In a white T-shirt and jeans on the bench last Thursday, Jamelle Cornley could only watch and yell occasional instructions to teammates as his collegiate career hung in the balance.
The single-elimination format of the NIT means every game could be Cornley's last, and while a shoulder injury sidelined him in the second round against Rhode Island, he should be back on the floor tonight at Florida.
"I've been trying to get my confidence back and really going out here practicing as hard as I can, trying to get my rhythm back," the senior forward said. "But overall I've been doing alright. I'm about 90 percent right now from a shoulder standpoint, I'm doing well."
The Nittany Lions faced injury scares from each of their All-Big Ten players last week. After Cornley exited Tuesday's George Mason game early in the second half, point guard Talor Battle injured his lower back late in Thursday's game.
As of coach Ed DeChellis' weekly press conference before practice Monday, both were cleared to play barring an incident in practice or at today's shootaround.
"It's fine after a couple days of treatment, a couple days off," Battle said. "I feel great, I'll be ready to play [tonight.]"
Battle missed only the final minutes of the win versus Rhode Island, but Cornley's absence for one-and-a-half games forced others to fill in for the lost production. From his rare bench perspective, Cornley was pleased with how teammates like Jeff Brooks and Andrew Jones contributed.
"It was tough, but I think it allowed the team to find our identity," Cornley said. "A lot of people stepped up. It also showed the fans and the people around what the program has to look forward to for next year."
After playing two games in three days, a five-day break between games allowed extra time for Battle and Cornley to rest and be healthy for Florida.
"These couple of days have been good for us to get those two guys nurtured back to health, and to get the other guys who played Tuesday, Thursday to get their legs back and relax," DeChellis said.
With Cornley in the lineup tonight, Penn State gets its second-leading scorer and leading rebounder back and its emotional leader on the floor again. Cornley will try to extend his college career to Madison Square Garden and the NIT semifinals.
"He's a tough kid, he's ready to play I'm sure," Battle said. "There's a chance this could be his last game, and I'm sure he doesn't want to miss it."
