Exit Pringle, Morrissey and Cornley.
Enter Frazier, Marshall, Edwards, Borovnjak and Silko.
Among basketball fans in Happy Valley, the latter group of names doesn't quite have the same ring as the former.
But junior guard Talor Battle said when the team takes the court for its first game on Nov. 13, the five freshmen will already be working their way into the everyday vocabulary of Nittany Nation.
"They've been competing and playing hard," Battle said. "It's exciting to see what coach is gonna do come the season. I can tell you one thing: I'm pretty sure those guys are gonna play, and they're gonna play a significant role."
Head coach Ed DeChellis said guard Tim Frazier will play one of the most important roles in helping replace Stanley Pringle and giving Battle -- who led Big Ten in minutes per game last year -- a much needed rest during games.
Frazier, TexasHoops.com's No. 1 recruit out of the state, said he was anxious to get past the learning phase and into competition.
"You could tell that practice kind of slowed down for us so we could really understand it and understand the plays," Frazier said. "But I think all of us have caught on quickly to it."
DeChellis said he didn't expect the freshmen to understand the offense fully just five practices into the season.
With fewer than three weeks until the season's opening tip at the Bryce Jordan Center, however, DeChellis pointed out that there wasn't much room for error in the learning process.
"This is all new to them," DeChellis said. "I think they've adapted pretty well in the first few practices. We've got to move them from point A to point B pretty quickly."
Bill Edwards, a freshman from Middletown, Ohio, figures to be one of the Lions' most important newcomers offensively. DeChellis said he plans to use the 6-foot-6 swingman as a shooter -- more specifically as a kickout man when Battle drives.
But Edwards noted the opposing swingmen throughout the conference, saying that if he wanted to see the floor, he would have to work on his defense.
"I need to get a lot better -- especially with the feet," Edwards said. "Getting my feet quicker, and being able to guard guys like Raymar Morgan and Manny Harris."
DeChellis pointed out the "high basketball IQ" of the freshmen class, which also includes forward Sasa Borovnjak and guards Joe Silko and Jermaine Marshall. Marshall missed a portion of the summer workouts with mononucleosis and knee problems, but DeChellis said he is nearly back to full strength.
Borovjnak, a Serbian native who moved to the United States two years before coming to Penn State, said the adjustment to the college game was one the new Lions were on the brink of making.
"It was really tough in the beginning when we started practicing, lifting and conditioning," Borovnjak said. "We did a good job in the past four months. I think we need one more week, and we'll be able to compete with other teams."
