2020-21 Basketball Season Preview: The (Likely) Starters

The 2020-2021 campaign begins next Wednesday for Penn State basketball. A season that was already going to be strange enough being done in the middle of a pandemic became even more chaotic with the untimely resignation of Pat Chambers (one which the players themselves made their frustrations known about at basketball media day yesterday) and interim head coach Jim Ferry calling the shots.

Nonetheless, it’s that time of the year where we do our annual player previews. Given the timing and how quickly things are starting back up, we’ve decided to split our previews into two parts. Today, we’ll cover the likely starters while tomorrow will take a look at some key guys coming off the bench.

Jamari Wheeler (Senior - Guard) - Jamari had long been known for his quickness and defensive prowess, but he also added a shooting touch last season, which helped keep opposing teams more honest. No, he won’t be a scoring machine, but adding that to his repertoire makes him a more complete point guard.

Myreon Jones (Junior - Guard) - “Buckets” as he’s nicknamed burst onto the scene last season after a quiet freshman year, averaging over 13 points and three assists per game. More importantly, he was the team’s most reliable threat from three-point range, nailing over 40 percent of his shots from downtown. Much like Jamari, Myreon is also rather quick and possesses the ability to both shoot from outside or slash to the hole.

Myreon was sorely missed during his several game absence when he was out with an illness, as the team saw an eight game conference win streak come to an end and ultimately finished the regular season losing five of their last six. Let’s hope he doesn’t have to sit out for such a lengthy period of time again.

Myles Dread (Junior - Guard) - After a solid freshman season, Myles found himself caught in a bit of a sophomore slump, especially with his three-point shooting not being as reliable. Eventually, he went from being a starter to being the sixth man and it turned out to be a spark, as he regained his shooting touch and confidence. Expect him to be back in the starting lineup this season feeling more confident than ever before and ready to lead what should still be a solid backcourt.

Seth Lundy (Sophomore - Forward) - As a key guy off the bench, and later a starter as a freshman, Seth really started to find himself towards the end of the season. The small forward/wing spot is his natural position, but he can play up front and power forward if necessary and with the makeup of this year’s roster, it may be a necessity. He also showed upon getting more comfortable with the flow of Big Ten basketball his ability to nail shots from downtown, hitting a career high six of nine deep balls in a win at Purdue last year.

John Harrar (Senior - Forward/Center) - For as deep as the backcourt is for the team, the frontcourt is equally as shallow. Harrar isn’t the shot-blocking force that Mike Watkins was, but he can still grab his share of rebounds and get you some points in the paint. You’d like to see him up the 4.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game totals this upcoming season, given that he will be relied upon even more in his final year in a Penn State uniform.