Penn State Nittany Lions
2018-19 Record / Finish:
- 12-18 (5-13 B1G, 12th in standings)
- Lost to Wisconsin in first round of Big Ten Tournament
2018-19 Leaders:
- Teniya Page (19.3 ppg, 3.7 apg) – Was a senior, graduated
- Alisia Smith (9.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg) – Returns as a junior
Key Additions:
- #58 overall prospect, 4-star guard Makenna Marisa from Pennsylvania
- Freshman forward Anna Camden from New Jersey
Perhaps the biggest change made in State College this offseason was the hiring of former Marquette Coach Carolyn Kieger as the program’s sixth head coach. Kieger succeeds Coquese Washington, who coached Penn State for the past 12 seasons.
A team that struggled to compete in the Big Ten last season lost a critical piece of its roster, with senior Teniya Page graduating. Page averaged 9.3 more points per game than the next highest scorer on the team, though the Nittany Lions had four others players tallying over 9.5 points per contest. The defining stretch of last year’s season was a 1-8 span of conference games from January 17 – February 17 after Penn State started 9-7, dampening their hopes of playing in the postseason beyond the Big Ten Tournament.
Despite Page’s departure, the Nittany Lions welcome the 18th ranked recruiting class in the country. The five-member freshmen cohort most notably features 4-star prospect Makenna Marisa, the Pennsylvania 6A Player of the Year as a high school senior. Joining Marisa is also Anna Camden, ranked as the 82nd best player in her class per the Blue Star Basketball Report. Penn State also adds graduate transfer Nia Staples from West Virginia, who will have two years of eligibility while she completes her master’s degree in State College.
The Nittany Lions certainly have reason for optimism with the wealth of young talent they added in the offseason, but still seemingly lack the talent to seriously compete with the more formidable programs in the Big Ten. Fortunately for them, they don’t face a heavy non-conference schedule, only potentially squaring off against California should they meet in the second round of the November Cal Classic in Berkeley.