Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1467458
4 4 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M and shoot threes,'" Funk said. "But I think they saw me for my complete game, and they want me to do a lot of other things, which I really appreciated. "One of the things that I really talked about with Coach Shrewsberry was how well I can pass the ball and how well he can utilize me in their offense. I think that's one big thing that I'll bring." Funk, who won Philadelphia Catholic League Player of the Year honors while attending Archbishop Wood, described himself as a combo guard. He hasn't played much point guard at the college level, but he doesn't view himself strictly as a scorer. "I think the way I play, especially in the halfcourt offense, I want to be a ball han- dler that can make plays for myself and for others," he said. Like Wynter, Funk said he's hoping to be challenged at the Big Ten level. He said he felt as though he improved substantially in every season that he spent at Bucknell, culminating in his scoring outburst as a senior and a sense of confi- dence in taking on the challenge of play- ing in a high-major conference. "The first year [under Shrewsberry] they finished 11th in the Big Ten," Funk said. "But it's arguably the best confer- ence in the country and it's a conference where, if you finish in the top half, you're probably going to the NCAA Tournament, which excites me. There are going to be battles every day. "In terms of what I see for Penn State next year, I want to get over that hump of going from the middle of the bottom half to the middle of the top half and then see what we can do postseason-wise. I think that's a really appealing part of the deci- sion for me." Funk is also aware of the value he pro- vides as a veteran. "The leadership things that I can bring and the experience to help out some of the young guys [are important]," he said. "In the program where it's only Coach Shrewsberry's second year, it's already going up, and maybe I can help expedite that process and bring that experience to the table." Lions Make Ohio Forward A High Priority Ohio prospect Devin Royal is among the fastest-rising names on the recruit- ing trail right now. Royal, out of Pickerington (Ohio) Central, is the No. 55 player in the 2023 recruiting class according to On3's ana- lysts. "I am very versatile," Royal told On3 Sports earlier this year. "If the coach needs me to do something, I can, and will, do it. … I have developed my body since the summer, built muscle, slimmed down on a meal plan, and worked out a lot. I watch a lot of [Boston Celtics for- ward] Jayson Tatum, with the way he comes off screens and his footwork. I'm trying to get like that." The 6-6, 205-pound forward has been a priority for the Penn State staff for a long time, having taken an unofficial visit to Penn State's campus last summer, only a few months after Shrewsberry's arrival as head coach. This spring, he was back on campus for an official visit, remaining a key target for Shrewsberry and his staff. Wing Evan Mahaffey, who has already signed to play for Penn State, is another Nittany Lion rising in the rankings. Mahaffey cracked the updated On3 top-150 list, coming in at No. 147. He's the second Nittany Lion to earn a place on that list, joining guard Jameel Brown, who is 137th. Mahaffey concluded his senior season at Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati av- eraging 15.8 points per game and shooting 64 percent from the floor. He also aver- aged seven rebounds per contest, and he finished the season with 37 blocks and 37 steals. "He uses his length to block shots, can run, can really, really move, can guard different guys," said Penn State assistant coach Mike Farrelly, who led his recruit- ment. "He's going to be a weapon for us defensively because of his ability to guard many different positions. "He can protect the rim but also pur- sue the basketball and harass the ball handler." ■ With coach Carolyn Kieger preparing for her fourth season at Penn State, the university's board of trustees approved a contract extension in late April. The terms of the new pact were not released. The Lady Lions have not yet posted a winning record under Kieger, who ar- rived in 2019 after five seasons at Marquette. But they have improved their record each of the past two years. Penn State was 7-23 in her first season, 9-15 in her second and 11-18 last year. "I am excited for the future of our program," Kieger said in a prepared state- ment. "I am encouraged by the foundation we have built over the past three years and believe we have the pieces in place to propel this program back to prominence. "I love our players, staff, and the Penn State community, and I am beyond motivated to lead our program into the future." That future came into sharper focus on May 5 when PSU announced the signing of two transfers. The Lady Lions landed Alexa Williamson, a 6-foot-1 graduate transfer forward who spent the past four seasons at Temple, and Ivane Tensaie, a 5-7 sophomore guard who will be making the jump to the Big Ten from the junior college ranks. Williamson started 69 games during her tenure with the Owls, including a junior season in which she averaged 12.5 points and 6.7 rebounds and earned second-team All-Big 5 honors. Before heading across the state to Philadelphia, the Chartiers-Houston standout was named the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Class AA Player of the Year in 2017. Tensaie is a native of Roseville, Minn., Kieger's hometown. She spent her first college season at the North Dakota State School of Science, where she aver- aged 20.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game and was named Fresh- man Player of the Year by the National Junior College Athletic Association. — Matt Herb WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Penn State Extends Carolyn Kieger's Contract