Upon entering the mansion that Bruce Blake, Tom Hovasse and Christian Appleman call a dorm room, the first thing that greets a visitor are three chairs facing a television. Blake and Appleman are watching a taped Florida St.-Memphis St. game, which Blake keeps rewinding to replay missed dunks and poor calls by the officials.

The most noticeable feature in Appleman's third of the room is the mass of books on his desk. True, every student at the University has books scattered on his desk, but for Appleman it is somewhat symbolic. He is a person who has had to work for everything he has, including his spot on the roster.

When the men's basketball team plays Massachusetts at 7:30 tonight in Amherst, one of its four primary guards will be Appleman, who defected from the tennis team and was almost lured by football.

Appleman hails from Williamsburg, Pa., where he attended a high school of the same name. He was in a graduating class of 55 and played basketball for Coach Don Appleman, whom he affectionately calls 'Dad.' Although his parents never pushed him in sports, Appleman lettered in baseball and football as well.

Williamsburg did not field a tennis team when Appleman was a senior in 1985. During a year in which he was all-conference in football and set the modern Pennsylvania assist record (744), Appleman also won the district tennis title.

"I got interested in tennis at a pretty early age," Appleman said. "I pretty much taught myself and got good enough to compete. I entered (the district tournament) as an independent."

Appleman was ready to accept a partial football scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University when Penn State Tennis Coach Holmes Cathrall called. Cathrall, who had seen Appleman play at Penn State's summer tennis camp, offered Appleman a partial tennis scholarship and he accepted.

"Coach Cathrall is from the old school," Appleman said. "I was mentally into every point and used everything I had to win. He really liked that because that's how guys used to play."

The senior admits he knew little about Penn State's basketball program, except that there were only 12 scholarship players his freshman year. A walk-on was born.

"I went to Holmes and said, 'I'd like to walk on, but I know I'm not going to make it,' " Appleman said with a chuckle. "I'll never forget what he said; he said, 'You go out and knock someone on his butt, and you make that team.' "

With his coach completely behind him, Appleman went out to try to win a spot on Bruce Parkhill's team, which was coming off a 5-22 season. He was stunned when he learned he had made the team along with Paul Madison and Wes Jones.

"It's like living your wildest fantasy," Appleman said. "It was the best experience in my life, making the basketball team. It was the first thing I did on my own (without parental assistance). Coming to Penn State, I had had no intentions of playing basketball."

Appleman saw very little playing time his first two years, but was granted a basketball scholarship. He played last year behind Tony Ward and Mike Iuzzolino, but before the season began he had toyed with the idea of trying a new sport: football, the chairman of the board at Dear Old State.

He had played quarterback, safety and punter in high school, and it was the latter position he wanted to try when he attended spring practice in 1987.

"I didn't have any problem with it," Parkhill said. "Christian was at the point in time when he had to make a decision regarding which sport to pursue. I played three sports in college, so (I know) it's difficult to concentrate on each."

Appleman said that even if he had made the football team, his progress in basketball probably would have led him to stay with hoops. As he continued to spend most of his time on the sideline, Appleman had the opportunity to absorb every aspect of the college game. That was the coach in him.

"Christian thinks the game and studies the game much more than most players," Parkhill said. "Very few players think the game while they play it. It makes him a tremendous competitor and sets him apart from most players."

One of the players Appleman saw develop was Jones, who finished his career second on the all-time Penn State field goal percentage list. Jones is back with the team this year as Parkhill's graduate assistant, a position the coach reserves specifically for one of his former players, and one which will be vacant when Jones completes his graduate work this semester.

"I'd really like to be a coach here of some kind," Appleman said. "I've absorbed so much that I want to expand and help other guys. I'd like to coach on the college level. In high school, you have to be more of a teacher.

"My dad was a coach for at least 17 years, and he taught players almost from the ground up. But even in high school I was more of a strategist."

"Christian is like the player-coach," freshman guard Monroe Brown said. "He helps everybody and he really has that coach's mentality."

While talking about his prospective coaching career, Appleman pauses to exchange barbs with his roommates. He cracks on Hovasse's major (marketing) and the senior forward pokes fun when Appleman searches for the 'right word' when responding to a question.

Blake also chimes in about Appleman's penchant for verbosity, and everything is taken in stride. The 6-0 guard -- shortest on the team -- laughs when the team is described as a 'Big and Brawny Brady Bunch.'

"We are really a close-knit team," Appleman said. "We're always unmercifully cracking on each other, and it doesn't affect anyone. We've been through a whole lot since last March (after a disappointing season). I think that's even solidified us more as a team."

All three jokesters are seniors who have craved an appearance in a post-season tournament since they joined the team. With a 15-9 record, the team should come out of the Atlantic 10 tournament (March 4-6, 9) with no fewer than 18 wins.

While that probably won't be enough for the team to be invited the NCAA tourney, a National Invitational Tournament berth could become a lock if the Lions finish strong. With two straight blowout wins (following a blowout loss at No. 11 West Virginia), the team's confidence is at a season high.

"After we beat West Virginia in the A-10 tournament," Appleman said with a smile, "we're going to look them in the eye and thank them for what they did. That loss is the driving force for what we've done the last two games. We're not going to let up at all.

"Our attitude is that no matter who we play, we're going to play 40 minutes of hard-nosed, determined basketball. We should beat whoever we play."

Those are pretty big words for someone who wasn't even recruited for basketball in high school. He aptly summed up his ascension on the basketball team - he even started the first third of this season - which seems to coincide with his outlook on life.

"I was the 15th or 16th man, so I had to climb that ladder," Appleman said. "I gave 100 percent mentally and physically every day. Anything less, and I wasn't going to get any better. I always felt that hard work and practicing leads to something good, and that's the way it should be."