Sinking Stephens

Lion Jarrett Stephens searches for old magic

To Penn State forward Jarrett Stephens it must seem like two years ago -- not two months ago -- that he was starring for an undefeated Nittany Lion men's basketball team.

The team was thriving, jumping out to a 6-0 start in non-conference play and Stephens was a big factor in the Lions' success. Every shot he took seemed to fall and he was a rebounding force for Penn State.

But somewhere along the line things went off track for both Penn State and Stephens.

The season began to sour for the Lions after point guard Dan Earl was sidelined for the season. After that, the losses began to mount and Stephens became less effective.

"I'm really not sure," said Stephens when asked what the reason was for his removal from the starting lineup. "I know a lot of it had to do with me and some of the mistakes I've made, but other than that I really don't know."

He first sat the bench against Mississippi State in the Sun Bowl Tournament at the end of December. This came after Stephens scored 10 points the day before in a loss against UTEP.

Penn State coach Jerry Dunn said he sat the power forward down because he wasn't happy with his consistency.

The move didn't help. Since the loss to the Bulldogs, Stephens has looked timid on the court and has played like a man without confidence. Without his scoring and rebounding, the Lions have floundered, going 1-4.

Stephens was reinserted into the starting lineup against Michigan but then backed up Carl Jackson in the Lions' next two games against Purdue and Minnesota. He was then given the nod in Penn State's game against Wisconsin last week. This has left the 6-foot-6 forward feeling a little mixed up.

"Recently I felt like I've been a little bit confused as to what my role is," Stephens said. "I'm just trying to get back to where I was in the beginning of the season or the end of last season. That's just going out and playing hard and being able to help the team. I don't think in the last few games I've really helped the team and I don't know if that's the reason for the outcome of the game."

It certainly hasn't helped. During the Big Ten season, Stephens has been a shell of his former self. He has continually turned the ball over and hasn't been able to score in double digits in Penn State's last three games.

"I guess in the games some of the shots I'm taking are not falling," Stephens said. "When we're watching film I can see myself making a lot of mistakes I shouldn't be making. I blame that all on myself. I hope to come out of this slump real soon."

So do his teammates. Stephens was a catalyst for the Lions' early season victories, now he is a scapegoat for their recent problems. The blame can't be entirely directed at Stephens, but some of the responsibility falls on the forward's monstrous shoulders.

"I think it's all in Jarrett's head," said Lion guard Pete Lisicky. "He has to find that fire again. He's getting down on himself too much."

The junior has begun to turn the ball over with frequency since being taken out of the lineup. He had five turnovers against Michigan and Purdue and two against Minnesota and Wisconsin. He has 32 turnovers this season, second only to freshman point guard Joe Crispin.

Some point to a lack of confidence as the cause of the turnovers and his inability to score, but Dunn disagrees.

"I don't think he's lost confidence," Dunn said. "He's got the same level of confidence that he had before but the ball isn't going into the basket right now."

Dunn may feel that Stephens is the same confident big man who poured in 22 points against Loyola (Md.) in November and missed only 9 of 30 shots taken in Penn State's first four games, but something is definitely wrong. Stephens is convinced this is just temporary, though.

"I can see my confidence level has gone down a little bit," Stephens said. "I feel really blessed that everything is going to be all right and that this is just a little slump I'm going through and I know it'll come back."