Ed DeChellis equates it to jumping off a high dive.
When the five newcomers on the Nittany Lion basketball team hear their names called and step onto the court for the first time tonight, nerves and jitters are bound to accompany them.
"You can't describe it to them. They're going to have to go through it," DeChellis said. "Hopefully we can get them in the game for some time and they can knock the jitters off and settle down."
The Lions will take on Slippery Rock in an exhibition match at 6 tonight at the Bryce Jordan Center. Although the result won't count toward the team's record, the opportunity for the new Lions to get their feet wet is real.
Justin Hamilton and Ryan Harro were both added to the Lions' roster as walk-ons this week, which puts the number at seven for players who could see the court for the first time tonight.
Bill Edwards is sidelined with a partially torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) he suffered at practice last week.
Redshirt freshman Billy Oliver was sidelined last season a couple days before the team's opening game. He felt the anticipation and the excitement of playing in a game as a Nittany Lion, but he had to watch as his teammates played a championship-winning season last year. Two years without playing in a game has been tough, he said.
Although he didn't want to jinx his chances of finally playing in a game, he could only smile at the thought. He knows playing in a competitive game is finally within sight.
"It's been a long road getting back," Oliver said. "That's been my goal, to get out here and play in a game. It was definitely a first step, getting back in to play in practices, so getting healthy was the first goal."
DeChellis said Oliver might be limited tonight because of some lingering headache issues, but Oliver was confident he'd play.
To help qwell his nerves, Oliver had a prepared ritual before every game he played in high school and plans to keep it for this season.
An hour before the game, Oliver will shoot around for a bit, then make his way into the locker room where he will sit down and think about every play that he could possibly be involved in.
Freshman forward Sasa Borovnjak said he listens to his native Serbian music to get focused before a game. Freshman Jermaine Marshall said he'll probably be listening to Gospel music to keep him focused.
Marshall missed his senior year of high school after suffering a Patella tendon injury, so like Oliver, he has been targeting tonight for awhile.
"It's like doing it all over again like my freshman year of high school, starting all over again with a clean slate," the freshman guard said. "Honestly, I've got to do some things to prove that I can actually play on this level. Coach wants to see me play and go out there and perform well."
DeChellis wants his players to keep their head on straight. He pointed out that most freshmen are used to entering the game as a starter, so coming off the bench is an adjustment to get used to.
Most of all, though, DeChellis hopes his players keep afloat when they toe the diving board and enter the game tonight.
"I've tried not to think about it too much, but as it gets closer it's harder to not think about it," freshman walk-on guard Joe Silko said. "A million things will be running through my head, I'll be worried about messing up, but once I get into the flow of things, I think everything will be alright."
