For the first time in over a decade, Penn State basketball fans will be watching the NBA draft with the hopes of seeing one of their own step up on the stage and shake David Stern’s hand. While Talor Battle’s future won’t be defined by tonight’s draft, some of the pieces to the puzzle will have fallen into place by the time the LA Kings make the final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.

Ultimately it is more than likely that Battle won’t hear his name called tonight. With only 60 players drafted in a quick 2 rounds, a large portion of which have come from overseas, plenty of skilled basketball players find themselves in  the free agent market shopping around for a team that could use them. It is a stressful process for anyone involved, but far from the end of the road.

This doesn’t mean Battle has gone through these past few weeks unnoticed however, having worked out with the Kings, Suns, Thunder, Raptors, Wizards, Grizzlies, and Bobcats, Battle has gotten his name out to just about any team that would listen. Considering the fact that each of those teams expressed interest enough in Battle’s skills to invite him to a workout might mean that he has a better chance getting drafted than most people expect. It could also mean they intend on picking him up as a free agent, which effectively is as good as being drafted. For a small player, from a underachieving program, any attention is generally good attention. (more…)

Why? As a free agent Battle will have a lot more options to work with. Without any sort of contract to negotiate or team to try out for, Battle can shop around the league for a team that could use him. While being drafted can make that process easier, in the long haul, a player looking to prove himself might have more success as a free agent.

Last night Battle’s journey took another turn after he was omitted from the 2011 NBA Combine invite list. While on the surface this seems to be a pretty big blow for a guy already facing long odds it isn’t really any indication that he won’t make it onto a roster. It is worth mentioning that the NBA Combine is essentially a way for scouts and GMs to take one last look at potential picks before the draft comes around. Many of these scouts who will be attending the combine were already in attendance for the Portsmouth Invitational, an event Battle did participate in. (more…)

Without any eyes of our own on the ground we’ve had to rely on stats, twitter, and NBA news sources for information regarding Battle’s performance. Thankfully the Daily Press caught up with Ryan Blake, director of NBA scouting and he had a different take on how Talor Battle’s week has gone so far. (more…)

The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week will give Talor Battle a great chance to improve his stock and show NBA scouts that he has what it takes to play at the next level. The complete roster of players can be found here, but some names from the Big Ten you’d recognize are: Jon Diebler, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale. (more…)

On top of the struggling attendance, most of the Penn State roster had come down with the flu in the week leading up to the game. Throughout the contest players were hurried in and out of the locker room to tend to their illness. Talor Battle, who’s lore had yet to grow to it’s current status put the Nittany Lions on his back and scored a then season high 26 points. Battle helped the Lions climb out of a double digit hole early in the game and grabbed 12 rebounds for his 2nd double-double in 3 games.

This performance ranks in the Top 10 if not for Battle’s heroics but for setting the tone in the first game of Big Ten play for what would be a memorable season.

Highlights after the jump: (more…)

With Penn State taking on Michigan State one last time in the Talor Battle era, it only seems fitting that we sit down with one of my favorite blogs, and one of the best blogs in the Big Ten blogosphere, The Only Colors. We got a hold of Pete Rossman a manager of the site to sit down and look over 5 questions regarding tonight’s game, Talor Battle, and the direction of the Michigan State program.

*For whatever reason this post is formatted wierdly, sorry for that, spent a while trying to fix it. Internet has it’s way with things sometimes.”

1. If you had to explain what exactly the problem was with MSU this year, what would be the first thing you’d bring up? If Penn State could do one thing right that would help their chances Thursday, what would it be?

Despite the shooting clinics opponents have been putting on the last five games or so, the one constant problem throughout this season has been a lack of offensive continuity.  The two main reasons for this decrease in offensive output has been a lack of a consistent inside presence (losing Raymar Morgan hurt this team much more than I initially thought) and a proclivity to settle for the worst kind of jump shot — 18-footers just inside the arc.  The one thing Penn State can do to improve their chances tomorrow is pack the interior on defense and force MSU to make the outside shot.  I know this sounds a bit counter-intuitive to the first point I brought up, but opponents have had success the last few games condensing in the paint and making Michigan State kick the ball out. (more…)

**Over the next series of posts, we’ll do our part to breakdown the career of one of Penn State’s greatest athletes**

As the practice gym at the Bryce Jordan Center began to empty it was clear that the few hundred or so ticket holders who watched the Nittany Lions practice hadn’t distracted a senior filled team. Jerseys laid on chairs drying, Gatorade bottles filled an already overflowing garbage can, and the trainers table was covered in bandages from a physical practice. If anything could be taken from the day, it was that this team wasn’t going down without a fight.

