The men's basketball team has been searching all season for someone to provide the leadership lost with the graduation of center Ed Fogell. Now, it seems that a myriad of players are stepping in to fill those shoes.

At last week's Atlantic 10 tournament, three Lions garnered all-tournament honors as Penn State won its first A-10 crown in its final season of conference play.

Forwards DeRon Hayes and James Barnes were selected and guard Freddie Barnes, who has probably played his best month of basketball, was named tounament MVP.

Freddie Barnes notched 18 points in the championship game against George Washington and led the Lions with 15 points in a 52-50 semifinal victory over Temple. Barnes dished out 18 assists over the three games.

Barnes has provided the thrust for the Lions' resurgence of late. The point guard has led Penn State in scoring in five of the last eight games.

In the semifinal win over Temple, Barnes sank three free throws to ice the Lion victory. He hit two technical foul shots with 19 seconds remaining and then sank a free throw with five seconds left to give Penn State its 52nd point.

"Freddie has stepped to another level the last two weeks," Coach Bruce Parkhill said. "He has taken control and become more aggressive. He's done some great things.

"The point guard is a catalyst. When Freddie gets it going it filters through the whole team."

Hayes sparkled in the tournament as well, notching 47 points in the three games. The sophomore netted a career-high 24 points in the first-round 83-64 triumph over Duquesne.

Hayes sizzled early in the GW game, scoring six of Penn State's first 10 points. He finished 6-of-11 from the field.

"He's really pretty amazing," Parkhill said of Hayes. "He draws a lot of attention when he's on the floor and he's still playing tough."

James Barnes registered 14, 11 and 22 points in the tournament.

In the championship game, Barnes dominated in the paint, hitting 6-of-9 from the floor. His presence inside propelled the Lion offense as he scored 18 of his 22 in the second half.

Barnes was also a flawless 10-of-10 from the free throw line in the GW game, all in the second half. Barnes, a senior, grabbed 22 rebounds for the tournament.

The "Bear" hit two key 3-point plays, scoring on rebounds and hitting the foul shots. He sank two free throws with 1:53 remaining to seal the Penn State victory.

"When they needed a big basket, he got it," GW coach Mike Jarvis said. "He was the man -- he was in charge of the lane. It's tough to go around the mountain and he's a mountain."