Mar 16, 2006 3 min read

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – After four straight down years at Penn State, Travis Parker thinks he might have run out of eligibility at the wrong time. The senior forward helped Penn State finish 15-15 this season, quite an accomplishment considering the Nittany Lions couldn’t crack double-digit victories in the previous four campaigns.

A home loss to Rutgers on Tuesday in the National Invitation Tournament ended Penn State’s season, but Parker is hopeful for better things to come.

“Maybe, I’ll get over it, but they still have a good team,” said Parker, the team captain and the lone senior. “I’m still going to be part of it because I helped them out.”

More stability on the roster would help. Several players left the school or transferred with eligibility remaining over the past couple seasons, and this year’s roster included six new players.

The talk this year was about a different attitude and more cohesiveness on the team, a signal that the days of the roster shuffling might be over.

“I think we’ve come a long way. I think we’ve really improved,” Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. “I think the kids played pretty well down the stretch.”

Parker played well in his last game, scoring 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and injecting the team with energy when he was on the court.

Frontcourt mates sophomore Geary Claxton and freshman Jamelle Cornley provided similar sparks. And the pair gives DeChellis two nice building blocks.

Claxton led the Nittany Lions in scoring and rebounding. At 6-foot-5, he could often be found soaring into the lane for layups or rebound over taller defenders, capitalizing on his leaping ability.

Cornley was the Big Ten’s freshman of the year and averaged about 11 points and six rebounds.

Lacking height in the starting lineup and confidence in some of the taller players on the bench, DeChellis resorted to zone defenses late in the season in an effort to contain bigger opponents. It worked at times, and Penn State held its own in rebounding.

But there were games in which Penn State couldn’t contain a hot shooter capable of busting the zone. DeChellis has said he prefers more up-tempo basketball, though he didn’t have quite the lineup to implement the scheme this season.

DeChellis scheduled what might be considered a soft non-conference schedule to help gain wins and build confidence in his young team. The team showed improvement going into Big Ten play, and scored a big upset last month when it beat then-No. 6 Illinois, which ended the Illini’s 33-game home winning streak.

But Penn State then lost its next two games at home, to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Guard play was spotty, though this year’s starters, David Jackson and point man Ben Luber, will both be seniors next season. Luber goes into the offseason off a good game, scoring 17 points and going 5-of-9 from 3-point range against Rutgers.

Sharpshooter Danny Morrissey, who missed this season with a left knee injury, should be back. Freshman Milos Bogetic became a fan favorite for his penchant to take jump shots, but could help the team more by adding bulk and improving his inside play.

“We’ve come a long, long way from really not competing to competing and having a chance to win games,” DeChellis said. “Hopefully, good things will continue for us on the horizon.”