Penn State’s 2021-22 season came to an end on Friday night, but the planning for the next season is now already underway. A key member of the program has decided he will play one more final season in Happy Valley, giving first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry a nice asset to rely on next season.
Jalen Pickett confirmed in his postgame press conference following Penn State’s Big Ten men’s basketball tournament loss to Purdue that he will be returning to play for the Nittany Lions next season.
Penn State guard Jalen Pickett said he’s returning to the Nittany Lions for the 2022-23 season.
— Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) March 12, 2022
The return of Pickett is great news for Shrewsberry, who managed to bring Pickett to Penn State as a transfer after being named the head coach of the Penn State program last year. The former Sienna guard averaged 13.4 points per game for the Nittany Lions in his first season with the program. The scoring average was lower than his yearly averages at Sienna, but it is worth noting Pickett was counted on more to provide offense at Sienna.
After a pretty tough end to the regular season, Pickett became a reliable leader for the team in their three games in the Big Ten basketball tournament. Pickett’s 22 points helped lead Penn State past Minnesota in the first round, and Pickett was again instrumental in Penn State’s upset of Ohio State in the second round. Pickett also added 16 points in a valiant effort against Purdue in the quarterfinal matchup of the tournament.
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