Tag: Talor Battle

Ohio State basketball finalizes its coaching staff under Jake Diebler

A familiar name will join the Buckeyes coaching staff

There has been one position that had not been filled for [autotag]Jake Diebler[/autotag]’s first full season as Ohio State basketball’s men’s head coach.

On Monday, that spot was filled by a familiar name, [autotag]Talor Battle[/autotag]. The former Penn State player went undrafted, then opted to play overseas in France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Hungary, and Slovenia before starting his coaching career.

He retuned to his alma mater as an assistant during the 2020-21 season, then continued those duties at Northwestern starting in 2021. Battle now joins Diebler’s staff in a very similar role. His familiarity with Big Ten programs will help in the long run, as he knows recruits and how other teams operate.

It’s a great hire for Diebler, as now the staff can focus on recruiting and getting prepared for the upcoming season.

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Penn State still has a shot to make a case for the NCAA Tournament

Penn State’s hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament took a recent hit, but there is still a path to the madness with a strong finish.

Despite Penn State losing a critical game to Rutgers on Saturday, all hope is not lost on the season. They have two games remaining, one home and one away. Wins in both would allow Penn State to have control its own destiny heading into the Big Ten tournament.

We know hope is not lost because we can look back on the 2011 season, which was the last time the Nittany Lions made the big dance. There are some notable similarities.

In 2011, in the final ten regular season games, Penn State had a record of 5-5. Two of those losses came against top-ten-ranked teams which softened the blow with the selection committee one would imagine. Looking at this year’s team in the same window, Penn State is 4-6 in their last ten but wins in their last two regular season games would allow them to finish 5-5 just like they did in 2011.

The biggest thing that helped the 2011 team though was how they performed in the conference tournament.

Led by [autotag]Talor Battle[/autotag], who is now on the 2023 coaching staff, the Nittany Lions won three games in the Big Ten tournament including a win over no. 13 Wisconsin. If the 2023 team can win three conference tournament games, while finishing with two wins in the regular season, they would have a record of 22-13, which is better than the 19-11 record of the 2022 squad.

It all starts though with Wednesday’s game at Northwestern, which would be not only an away win but a win over a recently ranked Northwestern team that has two top-ranked wins in recent weeks.

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Talor Battle leaves Penn State basketball staff for another B1G opportunity

Talor Battle was expected to stay with but he has now been introduced as an assistant coach elsewhere in the Big Ten.

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Former Penn State basketball player-turned assistant coach Talor Battle is on the move. Battle, who had been a holdover on the basketball coaching staff for new head coach Micah Shrewsberry as an assistant coach, has officially been named an assistant coach with the Northwestern Wildcats.

“We’re excited to welcome Talor to the program,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said in a released statement on Monday. “His track record as an elite player in this league makes him an incredible mentor for our players, and an obviously compelling recruiter. He has a great knowledge of the game and an undeniable passion for coaching that will be great additions to the staff.”

Battle would have been a nice piece of the staff to keep in Happy Valley for Shrewsberry, which had been part of the original plan. Battle’s connection to the basketball program and understanding of what it takes to succeed within the program could have been of good use for the new head coach and the newly assembled staff.

But there is something to be said about entering new territory and working with another head coach to make yourself a better all-around coach. At the same time, losing one of Penn State’s top players of the Big Ten era can be a tough pill to swallow for a program looking to build a foundation.

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