Penn State Basketball All-Time Starting Five

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Lamarr Fields

Penn State is known for its football program, and basketball is usually an afterthought, but some solid basketball players have come through Penn State. The Nittany Lions have nine NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1954. Their most recent tournament appearance was in 2011. Penn State also has 11 NIT appearances, with two NIT championships in 2009 and 2018. Let's revisit some of the history of Penn State Hoops with a list of my All-Time starting lineup.

Jesse Arnelle F 6-8 1952-1955

Jesse Arnelle led Penn State to the Final four in 1954; he averaged 21 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in four years at Penn State. Arnelle was an All-American and scored 2,136 career points and 1,238 rebounds with the Nittany Lions. Arnelle was a two-sport star; he also played football at Penn State.

Lamar Stevens F 2016-2020

Lamar Stevens was one of the best players to come through Penn State. Stevens made two Big Ten All First-Teams. In addition, Stevens helped lead the Nittany Lions to the NIT Championship in 2018, and he won the NIT MVP that same year. During his time as a Nittany Lion, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 16.3 points a game with 6.5 rebounds per game. Stevens is second in scoring with 2,207 points scored; he probably would be No.1 if it weren't for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

DJ Newbill F 6-4 2011-2015



DJ Newbill transferred from Southern Mississippi and had to sit out the 2011-12 season, but once he played, he was one of the best offensive players to play for the Nittany Lions. Newbill's offensive ability was outstanding; he averaged 16.3 points per game in his first year. As a Senior, Newbill scored 20.7 points per game on 45% shooting from the field and 37% from beyond the arc; in his final two years, the Philadelphia native made the second-team All-Big Ten selection. Newbill averaged 18.3 points per game on 44% shooting from the field and 33% from three-point land in his college career.

Joe Crispin G 6-0 1997-2001

Joe Crispin made the All-Big Ten team in 2001 when he averaged 19.5 points per game. Crispin also made the All-Big Ten Tourney team two times while at Penn State. In his four years with the Nittany Lions, Crispin averaged 15.6 points per game on 42% shooting from the field and 34% from three-point land. Also, he scored 1,986 points. Simply, he was one of the best to wear the colors: