With one extra scholarship laying around for the 2013-14 season, Pat Chambers decided to use it and honor a member of the basketball team at the same time.

Alan Wisniewski, a senior power forward who averaged 0.6 points and 0.7 rebounds in 12 games last season, has been awarded with the team’s final scholarship for the upcoming season.

“Alan works tremendously hard and his teammates respect him for the attitude he brings to our locker-room,” Chambers told GoPSUSports.com. “He has developed into a leader of our team. We are happy to be able to recognize his dedication with a scholarship for the upcoming season.”

Wisniewski is an industrial engineering major from Sterling Heights, Michigan who has been praised for his work ethic and effort. He’s played in 18 games in his two seasons as a walk-on, and put up career-highs in minutes (17), rebounds (8), and points (6) in the team’s 67-53 loss to Nebraska last season.

Adding Wisniewski as a scholarship player likely caps what has been a busy offseason for the basketball team. Going into last year, the team had one open scholarship. Four scholarship players — Jermaine Marshall, Jon Graham, Pat Ackerman, and Akosa Maduegbunam — all transferred. Along with the two open scholarships due to Sasa Borovnjak and Nick Colella graduating, the team had seven total scholarships available for 2013-14.

Penn State brought in four players in its recruiting class, along with two transfers in Alan Roberts (who is immediately eligible) and Jordan Dickerson (who will sit out all of 2013-14). With one leftover scholarship, Chambers decided to reward Wisniewski.

Rewarding a walk-on for their commitment to the program isn’t totally unprecedented — two weeks ago, it was announced that Bill O’Brien rewarded five run-ons on the football team with scholarships.

The basketball team kicks off their schedule kicks off in just under two months, when they take on Wagner on November 9 in the Bryce Jordan Center.