"I think we are gonna be way more exciting and I guarantee it's gonna be a lot more fun to come and see us," junior forward Aaron Johnson said.
The score of Penn State's matchup against a Div. II team that lost four of its five leading scorers to graduation won't be any indication of the direction in which the Lions are headed. Rather, the zest and cohesiveness this team has been bragging about will foreshadow how well this Penn State team will fare following the exhibition.
"Chemistry is all about the pieces of the puzzle and it's something that can't be forced by a coach," DeChellis said. "It has to be something that just happens. I think our guys generally like each other and I think that's really important."
In practice, though, the teammates are battling one another for positions, considering guards Marlon Smith and Ben Luber are the only returning starters. But DeChellis can't get enough of the aggressiveness because competition is something he said was hard to come by last season.
"People are killing each other just to win a drill," Johnson said. "It's almost like football practice; people are hurt every day. It's the best atmosphere it's been since I've been here."
As a coach, DeChellis said he never feels completely ready and said that the Lions are in pretty good shape. In an intrasquad scrimmage last Saturday, he said players shot the ball well from the perimeter, something the Lions have struggled to do in recent years. Penn State also played Bucknell in a closed scrimmage Tuesday.
"Guys are really working hard and have a good attitude," assistant coach Kurt Kanaskie said. "Everybody here now wants to be at Penn State."
