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John Harrar Shows Off Former Teammate Mike Watkins’ Old Threads Ahead Of Senior Night

While the on-court brotherhood for most Penn State basketball players typically spans four seasons at most, the bond between John Harrar and Mike Watkins has lasted far beyond their time spent together on the hardwood.

Prior to Penn State men’s basketball’s Senior Night spectacle against Northwestern on Friday, Harrar paid homage to his former front-court companion in Watkins. Instead of rolling into the Bryce Jordan Center in high fashion, the Delaware County native rocked Watkins’ former No. 24 jersey before entering the locker room.

Harrar’s outfit, which can be seen on the second slide of the team’s Instagram post, warranted praise from Watkins himself. The Philadelphia native commented, “Yessir Jonny!! ??? I love to see it,” in response to Harrar’s choice in attire.

For nearly four years, Watkins and Harrar commanded one of the most ferocious low-post combinations in program history. Over the span, the duo started a combined 99 contests from 2017 to 2020 while guiding the Nittany Lions to a stellar 22-10 regular-season record in the 2019-20 season.

During Watkins’ senior campaign two years ago, Penn State reached No. 9 in the national polls, which is still good for the program’s highest single-week AP Poll ranking in school history. The blend of Watkins, Harrar, and Lamar Stevens accounted for 31.6 points per game during the unprecedented run of success for Pat Chambers’ squad.

Amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State’s best on-court product in nearly a decade never received the chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament despite the team being a likely shoo-in for the Big Dance.

Currently, Watkins is playing professional basketball for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Once Harrar’s current career-defining campaign wraps up, the Nittany Lion could also find himself taking his talents to the professional level in the near future.

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About the Author

Connor Krause

Connor Krause is a senior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania double majoring in journalism and business. He is a lifelong Penn State football and basketball fan and enjoys rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams. In his free time, Connor can be found playing golf or pick-up basketball. You can follow his Twitter and Instagram @ckrause_31.

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