But a much bigger and more serious issue for Chambers, 40, as he takes over the Lions is recruiting. He was a key member of Jay Wright's staff at Villanova for five seasons, the last being the Final Four team in 2009, and now he must bring in the same type of talent for Penn State to compete and succeed in the rugged Big Ten.
Penn State's rural location traditionally has been rejected by talented recruits from large East Coast cities. Chambers thinks he can change the mind-set, and that means capitalizing on contacts he made at Villanova and in his two years as Boston University's head coach.
"We have to tap into our relationships, relationships that I built all my life in Philadelphia when I was in high school and college and when I got to Villanova," he said. "You have to go back to where people know you and people trust you. When people trust you, they're going to send you their kids. . . .
"I've built a lot of good relationships. A lot of Philly-area kids and from the surrounding area came to Boston, so if we can do it at Boston, we can do it at Penn State."
Chambers also said he will emphasize the Penn State basketball tradition. While not as full as Villanova's, the recent tradition consists of a Sweet 16 appearance in 2001, an NIT championship in 2009, and a late surge last season that led to an at-large NCAA bid.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but football does it, why can't we do it?" he said.
"I know it's JoePa [head football coach Joe Paterno]. I know the tradition. I get it. Why can't we do it? There's tradition here. Nobody knows about it. Nobody wants to talk about it. I'm going to talk about it. I'm going to bring it out. I'm going to make sure the players come back."
