Blue White Illustrated

January 2023

Penn State Sports Magazine

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M few months on campus in the spring of 2021. A three-time first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference pick at Siena, Pickett had shown his talent re- peatedly in his time with the Saints. He averaged 15.8 points and 6.7 assists per game as a true freshman and backed it up with averages of 15.1 points and 6.0 assists as a sophomore. Accordingly, he was the MAAC Freshman of the Year in his debut season and Player of the Year the next season. In 2019, Pickett declared for the NBA Draft but pulled out after participating in the G League Elite Camp. Bothered by a nagging hamstring injury as a ju- nior, as well as a bout with COVID-19, he wanted to show his ability on a big- ger, brighter stage. Pickett entered the transfer portal on April 8, 2021, and Penn State's new coaching staff joined the mad dash to land his services. Three weeks later, af- ter an intense courtship, Pickett chose Penn State over Oregon State and Gon- zaga, among others. All the while, he had one objective in mind. He was convinced that he could compete and succeed in the Big Ten and was determined to prove it. Said the standout guard, "After COVID, I felt it was the right time to give myself a shot. I kind of bet on myself." That bet would pay off, but not im- mediately. Through his first seven games at Penn State, Pickett averaged 9.6 points and 4.5 assists while turning it over 2.1 times per game. He looked particularly out of sorts in a 63-58 home loss to Miami (Fla.) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, a game in which he was held to 4 points in 35 minutes. Not yet adept at transitioning from Shrewsberry's defensive system to the read-and-react setup for his posi- tion on the offensive end of the floor, Pickett found his new coach's limits. "He lets us be free-flowing, make decisions, make mistakes, but within the system that we're running," Pickett said. "If we go outside the system, then we did something wrong. He's going to get on us. He's going to be hard on us. "I came into Miami and just thought it was a free-for-all, and I played hor- ribly. He got right on me for it. But then after that, I felt like I knew what he wanted, and he gave me that kind of en- couragement for the rest of the season." Pickett's performances reflected his growing comfort level, and he quickly became the dynamic, pace-setting guard Penn State has come to rely upon in the time since. Following the loss to the Hurricanes, Pickett averaged 14.4 points the rest of the season while re- ducing his turnovers to 1.6 per game and maintaining his assist numbers. More importantly, he became a stan- dard bearer for the team alongside se- nior forward John Harrar, helping Penn State win seven conference games and earn the No. 11 seed in the Big Ten Tour- nament. The Nittany Lions defeated 14th-seeded Minnesota and sixth- seeded Ohio State before seeing their season end with a loss to Purdue in the quarterfinals. Along the way, Penn State lost four games by a single possession or less, or in overtime. All too frequently, the Lions came up agonizingly short. And yet, Pickett stayed positive. He called the season "the most fun" he'd ever had playing basketball, and it helped put the team on its current winning trajec- tory. 'Whatever The Team Needs' Deciding to return to a retooled roster for his bonus year of eligibility, Pickett made his goals clear from the start. He said he was determined to compete for a Big Ten championship and lead Penn State to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season, and he insisted that the personnel was in place to do so. "I think we have a locked-in group. We feel like we have a group now that can finish some of those games off," Pickett said. "We've got a whole bunch of guys trying to do a whole bunch of different things, but we all have one goal in common, and that's winning." The formula for success this season is predicated on Pickett's role on and off the floor. T h e N i t ta ny L i o n s ' t h re e - p o i n t shooting proficiency is directly related to Pickett's ability to draw help. Con- sistently pulling defenses into the paint "He wants to win so bad, so he does whatever the team needs. He's scoring the ball, he's passing the ball, he's rebounding the ball. He's making everybody better." M I C A H S H R E W S B E R R Y O N P I C K E T T P E N N S T A T E M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L S C H E D U L E Date Opponent Time (TV) Nov. 7 WINTHROP W, 93-68 Nov. 10 LOYOLA (Md.) W, 90-65 Nov. 14 BUTLER* W, 68-62 Nov. 17 Furman** W, 73-68 Nov. 18 Virginia Tech** L, 61-59 Nov. 20 Colorado State** W, 68-56 Nov. 25 LAFAYETTE W, 70-57 Nov. 29 at Clemson ^ L, 101-94 (2OT) Dec. 7 MICHIGAN STATE L, 67-58 Dec. 10 at Illinois W, 74-59 Dec. 18 CANISIUS W, 97-67 Dec. 22 QUINNIPIAC 8:30 p.m. (BTN) Dec.29 DELAWARE STATE 2 p.m. (B1G+) Jan. 1 IOWA 5:30 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 4 MICHIGAN 7 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 8 Purdue ^^ 4 or 6 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 11 INDIANA 7 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 17 at Wisconsin 8:30 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 21 NEBRASKA 2:15 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 24 at Rutgers 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Jan. 29 MICHIGAN Noon (BTN) Feb. 1 at Purdue 6:30 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 5 at Nebraska 4:30 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 8 WISCONSIN 8:30 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 11 at Maryland Noon (BTN) Feb. 14 ILLINOIS 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at Minnesota 7 p.m. (BTN) Feb. 23 at Ohio State 6:30 p.m. (FS1) Feb. 26 RUTGERS 6:30 p.m. (BTN) March 1 at Northwestern 9 p.m. (BTN) March 5 MARYLAND Noon (BTN) Mar. 8-12 Big Ten Tournament # TBA * Gavitt Tipoff Games ** at Charleston (S.C.) Classic ^ ACC/Big Ten Challenge ^^ at Philadelphia/The Palestra # at Chicago/United Center

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