Penn State’s men’s basketball roster makeover added another solid piece of the puzzle on Sunday. According to a report from Jeff Borzello of ESPN, Penn State has landed the commitment of Siena guard Jalen Pickett. On top of that, Penn State beat out some stiff competition for the transfer.
Penn State beat out defending national champion Baylor, national runner-up Gonzaga, and Michigan for Pickett’s commitment, a monumental recruiting victory for new head coach Micah Shrewsberry no matter how many ways you look at it.
Pickett confirmed his decision with a graphic shared on his Twitter account on Sunday afternoon.
LETS GET TO WORK🔥🔥💯 #WEARE #WHOOP pic.twitter.com/0WiM67SuLe
— Jay Pick (@JalenPickett7) April 25, 2021
In the report from ESPN, Pickett explained that Shrewsberry’s work with Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas along with his offensive coaching at Purdue helped make Pickett feel comfortable in his transfer decision.
Pickett comes to Penn State already a celebrated basketball player in his own right. Two seasons ago, Pickett was named the MAAC Player of the Year while averaging 15.1 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game. Pickett was unable to match that production during this most recent college basketball season due to a pauses in the season and a hamstring injury. But there is no question the addition of Picekkt is major news for a Penn State basketball program looking to build a winning foundation under its latest head coach.
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