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Chambers Adds Minnesota Point Guard to 2013 Class

With practice starting last Friday for the second season of the Pat Chambers era of Penn State basketball, Chambers and his coaching staff are proving to be putting in hard work on the recruiting trail as well.

Yesterday morning, Minnesota point guard Graham Woodward took to Twitter to announce that he had verbally committed to the Nittany Lions, becoming the fourth verbal commitment of the 2013 recruiting class. According to Rivals, the 6-foot, 165 pound Woodward is a 3-star recruit who just missed being listed among the top 150 players in the 2013 class. He also held offers from Washington State, Gonzaga, Xavier, and Miami (OH), among others. He was also being recruited by several Ivy League schools.

Woodward has been described as a scoring-first point guard, who exhibits impressive quickness, ball-handling, and athleticism while possessing a rare mid-range game. His commitment leaves the Nittany Lions without anymore scholarships, but don’t expect the coaching staff to slow their recruiting efforts, as anything can happen before national signing day.

Check out Woodward’s skills in his (awesome) AAU highlight package below.

 

Last week, I mentioned that Chambers’ 2012 recruiting class was one of the five reasons to be excited for the upcoming season. Chambers and his staff have impressed with their recruiting ability, and so far it looks like they have reeled in another solid class for next year. Remember, however, that these commitments are not final until National Signing Day– February 6, 2013. Fans of Penn State basketball learned this well when consensus four-star forward and Philadelphia native Brandon Austin de-committed from the Nittany Lions in July.

The other 2013 commits:

Geno Thorpe – 6-foot-3 guard – Pittsburgh, PA

Thorpe was the first 2013 recruit to commit to Penn State back in November, choosing the Nittany Lions over several impressive offers from schools like Pitt, Wisconsin, Kansas State, and Rutgers. Rivals rates Thorpe as a three-star recruit and the 137th best player in the country.

NBE Basketball lauded Thorpe’s game, describing him as being “at his best with the ball in his hands and he shows both a high level passing ability and feel for the game. He will be an excellent piece for coach Chambers to begin building his program.”

Julian Moore – 6-foot-9 forward – Fort Washington, PA

When Chambers was hired, he promised he would recruit well in Philadelphia. He delivered on his promise with Germantown Academy big man Julian Moore. Moore attended summer camp at Penn State and caught the attention of the coaching staff, receiving an offer. Moore made up his mind quickly, committed a few weeks later.

Moore, started out as more of a wing forward, but a three-inch growth spurt helped him diversify his game into more of a post player. He also held offers from Temple, Drexel, Delaware, La Salle, Boston and others. 247 Sports lists Moore as a three-star recruit the 208th best player in the 2013 class.

Payton Banks – 6-foot-6 forward – Orange, CA

Chambers and his staff ventured west to snag Banks, a 6-foot-6 small forward who excels in the mid-range game and near the basket with his physical 220 pound frame. Banks averaged 15.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 4.4 apg in his junior season at Orange Lutheran High School.

Banks, who chose Penn State over offers from Auburn, Nevada, UTEP, Oregon State, Pepperdine and Washington State, is rated as a three-star recruit and the 165th best player in the country by 247 Sports. He was supposed to take a visit to Nevada, but decided against it after his trip to the Penn State’s campus toward the end of August.

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About the Author

Sam Cooper

Sam is a senior originally from Newtown, PA who majors in print journalism and is a member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. His athletic peak was age 11 so he decided to grow a beard and write about sports instead.

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