The lights dimming around the court gave off a Hoosier style glow as people continued to leave the room. Suddenly we were no longer in a modern day arena but in some high school gym where all that mattered were your fundamentals. No one would ever see your highlight reel from in here,no one would know what sneakers you wore, all that mattered was how you played the game. It was basketball in it’s purest form, just you the hoop and the ball.

Almost on cue a door opened, light shining back onto the court reminding us all where were again. As the door shut a single person came through breaking the beam of light, ball in hand. The squeaking of a single pair of sneakers was audible through the now mostly empty room. The dribble of a single ball, the emptiness of a shot, and the sweet swish of nylon.

Squeak…dribble…swish… (more…)

In Penn State’s defense they’ve done a pretty outstanding job this season. They didn’t win any of the big non-conference games, but outside of a Maine loss that isn’t as cripplingas it could have been, Penn State took care of buisness in that portion of the schedule and didn’t lose to teams they shouldn’t have. If Penn State was going to go dancing it was coming from Big Ten wins, not wins over Maryland and Ole Miss.

Big Ten play has gone pretty well all things considered. The only losses have come to Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan. Three of those teams in the Top 25 and a loss to a Michigan team that has given everyone problems without beating anyone. You can’t look at Penn State’s performance in the Big Ten season and see anything that makes you shake your head. They were seriously close to making it out of a death trap of a first seven game stretch with an over .500 record against Top 25 teams. It’s hard to really find fault with that. (more…)

Anyway,Ben Broman from Testudo Times  took some time to answer a few questions Penn Staters have going into this weeks matchup against Maryland and how they view this game from the perspective of the defending ACC Co-Champion. Lets get to it. )You can check out our side of things here)

1. Is Maryland going to go through Jordan Williams for offense this year and make him become the 260 pound version of Greivis Vasquez or is Cliff Tucker/Adrian Bowie going to take over that role?

Jordan’s definitely the focal point of the offense. Or, rather, should be the focal point of the offense. He’s by far the most talented player on the team, but Maryland has a tendency, particularly early in games, to not feed him the ball. Tucker’s a decent scorer and Bowie is an excellent penetrator, but Maryland doesn’t have anyone that create their own shot like Vasquez could. Williams is the only guy that can get the ball and make something out of it without a set play. (more…)

It almost looked as if the 2010 Penn State basketball season was going to be over before it really ever began. Penn State was losing to Lehigh, Talor Battle had to be carried off of the court into the locker room,(only to later return) and the offense was operating about as well as a broken washing machine. To say the first 20 minutes didn’t go to well would be an understatement.

For the most part Penn State controlled the pace of play in the first half, playing solid defense, creating turnovers and bad shots for Lehigh, shutting down Lehigh’s star C.J McCollum who was held to only 7 points on 3-11 shooting in 29 minutes of work. This defensive success however did not translate on the offensive side of the court where Penn State was able to produce good looks at the basket but was unable to finish, ultimately allowing Lehigh to end the first half with a 27-21 lead. Penn State’s lack of offensive production in the first half seemed more attributed to nerves, and some hesitancy to just execute, rather than any inability to create opportunities. Unlike last season when Talor Battle was often criticized for not sharing the load, Penn State seemed more happy to pass the ball rather than shooting it. (more…)

It all starts with this game. Penn State has been given a clean slate, a difficult schedule, and a roster full of seniors ready for one last shot at glory. DeChellis’ contract is coming close to the end, and the critics haven’t been louder. In a lot of ways the 2010-2011 season is the most important season since DeChellis’ hire almost a decade ago. A successful season gives the athletic department grounds for an extension, whereas another poor season could mean a low note to end the Talor Battle era and increased pressure for a coaching change. It’s a difficult situation, but a very interesting one to follow.

