Tag: Jalen Pickett

Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy invited to NBA combine

Penn State’s Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy will have a chance to increase their NBA draft stock later this month.

Two of Penn State’s top basketball stars from last year are looking to turn some heads at the upcoming NBA combine. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] and [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] were each extended invitations to participate in the NBA’s combine event leading up to this year;’s NBA draft, which will allow each to refine their skills in hopes of being considered for a draft pick selection.

Pickett is coming off a stellar season that resulted in multiple All-American nods from college basketball media. Pickett averaged 17.7 points per game 7.4 rebounds per game, and 6.6 assists per game in his second season at Penn State. Pickett transferred to Penn State from Sienna and was recognized as one of the top transfer players of the year when he made the move to join Penn State and former head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

Lundy finished off a four-year career with the Nittany Lions with his best season. As a senior, Lundy averaged career-highs of 14.2 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and a .400 three-point percentage with 92 three-pointers made.

The NBA combine runs from Tuesday, May 16 through Thursday, May 18 in Chicago. The NBA draft will be held on Thursday, June 22.

Pickett and Lundy are hoping to be the first Penn State players drafted by an NBA team since Tony Carr was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018. Since joining the Big Ten, Penn State has seen just two players drafted by NBA teams. Calvin Booth was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 1999. In all, Penn State has had 14 players drafted by NBA franchises since 1947. Penn State has never had two players drafted in the same year.

You can see the full list of players confirmed to be invited to the NBA combine and the G League Elite Camp on The Rookie Wire.

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NBA draft combine 2023: A complete tracker of player invitations

Rookie Wire took a look at those prospects that have earned invitations to compete in the NBA draft combine and G League Elite Camp.

The NBA pre-draft process is in full swing as prospects work toward achieving the ultimate goal of hearing their names called by Commissioner Adam Silver on June 22.

Reports are beginning to surface of prospects receiving invitations to compete in the draft combine on May 15-21 in Chicago, Illinois. Each year, teams submit a list of players they would like to see invited, typically those with the highest odds of getting drafted.

The event features 5-on-5 games, strength and agility testing, shooting drills, measurements and other related on-court exercises. Prospects have the opportunity to improve their draft stock in a competitive environment against their peers.

Last year, 76 players were announced as participants in the event.

The G League Elite Camp will take place in Chicago on May 13-14 with players competing in front of NBA and G League scouts, coaches and front-office executives. The top performers will also be invited to perform in the draft combine.

The official list of participants for both events has yet to be unveiled.

Those underclassmen that filed as early entry candidates will also have the chance to interview with teams and gain feedback on their draft positioning. The information will be helpful in forming their decisions on staying in the draft or returning to school before the May 31 deadline.

Rookie Wire took a look at those prospects that have reportedly earned invitations to compete in the combine and G League Elite Camp. The list will be updated as more names emerge.

Last Update: May 14, 11:15 p.m. EDT

Former Niagara basketball guard has Penn State in final 5

Penn State is in the mix for a key college basketball transfer from Niagara.

It’s been a busy time for Penn State athletics in recent weeks. The football program has been stealing the headlines with their major 2024 recruiting class that continues to grow. While that has been going on, the basketball program has slowly started to rebuild their roster under new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag].

He was able to keep returning players [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] and [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] at Penn State after Brown decided to test the transfer waters. Rhoades brought two of his former players at VCU with him to State College as well. [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern[/autotag] officially signed with Penn State in mid-April. Temple transfer, [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag], announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on April 20th.

Because so many of the players on last year’s roster were graduating seniors, there was going to be some semblance of a rebuild to get more players on the roster filled with their young returners. However, when many of those young players put their names into the transfer portal, it was looking like it would be a full rebuild under Rhoades.

Despite the players Penn State has already added, they’re not done trying to sign others. Niagara transfer guard Noah Thomasson has been a target of theirs since he put his name in the portal on April 3rd.

On Monday, Thomasson announced his top five schools and has included Penn State on the list. The other four programs are Georgia, St. John’s, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.

