Guard, who is Big Ten ready, commits to Lions
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State men's basketball team signed junior college guard Matt Glover to a letter of intent Monday.
He has three years of eligibility remaining entering the 2011-12 season after spending last year at Sheridan College in Wyoming.
"Matt is a big, strong perimeter player that can play a variety of positions for us and I think will be able to make an immediate contribution to our team," coach Ed DeChellis said.
"His body is Big Ten ready and I think he has a work ethic and overall demeanor and competitiveness that will fit in nicely on our team."
Glover, a 6-foot-4 California native, averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game playing mostly two-guard in his freshman season at Sheridan, which had a 24-10 record in Region IX of the NJCAA. He shot 48 percent from the floor.
"He is a big guard who is athletic, is a good shooter, has a good handle, can defend on the perimeter and rebounds well," said Penn State assistant coach Dan Earl, who recruited Glover. "He is really well-built and strong and is ready to play in the physical Big Ten."
Glover is the fifth junior college player to sign with the Nittany Lions in DeChellis' eight seasons.
Three of the previous four signees became two-year starters, including honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference guard Stanley Pringle, forward Travis Parker and guard David Jackson.
Brian Gaia has been a Penn State fan since he was a child.
Monday, he made a verbal commitment to play football for the Lions, becoming the seventh member of the 2012 recruiting class.
Gaia, 6 feet 3 and 290 pounds, is a two-way lineman from the Gilman School in Baltimore. He earned all-state honors this past season and was recruited by assistant coach Larry Johnson to play defensive tackle.
Gaia, rated a three-star recruit by Scout.com, also is guard on offense.
He had scholarship offers from eight schools, including Pitt and West Virginia.
First Published May 10, 2011 12:00 am
