Penn State propelled to win by sterling Jalen Pickett performance

Jalen Pickett’s performance in Penn State’s first-round Big Ten Tournament win wasn’t the point.

Notching 22 points and seven rebounds in the 60-51 decision over No. 14-seed Minnesota, the guard led all Penn State scorers. More important, 13 came in a sterling second half that saw the Nittany Lions respond from a halftime deficit. 

But to Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry, Pickett’s 40-minute exhibition was indicative of a picture painted throughout the 2021-22 season.

“He’s a good player,” Shrewsberry said. “The guy doesn’t get rattled, and the guy never comes out of the game, and he doesn’t complain one bit. That takes a lot of heart and he’s a competitor. He’s a warrior.”

Jalen Pickett’s first season at Penn State

To demonstrate as much, Shrewsberry reflected on the first season for Pickett in the Big Ten.

Arriving at Penn State this offseason after playing his first three seasons of college ball at Siena, Pickett initially struggled to find his footing. A departure from the performances that allowed Pickett to become a three-time first-team All-MAAC pick, and a MAAC Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, the transition didn’t immediately hit with the Nittany Lions.

Upon getting into the Big Ten season, that dynamic changed.

Finishing his first year in the league playing in all 20 games, Pickett finished 18th in scoring (13.8 ppg), 17th in field goal percentage (41.7), 8th in assists (42), 4th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5), 13th in blocks (0.8), 4th in steals (1.5), and 1st in minutes (37.7) in Big Ten games. 

Shrewsberry noticed, acknowledging a driving force to Penn State’s success in his first season with the program.

“When I got the stat packet at the end of the season so I could do my all-conference voting, you look at leading scorers in our conference and he averaged about 14. His name’s in that list right in the middle.” Shrewsberry said. “You look at blocks, you look at steals, you look at assists, you look at assists-to-turnover ratio, the guy’s all over the place in terms of what he does. He’s played that way pretty much the entire season. 

“He was slow out of the gates and he struggled a little bit early, but once he got comfortable, he’s played that way. He’s a good player. No matter what level you come from or where you went to originally, if you can play, you can play, and he can play.”

How Pickett helped Penn State top Minnesota

Wednesday night, Pickett proved it again. 

Struggling to find much rhythm initially, Pickett and the Nittany Lions worked harder on both ends of the floor. While the Gophers languished playing shorthanded, Pickett delivered 13 of Penn State’s 36 second-half points. And he did so scoring at all three levels, inside and out.

He also helped the Nittany Lions clamp down defensively. Collecting seven rebounds, it was part of an effort that saw Penn State allow just 23 second-half points. 

“I made a couple of mistakes defensively,” Pickett said. “Coach Shrews got on me and I’m better than that.” 

Producing a savvy, winning performance with the season on the line, Pickett showed it. 

“He plays at his own pace, he gets where he wants to go, he makes tough shots, he scores around the basket,” Shrewsberry said. “They go under him, he steps back and hits a three. He makes the pass to John there late, when he jumps up like he’s gonna shoot, and dumps it down to him. That’s savvy. That’s understanding the game, That’s understanding the situation.”

With the win, Penn State moves on to a second-round matchup with No. 6-seed Ohio State Thursday (9 p.m., BTN).