Of those players, none will be facing a tougher task than point guard Brandon Watkins.

Watkins will have to come out from under the shadow of one of the most prolific scorers in Nittany Lion history, graduated point guard Joe Crispin. Crispin's 1,986 points rank him second on the school's all-time list, and by leading his team to the Sweet Sixteen, he cemented his place in Penn State history as one of the school's most productive players.

Watkins may not be expected to be the scorer Crispin was, but he will have to be a floor leader. On a team with only one returning starter, he will likely have to be an emotional leader as well. It is a role he thinks he is ready for.

"Coming out of high school I was always a vocal leader and a leader on the floor," Watkins said. "It's kind of not anything new to me. I was still a leader when those guys were here, I just did it in my own way. I worked hard, and I pushed myself. Some of the other guys that were under me last year, like (sophomore guards) Shareef (Chambliss), and Jamaal (Tate), they saw that. Even the older guys, they saw me working hard. I'm sure if it was a slower day for them, they probably tried to pick it up too."

Much like he will be this season, Watkins was thrust into a leadership role in his senior year in high school. Though he had lettered the previous two years, he didn't earn the starting point guard job until his senior year at Mt. St. Joseph's High School in Chicago. Watkins stepped up to lead the legendary high school, which has graduated such accomplished alumni as Isiah Thomas, to its first Illinois state championship.

"What that tells me is here's a guy who's a winner," Penn State men's basketball coach Jerry Dunn said. "Here's a guy who understands winning, and is willing to give of himself to get that done."

Watkins returns with the experience of being the Lions' sixth man last season, a role that garnered him 12 minutes per game but few scoring chances. In the 35 games he appeared in, he attempted just 101 field goals and averaged just 3.2 points per game. However, he did step up his scoring on a few occasions, including the regional semifinal against Temple in which he hit three three-pointers and finished with 12 points.

Watkins' biggest on-floor contributions are expected to come at the defensive end of the floor, where he had nine steals last season. He is considered one of the team's fastest players, and with him and Chambliss as guards, the Nittany Lions will have a very athletic backcourt.

"Here's a guy who can get a lot of things done on both ends of the floor," Dunn said. "I think he has great speed and quickness. I think from free-throw line to free-throw line he's one of fastest guys in the league. . .He's a consummate point guard."

With his speed, talent, and leadership ability, Watkins earned something that will be just as important this season— the respect of his teammates.

"He's coming into a good situation," sophomore forward Ndu Egekeze said. "It's basically his team. He's the point guard. He's going to have more pressure, and more responsibility, but he's going to be up to the challenge. It's something he's been waiting for as long as he's been playing basketball."

Watkins has a lot to do to fill Crispin's shoes. He might not be quite the scorer, but he can fill his role as leader.

"Being a leader is something that comes naturally for me," he said. "I just interact with the guys like they're family. We're going to go through our bickering, we're going to go through our tough times, but we're all going to stick together."

"Being a leader you have to understand how to talk to people and interact with each other, and I think we're going to do a fine job of that this year."