The longtime voice of Penn State football and basketball, Steve Jones, joined Joe Smeltzer and Kyle Golik of Nittany Sports Now on the Joe and the Fatman podcast to discuss football and some basketball.
Jones, who enters his 45th year covering men’s basketball at Penn State stated, “Do I like this team? This team’s pretty interesting.”
Jones first mentioned the 7-foot cornerstone on the team, sophomore Ivan Juric, coming back for his second year. He was then quick to mention 6′-11″ junior transfer from Buffalo, Tim Oboh.
“Oboh is an excellent rim protector, very quick around the basket, he will block a lot of shots. He is not a guy that has a face-up game, but he is an excellent finisher inside,” Jones said.
Jones then said that Penn State “needed better shooters.”
“Roberts Blums came in from Davidson and he can flat-out play,” Jones said. “He is a really good shooter and can play. Brant Byers from Chambersburg that played at Miami (OH) last year, averaged double figures, got to the NCAA Tournament…he is a really smart basketball player that is an excellent shooter as well.”
Jones then brought up senior transfer point guard Jay Rodgers from Central Connecticut State, then talked about another transfer.
“I think getting Dasonte Bowen to come in is a big plus because he is a distributor first.”
Bowen is also a point guard who is a graduate student transfer from St. Bonaventure.
“Andy Gemao from the Philippines. I don’t know what to expect and then all of a sudden I’m watching him in practice and I’m going, Andy Gemao can play. How many minutes he plays, I don’t know, but he’s not that bad.” Gemao is a 6′-1″ freshman guard that has last played in Ontario, Canada.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Jones hasn’t seen the latest overseas newcomers of Francois Wibaut and Roko Prkacin practice yet, but said he has heard a lot of good things about Wibaut.
Jones also addressed “the guy you’re waiting on now to see,” which is Josh Reed, who is fighting for one more year of eligibility.
“His case comes up on appeal on September 22…Josh Reed does things that a lot of guys on this roster can’t do and getting him would be that kind of extra piece you need.”
Reed is currently pursuing his fifth year of eligibility by petitioning for a temporary restraining order after the NCAA instituted the “5-in-5” rule that left the high school class of 2022 out of the age-based eligibility model.
Also included in this interview is who Jones would put on his Mount Rushmore of Penn State men’s basketball greats.
He first mentioned Talor Battle (2007-2011), Penn State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,213 points. He then mentioned Lamar Stevens (2016-2020) who ranks No. 1 all-time in field goals made (801) and is No. 2 all-time in scoring with 2,207 points. Third was Joe Crispin (1997-2001), who helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and his wildcard was Titus Ivory (1996-2001), who Jones said former teammates always commented on how Ivory was “always the guy when you needed something, he was the guy that was always there.” Jones then continued and said how Ivory was “critical to winning…if they don’t have that guy they don’t win.”
You can watch the full podcast from Joe and the Fatman in its entirety below.
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