Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1495456
1 6 A P R I L 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "We made our way back. We started pressing a little bit, causing them problems. That's us being us. We're going to try and figure something out, and we're not going to give up until the end." — Senior guard Jalen Pickett after Penn State cut a 17-point second-half deficit down to 1 point in the final seconds of its 67-65 loss to Purdue in the championship game of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament "Two months ago at the Palestra, Purdue coach Matt Painter briefly turned into Micah Shrews- berry's agent. Painter twice hired Shrewsberry at Purdue, glowingly recommended him to Penn State in 2021 and, in that moment in Philadelphia, helped Shrewsberry look for his next job. "'If I was taking over as an [athletics director] somewhere, that would be my one phone call,' Painter said. "Before another athletic director follows Paint- er's advice, Penn State's Patrick Kraft needs to interrupt, and his offer should be robust — not just with a contract extension to Shrewsberry but with a serious financial commitment to Penn State basketball. This is the time." — Mark Wogenrich, SI.com "Truthfully, Pickett is no revolutionary. Villanova practically backed its way into a national cham- pionship a few years ago, Jalen Brunson making the move an art form. But it seems more offen- sive, of course, when it's coming from a previ- ously no-name guard from Siena, playing for a once stagnant program in Penn State. The same skeptics who have trailed the Nittany Lions have followed Pickett, not accustomed to seeing a Penn State player among the All-Americans (it's been 70 years), or Wooden and Naismith lists (because it's never happened before)." — Dana O'Neil, basketball writer for The Athletic, on the "booty ball" style of play that helped turn Jalen Pickett into one of the nation's top point guards in 2022-23 "I hope I will be remembered as a coach who cared, who inspired my players and all Penn Staters, and who had a great deal of fun along the way — singing on the bus, dancing in the locker room, and cheering in Beaver Stadium." — Char Morett-Curtiss following the announcement that she was retiring after 36 seasons as Penn State's field hockey coach "As planned, [quarterback Drew Allar] served as Sean Clifford's understudy during an excellent 11-2 season. Now he's The Guy. He'll share a backfield with standout sophomores Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, lining up behind a seasoned, high-up- side line. The defense could be absolute dynamite. The pieces are in place for a top-five run, but Allar not only has to live up to loads of hype, he also has to help James Franklin figure out a way past Ohio State and Michigan. PSU has lost four in a row to the Big Ten East's heavyweights." — Bill Connelly, ESPN college football analyst, assessing the Nittany Lions' ceiling (11-1) and floor (8-4) in 2023 "I'm a huge Aaron Donald fan, but Aaron Donald has hurt college football and defensive tackles in my opinion because every single one of these kids think they're Aaron Donald. Like, 'I'm going to lose weight and be more athletic.' Well, there's been one Aaron Donald in 50 years. The problem is, every- body thinks they're the exception, and the reality is that there have been a lot more 300-pound de- fensive tackles who have had great NFL and college careers than there have been the 275-, 285-pound D-tackles. Don't get me wrong. If Aaron Donald wants to come to Penn State, we want him. But our guys need to understand, he's the exception, not the norm." — James Franklin on his concerns that defensive tackle prospects are hurting their careers by try- ing to emulate the Los Angeles Rams' 280-pound perennial All-Pro "This is the type of defense where everyone can eat. That's the thing I'm most excited about. Just see- ing last year, and seeing everybody make plays, the family aspect like that — everyone is going to eat." — PSU safety Tyrece Mills on the outlook for the Lions' defense in 2023 They Said It Senior point guard Jalen Pickett was named a second-team Associated Press All-American in March. He led the Nittany Lions to a spot in the Big Ten Tournament championship game and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE