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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
It’s official! John Harrar has decided to return to Penn State for his last season and a chance to finish what he started two years ago, when he helped the Nittany Lions earn a No. 9 ranking en route to a would-be NCAA Tournament appearance had there been one.
Harrar played an instrumental role in making the Nittany Lions competitive by becoming one of the better centers Penn State had seen in a while. Harrar averaged a near double-double, an identical 8.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while defending 5.3 fouls per 40 minutes —the latter is 149th in the country. His most impressive stat, of course, was the incredible rate at which he logged offensive rebounds, being first in the Big Ten with 3.8 per game.
Ever since he was thrown into the fire at the end of the 2017-18 season, Harrar has been steadily improving. He handled himself admirably during the 2018 NIT run, backed up Mike Watkins for two seasons before becoming the starter himself, then had the breakout we all experienced last season. Now, Penn State is fortunate to have fought off a litany of major competition for another season with the big man.
Welcome back, John!