Rally Behind Penn State with Nittany Nation

On Saturday afternoon, there was a sea of blue and a few crazy costumes around. There were students jumping up and down and screaming “Ohhhhh” every time our boys were on defense. And to state the obvious, there were plenty of us “Bernie-ing” on the jumbotron. Everyone was looking for an escape, and this was the answer.

You’re assuming, I’m sure, that I’m speaking of the football game; for me, however, there was another important game that day – Men’s Basketball vs. Hartford.

We’ve been counting down since March for this day. Ever since Juan Fernandez hit the buzzer beater to take our boys out of the NCAA tournament and put an immediate ending to their hard work, Nittany Nation has been strengthening our efforts to put more support behind this team.

We’ve been preparing new ideas, putting social media efforts at the helm, and encouraging students to become a part of something that they can take pride in. Countless meetings, tweets, and brainstorming sessions have encompassed my life for the past 7 months in my attempt to market a brand new team (and I’ve loved every minute of it).

If you’ve met the main man, Coach Pat Chambers, it isn’t very hard to convince you of his amazing personality and (not to be clichéd) attitude. He’s got the most positive outlook I’ve ever seen from any one human being. He’s already on board to get things going with Coaches vs. Cancer, an organization very near to my heart, and one that former Coach Ed DeChellis helped in bringing to the forefront of college basketball. It’s easy to hop on the Chambers train, just come to a game and see him for yourself – and notice the amount of hustle the team brings (I can guarantee that you will never see a loose ball on the ground without a player diving for it).

A lot of students are looking for ways to cope with the current controversies surrounding our university. Nittany Nation has found our escape in committing ourselves to this team more than we ever have before. We were there on Saturday after the football loss, and we’ll be there for every step of the way throughout the rest of the season, no-matter-what happens from here on out.

This team is in no way involved in the scandal. This team needs our support. This team consists of our peers, and they’re suffering just like the rest of us.

We need to rise to the occasion and do what Penn State students do best: stand together. We need to bring the noise back to the Bryce Jordan Center. Join Nittany Nation and rally for our classmates – it’s the easiest way for all of us to show our pride and honor in this school. I believe in this university. I believe in this team. We are and always will believe in Penn State.

Nittany Nation will be participating in the “WeSTILLAre” event in the HUB from 2-3 p.m. President Steve Huber will be speaking at 3, and there will be free giveaways throughout the hour. Men’s Basketball plays on Wednesday night vs. the Long Island Blackbirds at 7 p.m. in the BJC. For more information, visit nittanynation.org.