Thomasson is a 6’3″ guard who started his career at Houston Christian before transferring to a junior college for the 2020-2021 season. After leaving Butler Community College after one season, he landed back in Division 1 basketball at Niagara University of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

This past season, he averaged 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists on 48.1% shooting from the field. He started all 31 games he played and averaged 36.4 minutes on the floor during those games.

Thomasson has already visited both Georgia and San Francisco. He plans on visiting Penn State from April 28-29 according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] found major success at Penn State after transferring from Sienna of the MAAC.

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Penn State lands former VCU star Ace Baldwin out of transfer portal

Penn State basketball picked up a major commitment out of the transfer portal with Ace Baldwin.

One benefit that was hoped for by fans and media alike was that new Penn State coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] would bring with him some talent from VCU. The new coach and his staff wasted no time in securing a big transfer out of the portal from his former team.

[autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and defensive player of the year, is leaving VCU and heading with his coach to State College. He brings with him a stat line that is made up of 12.7 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 2.9 RPG. That complete offensive production s of course accompanied by his defensive prowess meaning that as Penn State loses a do-it-all player like [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] they gain one in Baldwin.

Baldwin was the star and key component of a VCU team that went 27-8 and made the NCAA Tournament this past season. Baldwin however couldn’t play in the tournament which played a part in their Round of 64 exit.

He was also a sought-after recruit coming out of high school as a three-star recruit. He had offers from Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Kansas State, Maryland, Miami, Providence, Rhode Island, Rutgers, Seton Hall and TCU. He chose VCU at the time with the coaching staff at the time that is now in State College which is a major reason for his commitment to Penn State.

Baldwin will be expected to start for the Nittany Lions as they are set to lose four of five starters this coming year leaving Rhoades to utilize the portal to find starters and rotation players. Other VCU players such as Jayden Nunn, Nicholas Kern, Jalen DeLoach, and Jamir Watkins remain in the transfer portal with Penn State expected to pursue them.

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Potential second-round pick Jalen Pickett declares for NBA draft

Pickett was just the second Nittany Lion honored as an All-American and the first since 1955.

Penn State guard Jalen Pickett announced this week on social media that he will enter the 2023 NBA draft after a decorated five years at the collegiate level.

Pickett was named a consensus All-American after posting 17.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists on 38.1% shooting from 3-point range. He was the second Nittany Lion honored as an All-American and the first since Jesse Arnelle in 1955.

The fifth-year senior, who played his first three years at Siena, is the only Division I men’s player in at least the last 37 years to have recorded at least 2,000 career points, 800 assists and 700 rebounds.

He finished with 2,207 points, 841 assists and 780 rebounds, respectively.

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Pickett was the first player since 1993 to average at least 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 50% shooting or better from the field (50.8). He ranked fifth in the country in assists and 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.89).

The 6-foot-4 guard is most commonly projected to be a second-round pick. He can score from virtually all over the court and specialized in backing down his opponents in the paint. He also served as a great facilitator as evidenced by his high assist numbers.

After a distinguished run at the college level, Pickett will be looking to carry that momentum with him into the pre-draft process in front of teams and executives.

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Jalen Pickett named Wooden Award All-American

Jalen Pickett made more Penn State basketball history with his latest All-American honor

On the day Penn State officially introduced new men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades to the public, one of the greatest players to come through the program received yet another All-American honor. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] was named to the Wooden Award All-American team on Thursday. Pickett is the first player in program history to receive that distinction.

Pickett’s latest All-American honor is the latest in a string of All-American honors that includes being a consensus all-American with the AP, NABC, USBWA, and Sporting News. CBS Sports also included Pickett on its all-American roster as well.

Pickett was one of three Big Ten players appearing on the Wooden Award All-American team. He was joined by Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis. No other conference had more than two players on the list; the SEC had two with Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Kentucky’s Oscar Tubelis and the Pac-12 had Jaime Jauez Jr. of UCLA and Azuolas Tubelis of Arizona.

Pickett averaged 17.7 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. He was the MVP of a Penn State team that went on a memorable run to an appearance in the Big Ten championship game, taking Purdue down to the wire, and advanced to the first NCAA tournament for the program since 2011 and winning its first tournament game since 2001.

