Posts filed under 'Nittany Lion basketball'
Battle & Buie: The Story Behind Our Cover Story
Most Alumni Association members should have their copy of our Sept/Oct issue, with basketball-playing brothers Talor Battle and Taran Buie on the cover. We guessed when we shipped the issue that it would generate some feedback, and that’s already been the case. We’ve received some compliments on the story, but also a handful of letters and phone calls expressing disappointment with the cover photo and the choice of subjects. I imagine we’ll get a few more before it’s all done.
(Not an Alumni Association member? You can read a PDF of the story here.)
For those who might be curious, here’s some background on how — and why — Battle and Buie ended up on our cover. The easy part is that Battle, a senior this year, is on pace to finish as arguably the best basketball player in school history.
Add comment September 2, 2010
September/October Issue Headed Your Way
Yes, we know it’s football season. But it’s going to be an important year for the men’s basketball team, too, which is why our September/October issue—which should be arriving in your mailbox any day now, depending on where you live—has a couple of basketball players on the cover.
On the left is senior guard Talor Battle, who’s possibly the best player in Penn State history. On the right is his little brother, Taran Buie, a freshman guard who’s probably the most highly touted recruit in the program’s history. Inside, senior editor Ryan Jones ’95 tells the story of their family’s journey to State College and explains why the brothers mean so much to the basketball team, which followed up its 2009 NIT championship with a 20-loss season.
Among the other goodies you’ll find in this issue:
—Stories from alumni explaining how they became Penn Staters. (And next week on the blog, we magazine staffers who are alums will tell you our stories, too.)
—Additional coverage from Tina Hay ’83 about the Alumni Association’s trip to Europe.
—And of course there’s some football, too. We’ve got a piece on Bud Meredith, the University’s ticket manager for the past 44 years, and an essay by Michael Weinreb ’94 pondering the big-picture significance of the 1986 Orange Bowl team and 1987 national championship team.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
1 comment August 25, 2010
Sweating In LeBron’s Shadow, Talor Battle Hopes To Impress
Talor Battle looks tired.
“They’re working us hard, man,” Battle tells me during a break at the LeBron James Skill Academy in Akron, Oh., where he and 19 other top returning college players have spent the past few days. The Nike-run camp exists 
primarily as a showcase for top high school talent, and about 70 of the best prep players in the country are in town for the week. The college portion of the camp is more selective, with invites limited to 20 guys who are expected to be All-American candidates next season — and possible NBA draft picks in 2011 or beyond.
It’s one of the main events of a busy summer hoop schedule, and one I’ve attended the past four years in a semi-professional capacity: I still do some freelance work for Slam, where I worked before joining The Penn Stater, and this annual trip to Akron is a chance to see a lot of the guys I might soon be writing about and also catch up with some old friends. Coming back this summer meant a chance to stand and gawk at the ongoing LeBron James free-agent circus (LeBron-generated hype being a topic I’m pretty familiar with) and, better yet, a chance to see a Nittany Lion basketball player run with some of the nation’s best.
Penn State hoop fans are familiar with Battle’s story: (more…)
1 comment July 7, 2010
Talor Battle Talks About His Draft Decision
There’s an interesting piece on SI.com today by Luke Winn, a college basketball writer for Sports Illustrated. Winn profiles six underclassmen—including Penn State star Talor Battle—who submitted their names for this year’s NBA draft. Two of them will be in the pool for next month’s draft, while the other four—including Battle—withdrew their names to come back for another year of college ball. Each player had about a month in which to work out for NBA scouts and get a sense of their strengths, weaknesses, and draft prospects, a window that was compromised by an NCAA rule change that limited the amount of time players had to test the waters. The rule change figures to help college coaches solidify their lineups going into next season, but it made things hard for players like Battle, who had less time and information to make the decision.
The piece features some candid quotes from Battle about the frustrations of the process, and about the shortcomings that meant he was unlikely to be drafted this year; NBA scouts told Battle he “needed to get bigger, work on my ball handling and that it was in my best interests to go back to school.” I imagine he’ll spend the summer taking that advice.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
2 comments May 14, 2010
Battle’s Back, and Volleyball Finishes Second Best
First the good news: Talor Battle made it official over the weekend, announcing he’ll be back for his senior season with the Nittany Lion basketball team. The all-Big Ten point guard and three-time team MVP spent the past few weeks testing the NBA draft waters, but he notified the athletic department over the weekend that he’ll be back for his final year. It’s the decision most people expected, but it’s still great to hear it confirmed by the man himself.
Now, the disappointment: The men’s volleyball fell to top-ranked Stanford in the national title match on Saturday night, dropping a 30-25, 30-20, 30-18 decision to the Cardinal. The Lions were aiming for their third NCAA championship but couldn’t overcome a terrific Stanford squad playing on its home court. It was an unhappy end to an otherwise typically terrific season for the Lions, who finished with a 24-8 record and won their 12th straight EIVA conference championship.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment May 10, 2010
Two Big Wins For PSU, On and Off the Court
The men’s volleyball team last night swept Cal State Northridge 30-21, 30-23, 30-28 in the NCAA semifinals to earn a berth in the national title match. The third-seeded Nittany Lions will face top-ranked Stanford on Saturday night for the championship. You can watch the match live at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Stanford connection is a familiar one for Penn State teams in big games: The Nittany Lion women beat the Cardinal in 2007 and 2008 for the first two of their three straight NCAA titles, and the women’s rugby team has beaten Stanford in each of the past two national title matches.
