HEAT CHECK -- Ranking Penn State Basketball's top kicks this season

It’s difficult to remember the last time Penn State’s basketball program had this much momentum at this point in the year.

A year shrouded in surprise, mystique and magic even the most hardcore of fans at State College wouldn’t have believed, the Nittany Lions were runners up in the Big Ten Tournament even made some noise in March Madness defeating Texas A&M in round one before eventually falling to Texas in round two.

Penn Stated finished are 23-14 on the year and were selected to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011. In only his second year as head coach, Micah Shrewsberry led young men - the likes of All-American Jalen Pickett, Seth Lundy, Andrew Funk and more - to what was arguably the most memorable season in a decade.

This time last year, the Nittany Lions were 7-13, standing at 12th in the B1G. One year later and they looked like a completely different team.

Now, as successful and impressive as their season was, Nike’s partnering with Penn State athletics made sure that a season like this would be remembered for the team’s play, as well as the fashionable statements that the players made on their feet. We’ll get into that as we reveal the ten best sneakers worn during Penn State’s 2022-23 campaign.

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Coming up first on the shoe countdown are a team staple when it comes to colorways. The signature dark blue and white was always sported by some of PSU’s best players, who at times opted for the “strictly business” look from time to time.

Here, the 6’4 senior out of Rochester, New York wore a team-colored version of NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 4th signature shoe.

A lightweight shoe that can handle the weight of quick changes in direction, the Zoom Freak 4 gives its user the side-to-side stability and multidirectional traction needed when attacking the rim or anywhere on the court. Two Air Zoom units are positioned under the forefoot, and an external piece of lightweight, durable foam is in the outside midsole for support.

Pickett was comfortable in the Zoom Freak 4s all game, putting up 15 points on 7-for-11, with 3 rebounds and 5 assists, albeit in a valiant but losing effort, 74-68 on the road against Maryland.

Seth Lundy makes his debut on our countdown next with this sleek and incisive Zoom Freak 4 colorway. The Black Metallics are an antithesis to the usually vivid and ostentatious approach to his colorways.

Only a few fixtures break up most of the upper's black attire. Grey is a prevalent theme among these, showing up in a variety of colors on the branding, strap, and midsole.

The former, with its embroidered Swooshes and metallic-appearing symbols, brightens the palette considerably whereas the latter two may provide a darker appearance.

Like the Zooms that came before it in Giannis’ line, his Third installment features two zoom units under the midsole’s forefoot for multidirectional changing of direction.

Lundy, a 6’6 senior guard out of Paulsboro, New Jersey, had himself a day in these as Penn State’s leading scorer against the Spartans with 16 points and four rebounds during their 67-58 loss.

Another Seth Lundy appearance on the countdown list, and what a way to have another entry. Against Lafayette during a PSU hold game inside the Bryce Jordan center, the senior brought back a classic in a 70-57 home win.

The Zoom Kobe 6 "Black Del Sol," which was the first colorway of the model, is distinguished by its upper, which features snakeskin accents. The shoe's black colorway is highlighted by vivid “Del Sol” on the Swoosh and heel logo, which were made by applied polyurethane "islands" on the mesh upper.

Phylon technology and Zoom Air pockets were integrated into the black midsole, while an additional dose of Del Sol was featured on the outsole. The late, great Kobe Bryant introduced these in December 2010, and they’ve stood the test of time as one of Nike’s greatest shoes.

Lundy made sure to pay homage to the Black Mamba as the team’s second highest scorer, completing PSU’s sixth win of the season with 15 points, 7 boards and a pair of assists.

Appearing next in the seventh spot - senior guard Camren Wynter, who debuted these KD 15s against Illinois in a 74-59 road win. Made with multilayer mesh and Cushlon foam in the sole, the KD 15 is a shoe straight from the future.

This shoe has an upper and altered midfoot system that functions in tandem with the propulsion system. By minimizing tiny movements, added thickness in key locations helps you maintain the foot’s placement.

The user feels supported and contained the entire game thanks to that very Cushlon foam and cushioning. These sneakers enable those wearing them to stay fresher for longer thanks to their locked-in, technologically built heel.

They feature a hand-crafted aesthetic with contemporary techniques and are inspired by the rapper Drake’s Nike Nocta Line as a part of the “Producer Pack”. In collaboration with producer 9th Wonder, the sneaker draws inspiration from 9th's 2020 album “Zion V: The Ballad of Charles Douthit.”

Upon a third battle on the season against the Fighting Illini, Wynter brought the heat to the floor and a dominant stat line of 18 points, 5 rebounds and an assist in a 79-76 Big Ten tournament win significant enough to have gotten them into the NCAA tournament this year.

As for his shoes, Nike's LeBron 20 “The Debut” has a knit upper made of black and white, and on the lateral side of the shoe is a metallic, double-stacked Nike gold Swoosh logo commemorating the regality of King James himself.