2023 John R. Wooden Award All-America Team

  • Zach Edey – Purdue
  • Trayce Jackson-Davis – Indiana
  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. – UCLA
  • Brandon Miller – Alabama
  • Jalen Pickett – Penn State
  • Marcus Sasser – Houston
  • Drew Timme – Gonzaga
  • Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
  • Azuolas Tubelis – Arizona
  • Jalen Wilson – Kansas

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CBS Sports names Jalen Pickett All-American

Jalen Pickett named All-American by CBS Sports

As the Penn State program moves forward in a new era under new leadership, the accolades continue to come in for one of the best players in program history. On Thursday, Penn State guard [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] was named an All-American by CBS Sports.

Pickett earned second-team All-American honors from CBS Sports. Pickett was unable to grab enough votes for the first-team honors as CBS Sports voters went heavy on the big men with no regard for positions.

Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis were the two Big Ten representatives on the first team. Iowa‘s Kris Murray earned third-team recognition from the CBS Sports voters to give the Big Ten four players on the All-American roster from CBS Sports. No other conference had more than three players honored.

Here is what CBS Sports had to say about Pickett…

Penn State won the fourth-most games in program history this season behind the star turn of Jalen Pickett, a former Siena star who blossomed in his second season with the Nittany Lions. Pickett led the Big Ten in assists this season and finished top five in scoring as well, averaging 6.6 assists per game and a career-high in points (17.7) and rebounds (7.4).

Pickett averaged 17.7 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. He was the MVP of a Penn State team that went on a memorable run to an appearance in the Big Ten championship game, taking Purdue down to the wire, and advanced to the first NCAA tournament for the program since 2011 and winning its first tournament game since 2001.

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Penn State’s next move yet another critical one for future of basketball program

Penn State’s next coaching hire will be a big one for AD Pat Kraft as it looks for a new basketball leader

The life of a Penn State basketball fan has been a painful experience for many supporters of the program over the years. And just as it seemed the program was about to hit a turning point in favor of more regular success instead of waiting a decade for a shot at experiencing the NCAA tournament, Penn State once again finds itself at a potential critical fork in the road. The departure of head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], who reportedly agreed to a lengthy contract at Notre Dame after two seasons in Happy Valley, leaves Penn State in a position of need for a head coach who can continue down the path Shrewsberry was paving without having to take a major detour.

Whoever becomes the next head coach of the Nittany Lions will have a good amount of work to do right off the bat. Seth Lundy declared for the NBA draft. A pair of players entered the transfer portal. And [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag], and [autotag]Myles Dread[/autotag] are key players departing the program as well. The transfer portal can ease the pressure with the right conversations and decisions being made with the roster, just as Shrewsberry did right from the start of his brief tenure in State College.

But the real work will have to be done on the recruiting trail, which is a bit more difficult to start given the timing of everything. And the possibility Shrewsberry will lure any top targets to South Bend after initially working on them for Penn State is a real possibility to consider.

Ultimately, what Penn State athletics director [autotag]Pat Kraft[/autotag] is tasked with doing is not necessarily finding the big splash hire for the sake of generating headlines, but finding the right coach for the job. Players have already voiced their support for [autotag]Adam Fisher[/autotag], one of Penn State’s top assistant coaches under Shrewsberry and a former assistant at Villanova and Miami. This turns out being the first major hire for Kraft since being named the school’s athletics director in succeeding Sandy Barbour, who brought Shrewsberry to Penn State.

If you need to have some confidence in Kraft’s ability to identify a good coaching candidate, take a look at some of his notable hires at previous stops. He hired Matt Rhule to be the head football coach at Temple in 2013, and it’s pretty safe to say that worked out pretty well for all parties involved. After Rhule left Temple for Baylor, Kraft hired Geoff Collins to keep things going with the OPwls program, resulting in back-to-back winning seasons. He did hire Rod Carey to be Temple’s next football coach after Collins left for Georgia Tech, so 2-1 isn’t too bad.

