If Penn State had hired an even-keeled men’s head basketball coach after Ed DeChellis’s departure last May, Penn State might have done away with their pre-season basketball pep rally, as many schools across the country have in recent years.

However, Pat Chambers has just a little too much energy for all that, so in conjunction with the Penn State women’s team, the programs will hold “Hoops Madness” on November 2 at Rec Hall. Doors open at 7:30 with an 8 p.m. start.

The Lady Lions have an exciting leader in their own right, as Coquese Washington returns for her fifth year at the helm of a Lady Lions team that returns four starters, including All-Big Ten guard Alex Bently, who reached the NCAA tournament last season.

“I’m excited to bring the energy and tradition of Penn State basketball back to Rec Hall for a night,” Chambers said in a press release.

“I’ve seen the passion and enthusiasm Penn State fans bring to that building and I think this is going to be an amazing event and lots of fun for everyone involved.”

What fans are hoping for are fun times ahead for a program that has rarely lived up to whatever hype was put in to it. Past seasons have often brought close, but not close enough, campaign under DeChellis. Chambers seems to be the right man for the job, coming from Boston University and already connecting with the university, most notably at Paternoville before the football team’s clash with Alabama.

Stay tuned to Onward State for basketball coverage throughout the season.