With time winding down on Saturday's practice, guards on the Penn State men's basketball team formed three lines on the 3-point arc.
At the sound of the whistle, the three players darted across the court before settling into an open spot on the perimeter for a jumper -- all while assistant coach Kurt Kanaskie looked on screaming for "game speed."
But while head coach Ed DeChellis noted the importance of the shooting drills for a team that has relied heavily on jump shots this season, he said the only way for his players to halt their road woes will be through experience.
In three home victories, the Nittany Lions (4-2) have shot 41 percent from 3-point range, but they have managed just a 24-percent clip away from the Bryce Jordan Center.
"You've got to go through it," DeChellis said. "I think once you go through it, you have a better understanding of what you've got to do. There's nothing we can sit here and say or watch on tape. The guys just have to go into that atmosphere and keep loose and make shots."
The Lions will get a chance to go through a tough road atmosphere at 7 tonight when they travel to Virginia to face the Cavaliers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
In practice, DeChellis said, the Lions have been hitting their outside shots, but the problem will be translating that to venues like Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena with a team that is young at the guard position.
"We just haven't made baskets on the road, and that's just part of the growing up process," DeChellis said. "People are playing more minutes than they have in the past, and I think some guys are trying to figure that out."
Sophomore shooting guard Chris Babb is one of the Lions who have seen an increase in minutes this season with the graduation of Stanley Pringle and Danny Morrissey. In three games during last weekend's Charleston Classic in South Carolina, Babb shot just 3-for-21 from the field.
He pointed to his comfort zone in the Bryce Jordan Center as one of the reasons for the difference, but he said that in order to be successful, he will have to expand that to other courts rather than just his own.
"With different balls, different rims and nets, different looks behind the basket -- it's tough," Babb said. "But really, it all comes down to focus."
Junior forward Jeff Brooks said the Cavaliers' defense will provide the Lions with plenty of opportunities to break out of their slump tonight.
"They double the post so that's something we're going to definitely have to watch out for," Brooks said. "They contain the ball very well, and they don't pressure the ball very much. They want us to force up jump shots."
Brooks said DeChellis has stressed being able to get the ball down low even against the Cavaliers' compact defense so the Lions won't be forced into bad shots.
Babb agreed, saying the shots will start falling as long as the Lions don't have to force them. Until then, he said, the most important thing is staying confident.
"If you're not hitting or having an off night, you've got to do other things," Babb said. "You've got to rebound, you've got to defend, and you've got to get to the basket and the free-throw line. You have to open up your whole game."
