Until now, the only news coming out of the Battle camp was his 36-50 performance from NBA range at the Trail Blazers workout. Now we’ve got some more info from Sports Illustrated who had the chance to talk to Talor and a few other early entry players about their draft workouts.
“After I declared, my coaches contacted the NBA [Stu Jackson's committee] to get information, and what I was told was that teams didn’t have me on their draft boards. They said they talked to 16 teams, and none had me on their draft boards. I also had a phone conversation with [Bobcats coach] Larry Brown, just about the NBA, and what it takes to be successful there.
“It was tough to do anything beyond that, because of the new situation this year. I was looking forward to going around the country and trying to impress multiple teams, but I was only able to do one workout — for Portland, and it was on the last day before you could pull yourself out of the draft. So it was almost pointless [to have declared], to be honest with you. I think it would be better to go back to the old system [in which the deadline was mid-June].
“Most of the guys who were out in Portland with me, it was their only workout too, so they weren’t able to get a real feeling about whether they could stay in the draft or not. Malcolm Delaney from Virginia Tech was there, so was Lavoy Allen from Temple, and Mike Davis from Illinois. We did 1-on-1 stuff, 3-on-3. Afterward, they told you your strengths and weaknesses, and were pretty straightforward about it on a professional level; they said I needed to get bigger, work on my ball handling, and that it was in my best interests to go back to school.”
All of this info is pretty much what we expected to hear about Talor. Work on your handle, and get stronger. Two things that will do wonders for him and Penn State in his final year as a Nittany Lion. You can check out the full report on other players testing the waters.. here
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Pretty much everybody in the Penn State basketball camp expected him to be back next year so there wasn’t ever a question of that. It is just good to see that Battle is getting looks from teams. He has learned a few things, worked out with scouts, and should be a better player for it. Games against Maryland, Virgina Tech, and Ole Miss next season will be good chances for him to show his worth against teams outside of the Big Ten. Generally you’ll be noticed within conference, but any chance you get to show non Big Ten schools you’re worth is a welcomed opportunity.
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