Penn State guard Jalen Pickett makes decision on future
Penn State guard Jalen Pickett has revealed that he intends to return next season.
The senior Siena transfer has one year of eligibility remaining following the conclusion of the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten Tournament run on Friday night.
Pickett played his best basketball of the season in the postseason, finishing with 16 points and six assists on 6-10 shooting in Penn State’s 69-61 loss to Purdue.
There were bigger and better basketball programs after Pickett’s commitment when he entered the transfer portal in the offseason. Gonzaga and Michigan each reportedly had interest, but he chose Penn State.
“I think it was a great decision,” Pickett said Friday night. “Coach Shrewsberry and this year was really special. The guys were really good. And yeah, I’m coming back this year.”
Pickett averaged 13.2 points per game in his first season of power conference basketball, adding 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
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It’s an incredible boost for the Nittany Lions, who will get the key to their pick-and-roll-centric offense back for one final go-around.
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That’s an exciting prospect for Penn State fans considering how Pickett concluded this campaign.
Playing 117 of 120 possible minutes in the Big Ten Tournament, Pickett scored 22 points against Minnesota and 16 points against Ohio State in the opening two rounds, shooting over 50 percent in both contests and grabbing a combined 15 rebounds, too.
His performance against the Boilermakers was just as special, although it didn’t result in a win.
“Each game you play in this tournament is a big game,” he said. “Of course, you gotta bring the energy and emotion. We wanted everybody on our team to bring our own energy because it felt like it was basically a home game for Purdue with all their fans.”
Fellow guards Myles Dread and Sam Sessoms also have an extra year of eligibility remaining should they choose to use it. Shrewsberry did not offer a timeline on when those decisions could come when asked postgame.
“I just want to get back to the hotel, crack open a Dr. Pepper, take my shoes off and chill for a little bit,” he joked.
