Two former Penn State players earn invitations to NBA Combine
Following an NCAA tournament birth earlier this spring, Penn State’s basketball program will now send multiple players to the NBA Combine. Those two players should be no surprise to fans, as All-American guard Jalen Pickett and small forward Seth Lundy will both get the opportunity to work out for NBA scouts and coaches. The event will take place next week, May 15-21, in Chicago.
In 2022-2023, Pickett had one of the best seasons in the history of Penn State’s basketball program. Averaging 17.7 points per game, 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists, Pickett earned Consensus All-American honors. In fact, he was the first player in over 20 years to average those numbers and also shoot over 50 percent from the field in all of college basketball.
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Lundy also had an excellent season, scoring 14.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds. He also averaged 40 percent from the field in three-point shots. That was second overall in the Big Ten, behind only his teammate, guard Andrew Funk.
This year’s NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 22. With just two rounds, both Pickett and Lundy aren’t guaranteed to be selected. If they are picked, they’ll go in the second round. Penn State hasn’t had a player selected in the NBA Draft since Tony Carr in 2018. Before Carr, you have to go back to 1999 when Calvin Booth was selected by the Washington Wizards. Booth is now the general manager for the Denver Nuggets, the No. 1 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs.
Of course, Penn State is currently in the midst of a coaching transition, as Micah Shrewsberry left State College to become the head coach at Notre Dame back in March. Athletic Director Pat Kraft hired former VCU head coach Mike Rhoades about a week later.
So far, Rhoades and his staff have added six players, including former A-10 Player of the Year Ace Baldwin.
