as well, although the Buckeyes and BearCats have yet to extend an offer at this time.

 

Shrewsberry is doing a solid job in branching out on the recruiting trail for Penn State, and his connections to Indiana recruits from his time as a Purdue assistant certainly could come into play. With a little work, Penn State may have a basketball program that won’t fly completely in the shadows of the football program.

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