Lamar Stevens - Penn State Basketball
“I’ve played basketball for as long as I can remember. My Dad was the all-time leading scorer at Widener University in Pennsylvania, so I pretty much grew up with a ball in my hand. It wasn’t until 8th or 9th grade that I realized that I could take it to college. From that point on I really dedicated myself, and that’s how I was able to open some doors to get scholarship offers.”
“I chose to go to Penn State because I wanted to represent where I was from, not be too far from home and start my own legacy. Penn State had a really established football program and I felt like with my teammates we could do the same with basketball. I saw that potential and I knew that I wanted to blaze my own path.”
“It wasn’t exactly a smooth transition. My freshman year was difficult. We weren’t that talented and didn’t make it to any tournament. My sophomore year we had a good year and won the NIT. My junior year we struggled again, starting off 0-10 in Big 10 play but we are able to finish 7-3 in conference play. This year things started to click. We were really able to grow from my Junior season and were ranked #9 in the country. There were ups and downs but this year we were able to show where that hard work took us and where the dedication of the coaches took us. I felt like we really got over a big hump this year.”
“What kept me going during the hard times was a commitment to be a man of my word. When I finally saw the situation and recognized how much work it was going to take to get us over that hump, I decided to embrace the challenge. I’m a big challenge guy - I love challenges - so I wasn’t going to ever stop until my time was up. I was consistently motivated to keep getting better individually and as a team and was willing to do whatever it took to reach our goals.”
“I dedicated this year to my teammates. I’ve had a lot of individual success but for me it’s always been about the team and making sure that we accomplished things that we haven’t in the past. I think not getting the scoring title hurt the people around me more than it hurt me. I was more hurt that I wasn’t going to get to put on a Penn State jersey again and play with my brothers than I was about not breaking the scoring title.”
“I honestly haven’t had complete closure yet. I think it still doesn’t feel like reality. I feel good about where I’m at and the career that I’ve had, and I understand why we’re in this position. We’ve got to keep each other safe. I’m not ready to completely close the door on it yet though. I still want to be a part of Penn State. I still talk to my teammates and coaches. I know the closure will come…I’m getting there.”
“Better days are ahead. This is how life is. Sometimes you get hit with the unexpected. It’s not about what happens to you, but about how you respond. I think if everyone has that mentality then we’ll all get through it together. Use this time to get better in whatever area that may be. Don’t let this hold you back from being more prepared for the next opportunity.”
