Blue White Illustrated

Two prospects join Nittany Lions' 2021 recruiting class | M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L T aking an official visit to Penn State for the Nittany Lions' Dec. 4 Big Ten/ACC Challenge game with Wake Forest, Houston Mallette was transfixed. A fast-rising prospect from Pacifica Christian School in Newport Beach, Calif., the Rivals.com three-star guard sat with his head coach, Jeff Berokoff, and absorbed Penn State's 76-54 romp over the Demon Deacons at the Bryce Jordan Center. Above all else, Mallette witnessed an infectious level of energy and effort that stayed with him. "We saw the Wake Forest game, and Houston just really fell in love with the culture within the basketball program, the coaching staff, and he loved how hard the players played," Berokoff said. "That was something that really stood out. He noticed that Penn State dudes play hard, and he wanted to be a part of that." Making his verbal commitment to Patrick Chambers and the Penn State men's basketball program on May 15, Mallette ensured that he will be. As a junior, Mallette helped to lead the Tritons to a 22-8 record during the 2019- 20 campaign, including a 7-1 mark in con- ference play. According to the Daily Pilot, which named him to its first-team all- boys squad, the 6-foot-5 point guard av- eraged 15.7 points and seven rebounds per game to go along with 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals, knocking down 82 3-pointers with a 40 percent rate from beyond the arc. The numbers aren't of particular im- portance to Mallette, though. An efficient shooter, he likes to pass to open team- mates and rebound the ball. He describes himself as something of a throwback, a player focused on intensity, toughness and, most of all, winning. "I just like to make others better," he said. "A lot of guys pride themselves on scoring, but I'm not a scorer. My most important qualities are my leadership, passion, ex- citement and enthusiasm. Whatever is working, try to get to that and try to win. "So when I talk about my game, that's what I pride myself on, anything I can do to win. In practice, film sessions, games. I love winning. I'm committed to the game. I don't party. I don't hang out with a lot of friends all the time. I'm pretty much in the gym working out. It's something that I love. I'm a fighter. I have a very high IQ and understand the game at a high level. And I like to make my teammates better." To Berokoff, it's a fundamental trait of Mallette's that he describes as truly unique in his coaching career, and one that will mesh perfectly with the culture Penn State continues to build in its men's basketball program. "I love so many things about the kid's game," Berokoff said. "What stands out the most is his competitiveness and his ability to lead others and make others better. It's very unique in today's high school landscape when you have a player who competes his tail off, dives on the floor, takes charges, makes the extra pass, but he's also the best player on the floor. And he's actively leading others. He was our vocal, fiery leader. He makes others better, and it stands out if you just sit there and you watch. I think he's one of the top point guards in the country, hands down, and I've seen a lot of these kids." At 185 pounds, the 17-year-old Mallette is determined to get stronger as he pre- pares for his eventual Penn State arrival in the summer of 2021. But he also said he hopes to continue to develop in all areas of his game, improving his shooting, passing and ball-handling while maintaining the element most crucial to his success. Said Mallette, "I'm confident in all my abilities. I feel like the best thing I do, honestly, is I win. I know that's a weird trait, but I win." The Nittany Lions are hoping for more of the same out of Mallette, as well as the program's first commitment in the Class of 2021, 6-7 power forward TaQuan Woodley, who made his verbal pledge four days prior to Mallette's on May 11. A three-star prospect as rated by Rivals, Woodley has been a hard-nosed player for Camden (N.J.) High, which was named the boys' basketball team of the year by NJ.com following a 29-1 cam- paign. Its playoff run was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, but Camden earned a South Jersey Group Two cham- pionship with a win against Haddonfield on March 10, extending the team's win- ning streak to 25 games dating to Dec. 30. Woodley is "arguably our best player," Camden head coach Rick Brunson told NJ.com. "He understands the game, knows how to play." With their two commitments, the Nit- tany Lions currently have no more scholarships available for the Class of 2021. ■ E X P E R T O P I N I O N RIVALS.COM ANALYST COREY EVANS ON... HOUSTON MALLETTE He's a very skilled and cerebral lead guard. He's not a super athlete but is a decent enough one to make it at the Big Ten level. He's very skilled and can play on and off the ball and boasts plenty of backcourt ver- satility. He has a better upside than most others, and I wouldn't have been sur- prised if he broke out this summer if there was a travel season. TaQUAN WOODLEY He's a super hard-playing big man. A bit of small ball for- ward in that role. Blue-collar kid. Not super skilled but can create his own shot and also shoot it some out of the midrange area, but fits the ethos of the Penn State brand and what they've become known for.

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