Kraft’s men’s college basketball coaching hire at Temple, following the resignation of Fran Dunphy, was thought to be a solid hire with Aaron McKie. McKie was an easy pick for the Owls, but he was just let go by Temple after his fourth season on the job with just one winning season. His coaching hire for the Boston College program, Earl Grant, hasn’t quite panned out for the Eagles after two seasons, although they did win three more games this season compared to the previous season. Hooray for progress?

But Penn State has deeper pockets and more to offer with its financial abilities compared to Temple and Boston College. Penn State still has a long way to go to being a regularly competitive college basketball program, but now is the time to change the narrative.

Penn State has dug deep into the pockets of its football program, which is admittedly the lifeblood of the entire athletics department and has been for decades. It has a history of hiring national championship-caliber programs like Cael Sanderson (wrestling) and Russ Rose (women’s volleyball). It has invested heavily in building a men’s ice hockey program from near scratch and has quickly built a budding NCAA contender in just a matter of a handful of years.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, should be standing in the way of Penn State giving Kraft the green light on making the absolute best hire possible and ensuring the next head coach will have the full financial backing to improve facilities, NIL opportunities, and more for the future stability of the basketball program.

Penn State shouldn’t settle for a coach to go through another rebuild that leads to a return to the NCAA tournament a decade from now. It needs a coach who will keep Penn State fielding a competitive roster through recruiting and the transfer portal for years to come. A step back in the 2023-24 season can be understandable, if not anticipated and expected, but it is beyond time to accept mediocrity as the standard for Penn State basketball.

So when Penn State announces who the next head coach will be, don’t expect a big splashy hire. Instead, look to see how the school and its leadership are committed to a long-term vision for the program that doesn’t waste time in turning words into actions.

The time is now, Penn State.

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Guard Seth Lundy declares for 2023 NBA Draft

Penn State guard Seth Lundy declares for 2023 NBA draft.

After a special season at Penn State, guard [autotag]Seth Lundy[/autotag] appears to have made his decision on the future of his basketball career at Penn State and beyond.

After being one of the best players on the team alongside [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], Lundy announced on Twitter that he is declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft. Lundy could have returned for the 2023-24 season by utilizing the extra year of eligibility granted to athletes by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic but instead, he has decided to head to the NBA.

At the age of 23, Lundy will already be one of the older prospects in the draft come June.

Lundy averaged 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 45% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. He scored in double digits in all but five games on the year and had a season-high against Indiana where he scored 25 points in January. In that same game, he entered the Penn State 1,000 club, and teammate Jalen Pickett would join him later in the year.

Lundy proved to be a big-time shot maker and all-around good player by not turning the ball over much and making big shots in stressful situations that kept Penn State and their illustrious season alive. In their overtime win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, Lundy hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and then a game-tying jumper in the second half before going a step further and hitting another clutch shot in the form of a game-winning three.

Lundy will be a part of a Senior class for Penn State that will be looked back upon favorably as they have seemingly got the program on the right track for the first time in a long time.

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NEC Player of the Year visiting Penn State

It sure seems as though Micah Shrewsberry is planning to be at Penn State next year judging by this key transfer visit.

It’s been a packed March for Penn State basketball.

First, it was their run to the conference tournament title game, then it was upsetting Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament and giving two-seeded Texas a scare in the second round.

Now, Penn State fans sit by their phones hoping to hear news about an extension for head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag]. John Rothstein of CBS Sports previously reported Penn State is expected to make a long-term commitment to Shrewsberry.

While waiting for any update regarding a possible extension, there has been some great news for the Penn State basketball program.

The Northeast Conference Player of the Year is in the transfer portal and was scheduled to meet with Shrewsberry and Penn State on Monday.

[autotag]Josh Cohen[/autotag] is a 6’10” upcoming senior who played at Saint Francis (PA) last season. He averaged 21.8 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.5% from the field.

Cohen would provide some much-needed size and rebounding that the Nittany Lions were clearly lacking this season. The track record of transfer players impacting the program positively could play a huge role in landing the NEC Player of the Year.

The success of [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Funk[/autotag] and [autotag]Camren Wynter[/autotag] last season should comfort any player in the transfer portal who is looking for their next home.

Cohen has two years of eligibility remaining, making him a desired transfer target for multiple programs around the country.

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