Rasir Bolton anxious to get started on Penn State career

Rasir Bolton has been waiting for this.

Originally a Rivals150 point guard prospect in the Class of 2017, Bolton reclassified to the Class of 2018, spending the past eight months at Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Va. Younger than most of his peers, Bolton saw the year playing for the Colonels as an opportunity to catch up physically to the bigger, stronger, faster competitors he’d soon face as a Nittany Lion.

Build his game, build his brain, as Bolton described it.

Now set for his Penn State arrival Sunday, followed by his first classes Monday, the chance to get started has finally come.

“I just really feel blessed to have a full scholarship in the first place,” said Bolton via phone interview Friday. “Just getting up there early, getting to know the coaches even better, building relationships in the weight room, do college workouts and things like that, and just adjusting to the campus and classroom work (will be good).”

Thanks to his Massanutten experience, Bolton’s transition might be less complicated than his Class of 2018 peers will experience.

Building up his body in the weight room, now 6-foot-3, 178 pounds, Bolton considers himself more prepared for the grind of the Big Ten season and its physically mature guards than he might have been coming straight from Huntingdon Prep. Playing the season against fellow post-graduates, Bolton also competed in 40-minute games as opposed to the high school game’s 32-minute, four-quarter format.

Equally beneficial to Bolton, he spent the season handling the point at Massanutten, a role he’s expecting to continue at Penn State. For the year, he averaged 21 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, hitting 55 percent of his shots from the floor and 41 percent from beyond-the-arc. Described by head coach Patrick Chambers as the primary competitor to returning sophomore Jamari Wheeler for the starting job in the preseason, Bolton brings a knack for scoring and considerable range to the position.

Describing himself as a true point, though, Bolton’s primary focus is on his potential to set up a trio of returning veterans in Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins and Josh Reaves.

“I’m just trying to distribute the ball evenly and get them their shots,” said Bolton. “They're coming back as NIT champs, so they're coming back hungry to get better. All I gotta do is get them the ball so they get it when they need it, and then let them do what they do, and when I can, I'll do what I do.”

Relieved of the heavier burden that has often accompanied heralded Penn State recruiting classes, Bolton acknowledged that he’s “a little nervous,” but is more anxious to get going on his career with the Nittany Lions.

Armed with the confidence that he’s prepared for the challenge ahead, Bolton is following Chambers’ lead in lifting the expectations for the program as it moves forward.

“We gotta build more. We gotta do more. Tony's gone now, so everybody doesn't know what can happen, so I gotta come in and get to the tournament, at least,” said Bolton. “I would say it's the main goal, really. NIT champs, we need to come in next season and make the tournament, and win games, really. Just win the big games.

“They were only a couple of games out this year, so I think we gotta come in and finish those games off and I feel like we should have a good season and make the NCAA Tournament.”