Jeff Brooks knows his number will get called each game. He just doesn't know what he'll be asked to do.

A versatile 6-foot-8 threat, Brooks has the rare ability to beat his defender off the dribble or post him up down low. It just depends on the game and the situation.

Against an undersized Towson squad on Saturday, the Louisville, Ky. native could be seen pushing the ball upcourt and driving to the basket when the opportunities arose.

Such traits, coupled with the sophomore's developing frame, have given Penn State coach Ed DeChellis an added dimension with Brooks.

The sixth-year head coach has been trying to get Brooks to run the floor more, and he said he favors matching him up against bigger power forwards, players he can take from the perimeter.

"He's very long and he gets his hands on a lot of balls," DeChellis said. "So it's a double-edged sword."

Brooks enjoys being on-call for any situation in games and practices.

Playing in different spots on the court so far in the young season, he said the added reps in scrimmages guarding players outside the key has paid off.

"I don't see it as more of a burden," he said. "I see it more of as a challenge getting ready to check anybody, trying to guard smaller guards and trying to guard bigger posts. That's something I look forward to a lot this season."

During practices, DeChellis rarely puts Brooks and D.J. Jackson on the same team.

Jackson, another swing forward, will almost always look across the court and see Brooks staring him down.

"It helps me out a lot because he's 6-8 and can really handle the ball and he's a matchup problem," Jackson said. "He pushes me just like I push him and we're both just trying to get better everyday."

Feeding off each other every day, the two help create mismatch problems for opposing defenses.

Jamelle Cornley believes that will be the case this week, as the players prepare for a Georgia Tech team they will face on Wednesday that features a quartet of players 6-9 or taller.

"Well it pays off I think because now they're multi-dimensional," the senior captain said. "They're able to do things off the dribble and they're able to go down low and be effective, so matching up against Georgia Tech, you would hope they would pull them out on the perimeter and do what they do best, which is getting around people."