Ever since Dr. James Naismith decided to hang his peach baskets 10 feet off the floor, basketball has been about height. Almost all of the super stars of our time -- Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan -- tower over most mortals and throw down jams in the face of anyone who dares to get between them and the basket.

But, lost amongst the powerful dunks and super-sized swats is the great skill every good center possesses. For the Penn State men's basketball team, the size may have always been there, but the skill was never consistent. The Lions always seemed to lack the powerful five man on the inside that could shut down an opposing center, while at the same time cleaning the boards and dunking his way to easy points.

This year seemed to be headed in the same direction, a lot of undersized forwards and guards leading the way for Penn State.

Time will tell if Brandon Hassell will become a permanent difference maker. But, one thing's for sure, against UNCG, his presence was felt.

Against the Spartans, the junior had easily the biggest game of his career. Not only did the 6-foot-11 center score a career-high nine points, he also set new marks for minutes (28) and steals (four). He seemed to play with an energy and alertness he lacked in the past.

The key to Hassell's big night was his ability to stay on the floor. In the past, the aggressive big man had been almost too forceful and picked up several meaningless fouls. That was the case during last Friday's season opener against Morehead St., when Hassell picked up four quick whistles. The fouling frenzy forced head coach Ed DeChellis to sit his giant on the bench and only allowed Hassell to see 10 minutes of action.

But, against UNCG, Hassell played much more intelligently and cleanly, which was one of his goals.

"It was important to bring energy today," Hassell said. "Coach emphasized that from the start, bring energy and play hard without fouling, just being smart."

He set the bar for minutes and points, the most impressive number beside his name in the box score may have been his four steals, almost unheard of from a center.

The total doubled his previous career high, and bettered his total from all last season (three). While most 7-footers are big and slow and simply try to overpower their opponents, Hassell attributed the steals to his quick and active hands. He also wanted to bring more energy to the floor and felt the steals were a result of the added energy.

The constant references to "energy" have been echoed throughout the halls of the Bryce Jordan Center this season. Emotion and purpose have been points of emphasis, and DeChellis didn't feel like the team played with much of it -- until Monday night, and he singled out his emerging center.

"I was pleased with his demeanor. He played with some fire, did some good things. He was very, very active.

He's really a bouncy kid and we want him to play bouncy; I thought he did tonight," DeChellis said. "We've been trying to get him to affect the game and I thought he really did that tonight. He gave us good minutes and I thought it was a very good outing for him."

Although games have seemed to be a struggle for Hassell during previous seasons, he has always shown his skill and determination in practice. It just hasn't seemed to show up when the lights go out and his name is reverberated throughout the BJC during pregame introductions. DeChellis has praised Hassell in practice and takes responsibility for the lack of development during games.

"I thought that Hassell, if he can play and give us that every night, you know, that's going to be pretty good and that's what I think he can do," DeChellis said. "I've seen him do that in practice. I just haven't coached him well enough to get it like he did tonight."

DeChellis wasn't the only one who noticed Hassell's improved demeanor. Sophomore Jamelle Cornley is Hassell's rebounding and blocking mate under the basket for the Lions, and he noticed the improvement in Hassell's all-around game, which helped take some of the defensive attention off Cornley.

"I think that these games right now are really giving him confidence. With Brandon starting last year and then slowly disappearing and what not, I think he's really getting his confidence back. He's out there running the floor tremendously, he's boarding, he's making strong moves."

Hassell continues to shed the mold of a prototypical center. While most post players won't even make it down the court on fast breaks, they simply stay on the defensive end, Hassell is different. When he has the opportunity to hurry down court in transition, he makes like Forrest Gump and just runs. You usually don't find 6-foot-11 centers hanging stride-for-stride with guards down the court, but Hassell is an exception. And when he gets the chance to score in the open court, look out, because it will often end with a dunk, like the one against UNCG, that would make even injured Penn State dunk artist Geary Claxton proud.

Without Claxton in the lineup, the Lions have had to look to other players to step up and contribute in order to earn some early-season victories. Hassell brought his best game at the right time, when Penn State needed him the most. His teammates have always known that he was capable of playing at this high of a level. Now, they hope he can become the consistent center the team has lacked.

"I think that the more and more he plays, the more times he's able to get the ball in his hands," Cornley said. "The more he can go out and do certain things, the better he'll get and the better our team will get."