After an 11-day search, Penn State has finally found its man to replace Ed DeChellis as head basketball coach. Boston University confirms Terriers coach Patrick Chambers will be heading to Happy Valley to take over as the new face of Nittany Lion basketball.
Chambers was an assistant to Jay Wright at Villanova for years and has a lot of recruiting connections in the Philadelphia area, a place Penn State has traditionally struggled to harvest recruits. In his two years at BU, Chambers was 41-28 and this past season took the Terriers to the NCAA tournament as champions of the America East conference.
If you're looking to get a read on the coach, though, forget about his professional qualifications and just read this.
Chambers chatted casually with the two women, and the next thing he knew he was grabbing his neck in pain and being thrown to the ground, taking punches to the mouth.
"The friend’s husband was out of his mind drunk, on drugs, too, I think," Chambers recalls. "He thought I was hitting on his wife. He stabbed me twice with a broken vodka glass. I was in the hospital for four or five days. I was a centimeter away from death. It took me a long time to recover mentally."
At the very least, Penn State is getting a guy with a history of perseverance, that's for sure.
Chambers will take over a talented, but very young Lion squad in the fall expected to be led by junior guard Tim Frazier, the team's only returning starter as well as redshirt freshman Jonathan Graham and new recruits Ross Travis and Trey Lewis.
Reports suggest he'll be introduced as Penn State coach on Monday in State College. In the mean time, you can read up Chambers further in this profile featured earlier this week on BSD. We'll also have much more in the coming days.
UPDATE 6:45 P.M.: Penn State has published a press release with some comments from athletic director Tim Curley and Chambers. Here they are.
Curley...
"Penn State Basketball begins a new era today," Curley stated, "and Patrick Chambers ushers in that era with proven success, an appreciation of and commitment to Penn State ideals, and the energy and enthusiasm required to compete at the highest level. His outstanding record of achievement in a relatively young coaching career is a direct testament to his knowledge of the game, his passion for his players and his relentless pursuit of success. We're confident that under Pat's leadership, the Nittany Lion Basketball program will rise to new heights in the years ahead."
Chambers...
"I am truly honored and excited to be joining the Penn State family," Chambers stated. "I'm looking forward to bringing passion, energy and enthusiasm to Nittany Lion Basketball. We will play a style, and bring an attitude, that Nittany Nation can be proud of."