Taking the Temperature of Penn State Basketball after first four games
By Evan Smith
Jalen Pickett was the most highly rated transfer recruit of Shrewsberry, ranking ahead of all those departing Nittany Lions (Myreon Jones, Izaiah Brockington and Jamari Wheeler).
Fair or unfair, Pickett is going to be compared to Jones and Brock all year long, especially since they play similar positions and roles for their team.
Prior to the second half versus Cornell, Pickett may have fallen into the previous category in this column. But he came alive both offensively and defensively, making a huge difference in the Nittany Lions comeback. So, let’s compare the season statistics:
Jalen Pickett: 8.8 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.8 turnovers, 25% from the field, 13% from 3
Myreon Jones: 12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.3 tpg, 45% from the field, 41.7% from 3
Izaiah Brockington: 13.5 ppg, 8.3(!) rpg, 1.0 apg, 2.0 tpg, 46.3% from the field, 16.7% from 3
Ok, maybe it’s not fair to compare the Siena transfer to the former Nittany Lions. But given Pickett (#25) was ranked significantly ahead of Jones (#46) and Brockington (#87) in transfers by Jeff Borzello, expectations were placed that high for a reason. For Penn State to accomplish anything this season, Pickett needs to find his shot (particularly his range from three point land).