UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.– Nittany Lion basketball head coach Patrick Chambers will look to three upperclassmen to help lead his first Penn State basketball team when the season opens Saturday, Nov. 12 vs. Hartford in a double-header with the Penn State football team.
Penn State named lone senior Cammeron Woodyard (Westminster, Md.) and juniors Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) and Billy Oliver (Chatham, N.J.) captains for the 2011-12 season. The three return the bulk of the experience from a 2010-11 squad that reached the Big Ten Tournament Championship game and made Penn State’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2001.
Frazier helped lead the charge toward the NCAA Tournament, posting 10.0 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game over the Lions’ final 11 games. The 6-1 junior returns as one of the top guards in the Big Ten after ranking third in conference games with 5.5 assists per game and second with a 2.36 assist-to-turnover ratio, and has played in every game the last two seasons while making 43 career starts.
Oliver is coming off his first healthy season in Blue and White after battling concussions and headaches that caused him to miss the bulk of his first two campaigns. Oliver, who redshirted his true freshman season and is in his fourth year in the program, played in 32 games last year, posting a career high 10 points in the season opening win over Lehigh. He has added 30 pounds of muscle to his 6-8 frame.
Woodyard has played in 76 career games over the past three years, including starting three games last season. The 6-5 guard, who has 27 career threes and posted a career high 10 points and seven rebounds vs. Michigan last year, is expected to play a much bigger role in his final campaign.
Chambers and the Nittany Lions will welcome all season ticket holders and members of the Penn State Hoops Club to an open practice event on Saturday, Oct. 22 in the Bryce Jordan Center main gym. Doors for the event will open at 11 a.m. Parking will be available in the Jordan Center Founder’s lot. Fans should enter through the Founder’s entrance on the east side of the Jordan Center where they can register. Fans can watch practice from the Jordan Center seats. A reception with pizza and refreshments and a meet-and-greet with team members and the coaching staff will follow in the Founder’s Lounge. The 2011-2012 team poster will be available for all fans, and several prizes will be given away at the reception.
Season tickets for Nittany Lion Basketball are $200 for adults, $170 for faculty/staff and seniors, $80 for youth (18 and under) and $59 for students. Lady Lion Basketball season tickets are $117 for adults, $91 for faculty/staff and seniors and $52 for youth. Penn State students will be admitted for free to Lady Lion basketball games beginning this season.
PNC Flex Books are also available again this year for $99. The Flex Book gives fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions’ Coaches Vs. Cancer game on Feb. 11 vs. Nebraksa and the Lady Lions’ Think Pink game on Feb. 26 vs. Minnesota.