Penn State Basketball: Nittany Lions get recruiting boost with 4-star wing Seth Lundy

Penn State Basketball doesn’t normally land high-profile prospects. Seth Lundy is a big exception, giving Pat Chambers a needed boost in the recruiting market.

Head Coach Pat Chambers has been trying to rebuild Penn State Basketball in terms of competing in the Big Ten on a regular basis. The program seemed to have taken a huge step this past season, winning 26 total games as well as the 2018 NIT title.

There were hopes that the Nittany Lions would contend for a Big Ten title with nearly everyone supposed to return but that ended once their best player Tony Carr committed to the NBA Draft. Still, the team still plans on battling for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, with the other key players coming back.

But the question concerning Penn State isn’t just for this season but in future years as well. Was last season a flash in the pan in terms of relevance or an indication of the future? That’ll depend on the success of the recruiting market, an area the Nittany Lions have struggled at for the most part.

The team has a decent 2018 recruiting class with Rasir Bolton, Myreon Jones, and Myles Dread headlining the group. Then there’s the current 2019 group, with three-stars verbal commits Abdou Tsimbila and Patrick Kelly. That’s a good start but for Penn State to truly be viable they’ll have to start landing recruits that are able to tip the scales. And to do that, a small forward from Philadelphia could do the trick.

Lundy is a rising star in the 2019 class after leading his high school to a state championship, including a 28 point performance in the final game of the season. At 6’6 and 200 pounds, he’s a more of a slasher than a shooter at this point, using his raw athleticism and quickness to create offense for himself in transition and off the dribble. The four-star recruit is the highest rated commit for the program since Carr, who was ranked in the top-75 in the 2016 class.

Assuming there are no early departures, Lundy along with rising seniors Lamar Stevens and Mike Watkins would form one of the very best frontcourts in all of the Big Ten. And if any of the underclassmen perimeter players for the Nittany Lions can play well themselves, the team should still be contenders for the Big Dance once again.

Lundy chose Penn State over Marquette, Louisville, and Virginia Tech, all of whom who would’ve loved to add him. But it was Chambers and the Nittany Lions who pulled off the recruiting upset, which they hope will be the start of a positive trend for the program.