Pat Chambers has yet to coach his first official game at Penn State and he’s already facing a situation no other basketball coach before him has had to deal with.
Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and University President Graham Spanier were fired Wednesday night, and the University is at the center of the nation’s attention because of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.
“It’s disturbing, you know, I’m a father,” Chambers said Thursday on a conference call. “I’m a father of two with one on the way, so it’s very disturbing and disheartening for us. Obviously, we’re going through some trying times right now here, and we somehow have to just stick together and stay positive.
“We’re all very emotional right now. I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything like this.”
Penn State was to host several recruits for Saturday’s 4:30 basketball game against Hartford, which follows the noon football game against Nebraska.
Among those recruits is Philly Constitution point guard Daquan Walker.
Chambers can’t discuss specific recruits, but said the staff had gotten the word out to the recruits that this wasn’t the best time to visit campus.
“I think we’ve gotten it out there, ‘We’d love to have you but we understand if you don’t make it up this weekend,'” Chambers said.
The good news for Penn State was that Brandon Taylor, 6-8, 235-pound forward from Tabernacle, N.J., signed on Wednesday.
“It was really reassuring to me,” Chambers said. “They’re about Penn State and the University and the academics and what this great institution has done for many, many, many years. so that’s a positive without question.”
Chambers conceded he has no idea what the environment will be for the basketball game on Saturday.
“That’s a great question,” he said. “I’m hopeful for a good crowd. We’re Penn State, the pride will come through, but I really have no idea.”
As far as his relationship with Paterno, Chambers said he had two brothers and a sister go to Penn State.
“I grew up on Penn State football,” he said. “And when I got here it was a highlight to meet the guy that I watched for so many years on the sideline and obviously he’s done so many great things for this university.
“He was very supportive during those meetings of men’s basketball, but obviously I don’t know him on a personal level.”
Sandusky was a former assistant at Boston University, where Chambers was also the head coach.
“I really don’t know what they’re saying, what they’re expressing there [at BU],” Chambers said.