The sneaker has "XX" laces as a tribute to LeBron James’ 20 years in the fold, with white embroidery on the upper. Its woven top is embellished with overlapping Swooshes, and the carbon fiber midfoot shank provides torsional support.

Additionally, the forefoot and heel include Zoom Air units. The collaborative design is completed by an icy clear dynamic outsole, an illustrative pattern across the forefoot, and insole branding.

We’ve made our way into the Top 5 sneakers for our countdown and to start it off, we go back to the home and season opener against Winthrop, in which Penn State vanquished their visitors in the Bryce Jordan Center 93-68, as the 6’8 senior forward from Bellevue Washington is seen here locking up on the defensive end against the Eagles.

He was sure to step in the game and make his presence known, draining a three and grabbing a big rebound while wearing this iteration of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s third signature shoe.

Nike, in collaboration with popular card game company UNO in lieu of their 50th anniversary, made a special shoe as a tribute to the game that enthralled Giannis’ friends and family, as well as similar millions of friend and family gatherings alike. The show has a red upper and midfoot strap, blue reverse Swoosh, and a green and blue UNO card in the number 34 on the medial Swoosh.

A variety of UNO cards are printed all over the red overlay, which contrasts with the yellow tongue's UNO branding on the left and Giannis' emblem on the right.

Next up is a simple colorway, but an effective one. And more importantly, a shoe worn by the guy above who tipped in a game-winning layup against visiting Maryland, capping off a double-digit comeback for the last home game of the season.

Designed with advanced traction, dynamic responsiveness, and on-court comfort, the Zoom GT Cut 2 features an advanced traction system in its outsole that maximizes surface area on the court and is designed to help its user stop on a dime and create space between them and their defenders.

Also, much like its Nike successors, it contains a Cushlon midsole and React drop in sock liner to provide comfort and stability.

And at this point in the season, there wasn’t anyone more comfortable in the moment than the senior.

With less than five seconds remaining on the game clock, Seth Lundy pulled up from three at the top of the key, 3.6 seconds remaining as the ball left his hands during the game's final possession while trailing 64-63.

The ball hit the hoop before landing among the players in a skirmish. Wynter, the shortest player in the scrum, successfully recovered the ball and as soon as he got up, he made the game-winning layup to give Penn State a 65-64 victory on senior day!

Now into our top three shoes for the year. Seth Lundy also went deep into the Kobe bag and sported another classic swoosh shoe, this time in the Protro department.

Officially debuting on January 11, 2004 - the night that Kobe Bryant won his fourth All Star Game MVP award, this significant Protro colorway lives in the annals of sneakerhead lore, as its vibrant graffiti pattern features beach-themed elements like sharks and palm trees.

The design is placed on an upper with a snakeskin texture as an ode to the Mamba himself, and is inspired by the unique neighborhood of Venice, California. And its interior features Cushlon foam for cushioning and a Zoom turbo unit that acts like a band around the forefoot for security and stability.

Though in a losing effort via a 76-63 score, Lundy had himself a strong stat line in the old Palestra against visiting and highly ranked Purdue, scoring 14 points with 5 rebounds and an assist.

Coming in at No. 2, the Kyrie Low 3 “Tie Dye” makes its way onto our countdown. As seen above worn by freshman guard Kanye Clary, it’s a shoe relatively desired by point guards and forwards alike due to its compactness and how it’s rubber outsole provides quality traction.

Mesh in the forefoot offers breathable, lightweight confinement. The intricate designs on the toe and strap and the yellow Kyrie logo on the heel of the shoe represent the harmony of opposites. Lastly, the upper is made of textile, leather, and synthetic leather.

The freshman guard out of Virginia Beach got some quality playing time in a massive win over rival Indiana to advance to the Big Ten tournament final against Purdue, scoring six points on 2-for-5 shooting, a pair of rebounds, an assist and steal in 14 minutes during PSU’s 77-73 win over IU.

And our No. 1 shoe of the season: the Zoom LeBron NXXT Gen I Promise mid-tops sported by none other than Seth Lundy, popularized by him during Big Ten tournament week.

He’s worn them every game in Chicago and due to their eye-catching dually colored left and right color scheme, there’s no way this wouldn’t have been the best shoe of the season.

The shoe itself features a revised cut in the upper, a new midsole design, and different dual Swoosh branding on the sides.

The left shoe of this pair has a blue color scheme, while the right pair has an orange one. Pink accents on the tongue and yellow midsole heel help to break up the design.

This provocative shoe design put eyes on the Uber-talented senior who showcased his tenacity to take over games all tournament, and in the contest against Illinois, the 6’6 wing had 17 points and snagged 10 rebounds during their 79-76 win.

We’ve reached the end of our countdown detailing the best sneakers and colorways of the magical 2022-23 season. It has been a wild ride for Penn State Basketball this past season, but with a new coach coming in, it will be interesting to see if they can keep momentum going.

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