The Penn State backcourt is going to look a little different next season.

Over a span of less than 24 hours, it was announced that both sophomore guard Matt Glover and freshman guard Trey Lewis had been granted releases from their scholarships at Penn State.

Glover’s transfer was confirmed Wednesday by Penn State Basketball Sports Information Director Brian Siegrist. The tweet stated that Glover wants to play closer to his home in California. Glover arrived at Penn State this fall after a season playing at Sheridan Community College in Wyoming.

Both Glover and head coach Pat Chambers commented on the situation in a press release:

“Matt and I talked after the conclusion of the season and he expressed that he wasn’t comfortable so far from home and would like to move closer to his mother and his family,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said in a Penn State release.

“I would like to thank my teammates, Coach Chambers and the coaching staff for the last year,” Glover said in the school’s press release.

“I enjoyed playing at Penn State. The decision to leave is not easy. I have a lot of family in California and it was hard to be this far away from them. I think it will be better for me if I can continue my career closer to home,” he said.

Though he struggled offensively, Glover was a consistent presence on the defensive end for the Lions. His best outing of the year came in an 11-rebound performance during the Lions’ upset of Purdue on January 6. He started 21 contests and appeared in all 32 games this season. Glover averaged 2.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game, and was third on the squad with 27 steals.

Rumors of Lewis’ transfer arose on Twitter and message boards Thursday afternoon before being confirmed Thursday night by both Lewis and Penn State.

After showing flashes of outside scoring ability early in the season, Lewis was hampered by ankle and back injuries that kept him out for the majority of conference play. Lewis also appeared to be in the Coach Chambers’ doghouse–appearing only sparingly in a couple games when he was cleared to play–before earning his way back into the rotation late in the season.

The news of Lewis’ transfer came as a surprise after he posted 11 points against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament. According to a press release, it was a mutual decision between Lewis and Chambers:

“Trey and I met after the conclusion of the season and the result of those conversations was that we both felt it would be best for him to continue his career at another program,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. “Trey is a skilled player and a nice young man. We wish him the best as he moves forward with his career and we will assist him however we can in finding the right fit for him.”

“I would like to thank my teammates and coaches for the past season at Penn State,” Lewis said. “I had a great experience at Penn State and learned a lot with the opportunity to play in the Big Ten as freshman. After thinking about my future, I think it is best for me to move on and continue my career at a program that may be a better fit for me.”

Lewis appeared in 20 games this season for the Lions, including six starts. He averaged 5.6 points per game and scored a career-high 17 points in his first collegiate game against Hartford on 11/12 at the BJC.

Lewis became the third player to announce his departure this season, joining Glover and freshman center Peter Alexis, who relinquished his scholarship in January.

A report from Blue White Illustrated suggests that Lewis “had some noted issues buying into Chambers’ all-out attitude system” and that there were “some behind closed gym doors issues that arose through the season” that would lead to his eventual departure.

Lewis appears optimistic although he is unsure where he will play next.

“I’m undecided but I’m looking for a better fit,” he said to Blue White Illustrated. “I’m actually in high spirits. I’m feeling really good about the future.”

The parting of Lewis, Glover, and Alexis, all recruits of former coach Ed DeChellis, leaves four open scholarships for Pat Chambers and his staff to fill for the 2012-13 season. They’ll also have three openings for the 2013-14 season. Chambers has proven his ability to be a great recruiter, so it would be tough to assume that he doesn’t have another recruit or two within reach for next season’s roster.

Penn State has been linked to stud forward Sheldon Jeter for quite some time. Jeter has offers from Wisconsin, South Carolina, Kansas State, and recently received an offer from Florida State, so Chambers definitely has some competition for his services.

Additionally, it would be a surprise if former walk-on and rising senior guard Nick Colella isn’t on the receiving end of one of these vacated scholarships.

The rest of the offseason should certainly be interesting for Chambers and company, and he’ll have to recruit with a renewed sense of urgency to keep Penn State on the right track.

Your move, Pat.