And in hardwood news of a slightly different configuration, the Daily Collegian today is confirming a report by an Albany, N.Y. TV station that Talor Battle will return for his senior season. Battle had thrown his name into the hat for the 2010 NBA draft, but it was widely expected that he was only trying to get a sense of his chances of being picked and would be back in Happy Valley for a final season. The Collegian report cites Battle’s mother confirming his decision to return.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment May 7, 2010
Tyra Grant & Talor Battle, Updated
The futures of Tyra Grant and Talor Battle look slightly more certain this morning. Grant, the former Lady Lion hoops All-American, was chosen by the defending champion Phoenix Mercury with the final pick of the second round (24th overall) in Thursday’s WNBA draft. The Mercury were looking for a “slasher,” a player who could fit into their open-court, fast-paced style, and Grant fit the bill.
Grant will still have to impress her new coaches enough to earn a roster spot, which is a similar challenge to the one now faced by Battle. The Nittany Lion junior announced yesterday than he was throwing his name into the ring for the 2010 NBA draft, but, by not hiring an agent, he left himself the option of returning to Penn State next year. Battle confirmed that his decision is about determining his best options: If he impresses NBA scouts enough to get a first-round guarantee (and the guaranteed contract that comes with it), he’d be crazy not to leave. But if — much more likely — he’s told that he’s a second-round pick at best, Battle will almost certainly be back for his senior season. As respected draft analyst Jerry Palm told the Daily Collegian, “I don’t really see a lot of reason for optimism from him in terms of the draft. I would expect he probably comes back to school.”
I imagine I speak for all Penn State basketball fans when I say I’d love to see Talor Battle in an NBA uniform… just not next season.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment April 9, 2010
Talor Battle & Tyra Grant Hope to Feel A Draft
The 2010 WNBA draft tips off today at 3 p.m., and former Lady Lion Tyra Grant is among the players hoping to hear their names called. The consensus among WNBA “mock” drafts is that Grant will be chosen in the second or third round of the three-round draft. Recent Collegian alumnus Matt Fortuna has a nice piece on Grant’s pre-draft preparations in today’s Altoona Mirror. You can follow the draft live online on the WNBA Web site.
And some “breaking” draft news — received just as I was about to post this: Nittany Lion junior Talor Battle has submitted his name for the 2010 NBA Draft. Before Penn State hoop fans panic, know that Battle’s decision is almost certainly exploratory, and nothing more: By not hiring an agent, he gives himself the chance to work out for NBA scouts, get feedback on how to plug the holes in his game, and pull his name out of the hat before the NCAA-mandated May 8 deadline. I have yet to see an NBA mock draft that includes Battle’s name for 2010, but if (as expected) he comes back with a better sense of where he needs to improve and has a strong senior season, he’ll give himself a decent shot of being chosen in 2011.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment April 8, 2010
Tim Curley on the State of Penn State Hoops
On the final weekend of a a terrific NCAA tournament, the Centre Daily Times today runs an interview with Penn State athletic director Tim Curley ’76, ’78 MEd on the state of a Nittany Lion basketball program that hasn’t been part of that tournament in almost a decade. My friend Jeff Rice ’03 Com conducted the Q&A, in which Curley talks about his support for coach Ed DeChellis ’82, the state and direction of the program, and why DeChellis, despite finishing last in the Big Ten in six of the past nine years, has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Add comment April 4, 2010
Penn State to Face BYU in… Albany?
This just in from the Penn State sports blog The22000: The Nittany Lion basketball team will reportedly face BYU next December in Albany, N.Y. It may sound like a head-scratcher, but fans who follow Penn State hoops closely will know why it makes perfect sense: All-Big Ten guard Talor Battle, a senior next season, is an Albany native, as is his younger brother and incoming freshman Taran Buie. It’ll be the brothers’ only season together, and the chance to play in front of their hometown crowd seems a great reward for two kids who bypassed more successful programs to come to Penn State.
The choice of opponent seems to make even less sense, but again, it’s about roots: BYU star Jimmer Fredette is another New York state native (with an interesting life story you can read more about here) who was once recruited by Penn State — for football. He’s also a former AAU teammate of Battle.
It won’t be official until it’s official, but it almost makes too much sense not to happen. Geography aside, the matchup would go a long way in helping Penn State improve what has been one of the nation’s weaker non-conference schedules in recent years. BYU is coming off an appearance in this year’s NCAA tournament, while the Nittany Lions are hoping to make their first trip to the Big Dance in a decade. Playing — and beating — a team like BYU would be huge for Battle and Co. if they hope to make that leap next year.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
1 comment March 26, 2010
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