Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades and his staff have implemented a motivational piece to their offseason workouts.
“It’s called ‘The Wild Lion Of The Week.’
This weekly award is given to a player who has stood out in team and individual competitions as well as dominating the details in all areas of performance every week. The recipients are also given a PSU championship-style belt to serve as a celebratory trophy. This offseason, there have been three players to receive this honor so far. Mason Blackwood, a 6′-7″ freshman forward, earned the title after Week 1. Dominick Stewart, a 6′-5″ sophomore guard, earned the belt after Week 2. After Week 3, 6′-5″ redshirt junior guard Freddie Dilione V is wearing the Wild Lion belt.
MASON BLACKWOOD
Blackwood’s hometown is Rochester, New York. Per 247Sports, the 6′-7″ four-star forward was nationally overall ranked No. 108 coming out of the state of New Hampshire. He played his first two seasons of high school ball for the Aquinas Institute of Rochester and then finished his high school years playing for the New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. Blackwood also played AAU ball with the Albany City Rocks in Nike’s EYBL league. During AAU, he averaged 12.6 ppg. and 6.4 rpg. with a 49.7% field goal percentage and 45.3% from 3-point percentage.
DOMINICK STEWART
Stewart is from Ocean Springs, Mississippi. As a freshman at Penn State, he saw action in 24 games, averaging 2.8 ppg. and 1.1 rpg. while playing in 8.2 minutes per game. In his collegiate debut against Binghamton, Stewart tallied 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and added 3 rebounds. The 6′-5″ guard played his high school ball for the Southern California Academy. He finished his high school career with an astounding 3,336 points, 1,152 rebounds, 768 assists and 192 steals.
FREDDIE DILIONE V
Dilione V is a 6′-5″ redshirt junior who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina. As a sophomore last year, Dilione played in all 31 games and made 28 starts. He averaged 9.4 ppg., 2.8 rpg. and 1.7 apg. In 17 games played, Dilione scored in double figures and led Penn State in scoring twice. Before calling Happy Valley home, Dilione played a season at Tennessee.
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