LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Penn State men’s basketball rising junior forward Lamar Stevens has been invited to participate in the 2018 Nike Basketball Academy Wednesday-Sunday, Aug. 8-12 in Los Angeles. The annual skills development camp will provide Stevens with the opportunity to learn from and train alongside NBA superstars present and past.
“This is an amazing opportunity to represent Penn State basketball and myself, and I am honored to be selected for the Nike Basketball Academy,” said Stevens, a 6 foot 8 inch, 226-pound forward. “Just as important as what I will learn and how my game will develop with this experience, is what I will be able to contribute to my team when I return.”
In 2015, Nike combined its positional skills camps and launched a new format with premium training, a combine experience, off-court workouts, drills, film sessions, and 5-on-5 competition. Stevens is one of approximately 20 of the nation’s elite collegiate players selected to participate in the prestigious event in Los Angeles.
Named the Most Outstanding Player for the 2018 NIT, Stevens started every game for the Nittany Lions in his two-year career (72 games) and led Penn State in scoring average during NIT postseason play with 19.2 points per game. He scored a game-best 28 points in the championship game at Madison Square Garden and reached the 1,000 career point mark in the first quarter, becoming only the second Nittany Lion sophomore to achieve that milestone.
From North Wales, Pennsylvania, Stevens achieved double figures in scoring in 33 games in his sophomore year, including 11 of the last 12 games of the season. He was the leading scorer in nine games in 2017-18, leading the Nittany Lions to a perfect 9-0 mark in those contests.
Stevens was a member of the Roman Catholic High School that won the 2016 PIAA AAAA state championship and he earned recognition from the Philadelphia Daily News as the 2016 Philadelphia Player of the Year.
“We’re proud of what we accomplished last year as a team and this invitation for Lamar is a testament to his development and hard work throughout the season,” said Nittany Lion basketball coach Patrick Chambers. “Lamar will have the opportunity to learn from some of the NBA’s best and he’ll benefit from that instruction.”
Stevens is the fourth Nittany Lion to garner an invitation to one of Nike’s elite national skills academies.
Tim Frazier was selected for Deron Williams Skills Academy for point guards in 2012 and D.J. Newbill earned a spot at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy for wing players in 2014. Both continued on to the Lebron James Skills Academy following their performances at the positional skills camps. Tony Carr was the most recent Nittany Lion to attend a Nike Basketball Academy, participating in the skills development camp in 2017.
For information about Penn State men’s basketball season tickets for the 2018-19 season, fans should visit GoPSUsports.com/climbwithus or call 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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