All of that aside Lehigh travels to Happy Valley today for Penn State’s season and home opener as part of a 4 game home stand for the Lions. A solid 4-0 start could go a long way before Penn State makes the trip south to play a talented Mississippi team.

Who’s Who?:

6’3 Guard- C.J McCollum: A bonafide NBA bound player who was named Player of the Year in the Patriot League as well as Freshman of the Year. Averaging 18 ppg, McCollum will put up 20 plus shots a game without even blinking. Maybe his most impressive stat last season was his 42% shooting from behind the arc, a remarkable feat considering the number of shots he puts up each game. (more…)

Defense:

Maybe the one thing that stood out the most was Penn State’s defensive effort. It isn’t so much that East Stroudsburg is a loaded team, but that it could have been easy for Penn State, who was using many mixed lineups to find themselves out of position from time to time. For the most part the personnel on the court never changed their how well they played. East Stroudsburg was held to 9-30 from the field in an admittedly ugly first half, but Penn State’s ability to block shots and create turnovers was a very welcome sight.

–Key numbers

• 5 blocks
• 10 steals
• 40 rebounds (more…)

Answers to some offseason questions, not direct quotes from DeChellis, but summary of his comments–

1. Taran Buie

Buie has the ability to do what Talor can, but don’t assume he’ll be Talor 2.0 off the bat. In regards to his off the court issues it was dealt with internally and he understands what he did and had to “jump through some hoops” for him to get back to where he needs to. Chemistry wise he and Talor play each other hard on the court, but they get along. No clashing egos or Crispen-esq on court fighting.

2.  Sasa’s torn ACL left a hole open in the rotation, who takes his spot as a big man?

 Billy Oliver, Drew Jones, D.J. Jackson and Jeff Brooks are playing up front along with Jon Graham. Because of the lack of true depth at the position there is a chance they will play with 2 forwards and no true center on the court. Billy Oliver is healthy, headache free and Graham is coming along. The long-term goal is to play an uptempo game similar to the style they played during the NIT run. (more…)

Slam Online

-I am obliged to mention Penn State senior-to-be Talor Battle. He’s the smallest of the 20 college campers here, and comes from the least accomplished program. Having spent the past three years seeing him in person, I know he can score. Good to see him here, surrounded by talent and focusing on running a team and distributing.

Fran Fraschilla

-Should be a strong year for PG’s in college hoops next year. KembaWalker, Jacob Pullen and Penn State’s Talor Battle were all solid at camp!

Penn State Magazine Article

“A lot of guys come in here and want to shoot, but that’s not what [the scouts] want to see,” Battle says. “They know we can score. I’m trying to do the other things, look to pass and show I can lead a team. I think I’m doing well.”

Fraizer has ridiculous speed, and is arguably the fastest basket to basket player in the Big Ten with a vertical to boot. Coming to Penn State Frazier looked like a player ready to make a instant impact. For the most part Frazier put together a very solid freshman non conference slate putting up an average of 8 points per game, including 3 games in the double digits with 19,18, and 11 points. (more…)

..Saturday was the final day of the Williams-Stoudamire camps, which for the college guys meant one thing: Two courts, four teams, 5-on-5 with point guards and forwards combined. One court had McCamey teaming up with Morris, Penn State guard Talor Battle and Washington guard Isaiah Thomas. You get the point. It was, essentially, a college basketball all-star game — two all-star games, actually — played out only for the benefit of the players themselves, their camp coaches, the NBA scouts in the audience, and yours truly. (And Nike, too, I guess, which was unsurprisingly ubiquitous in the gym.) Pretty sweet, right?..

After all of the drama surrounding NBA workouts, it was a great opportunity for Talor to just play against the best. No relay races, no sprints, just let them see how you play on the court. As we all already knew, Talor is going to hold his own with anybody, and that has payed off. (more…)

Soure: Centredailytimes.com

In modern day basketball, guard play has become the most important part of success. The guards have gotten bigger and the days of Patrick Ewing-type players dominating the NCAA are over. A prime example comes from our own Penn State basketball recent past. In the 08-09 season, we had experienced guards in Stanley Pringle and Dan Morrissey. We all know what happened that season and we all know what happened the next season when they were gone.

Guards are important and we thought there’d be no better place to start our profiles than with Junior G Cammeron Woodyard.

Read about Cam after the jump! (more…)