In a major development for the Penn State basketball program, center John Harrar is planning to exit the transfer portal and stay with the Nittany Lions. That’s from a report this afternoon by national college basketball writer Jon Rothstein, and then confirmed by coach Micah Shrewsberry.
John Harrar tells me that he is returning to Penn State and will not transfer. Huge news for the Nittany Lions.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 20, 2021
Let’s Run It Back 2️⃣1️⃣ 💯#WeAre 🔵⚪️🦁 pic.twitter.com/mgjj0BKzVn
— Micah Shrewsberry (@Coach_Shrews) April 20, 2021
This is HUGE news for Shrewsberry and the Penn State team, because Harrar would have been very difficult to replace had he decided to transfer.
One of the hardest-working players in the nation, Harrar averaged 8.8 points and 8.8 rebounds this past season, and he led the Big Ten in offensive rebounds. Those were very impressive stats given that the 6-foot-9 center often was undersized against big men in the Big Ten.
With Harrar deciding to stay, Shrewsberry will now have back three of the six players who entered the transfer portal after the season.
Second-leading scorer Izaiah Brockington and third-leading scorer Seth Lundy previously announced they were staying at Penn State.
Leading scorer Myreon Jones (Florida), defensive standout Jamari Wheeler (Ohio State) and key reserve Trent Buttrick (UMass) announced they are transferring.
Click for more Nittany Sports Now coverage
