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Stevens earns first team nod

From staff reports

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State was represented with four individuals selected to Big Ten Conference men’s basketball honors lists as announced by the league office on Monday.

Senior forward Lamar Stevens, junior forward John Harrar, junior guard Jamari Wheeler and sophomore guard Myreon Jones were recognized for their efforts this season. The 2019-20 Nittany Lions recorded 21 overall wins and their second-highest Big Ten Conference wins total in program history with 11.

Stevens was selected as a member of the All-Big Ten Conference first team by the league’s coaches and media as announced on Monday. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, continues to make history, now as only the second Nittany Lion to earn All-Big Ten first-team accolades twice.

“Lamar Stevens will be remembered for not only what he has done on the court, but he’ll leave a legacy at Penn State that goes beyond any of those accomplishments,” said Penn State men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers. “His loyalty, commitment and leadership will leave a lasting impact on our program for years to come.”

For the second-straight season, Stevens finished in the Big Ten’s top 10 for both scoring and rebounding, he finished the regular season fourth in scoring (18.0 ppg) in conference games and 10th in rebounding (6.7 rbg). He currently stands second on Penn State’s all-time scoring list with 2,207 career points and is one of only two Nittany Lions who amassed 2,000 career points and 800 career rebounds.

Stevens has scored at least 500 points in each of the last three seasons, one of only two Nittany Lions with that achievement. He has started every game in his Penn State career, and now holds the Nittany Lion record with 135 consecutive starts, a career starting streak that is second in the nation. He holds spots on numerous Penn State top-10 lists and Stevens helped make the 2019-20 senior class the winningest in Penn State’s Big Ten era with 76 wins over four years and averaging 20 wins over the last three years.

Junior guard Jamari Wheeler earned a spot on the coaches’ All-Defensive Team, the fourth Nittany Lion to receive such recognition. The Big Ten’s leader in steals with 48 and steals per game (1.5), Wheeler was a disruptive force and harassed opponent point guards. In addition to his defensive prowess, Wheeler maintained one of the Big Ten’s best assist to turnover ratios and has 99 assists on the year.

Penn State’s second leading scorer, sophomore Jones, was named an honorable mention by members of the Big Ten Conference media contingent. Jones averaged above 14.0 points per game and led the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage for most of the season. From Birmingham, Alabama, Myreon Jones connected for 56 treys, good for third in the league, and dished off to teammates 74 times.

Junior forward Harrar was selected the 2020 Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Award winner for Penn State. A member of the program’s leadership council, Harrar has started 14 games for the Nittany Lions in 2019-20 and recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-best 14 rebounds vs. Northwestern Saturday.

Penn State opens Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday, March 12, as the No. 6 seed. The Nittany Lions will face the winner of Wednesday’s No. 11 Indiana/No. 14 Nebraska game.

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