Kelly Mazzante & Blue-Chip Recruits Shine Light on PSU Hoops

November 12, 2009 at 4:42 pm Ryan Jones Leave a comment

Hard to believe, but college basketball is about to tip off again. Both the Nittany and Lady Lions open their seasons Friday, and both received good news this week about the future of their programs.

On Wednesday, the first day of the national early signing period for high school basketball players, Penn State recruits were able to make their verbal promises official. The Nittany Lions got their guy when Taran Buie (right), younger brother of current Penn State guard Talor Battle, signed his letter of intent; he’s arguably the most highly touted recruit in Nittany Lion history. I’ve had a chance to see him play the past couple of summers in Akron, Ohio at the LeBron James Skills Academy, an all-star camp for some of the nation’s best prep players. Buie, a 6-2 guard, recently relocated with his family to Centre County, and I imagine I won’t be the only one showing up at State High games this winter specifically to see him play.

The Lady Lions’ strong recruiting class is led by Maggie Lucas, a 5-8 guard from Narbeth, Pa., ranked as the 14th best senior in the nation by one prominent recruiting service. And, in a rare crossover of my old and new jobs that I’m happy to share here, a Lady Lion legend is getting some ink this week, too.

There’s a very cool Q&A on the Slam site this week with Kelly Mazzante ’04, who’s fresh off helping the Phoenix Mercury to their second WNBA title in the past three years. The interviewer describes Mazzante as “one of the most underrated players in the WNBA,” as well as “one of the nicest, funniest, and most supportive” — a description that should sound just right to longtime Lady Lion fans.

Ryan Jones, senior editor

The Penn Stater Magazine