Oh, Hello: Former Sienna Guard Jalen Pickett Commits to Penn State

Two days after landing former Gardner-Webb guard Jaheam Cornwall, Penn State and Micah Shrewsberry continued to stay busy in the transfer portal, landing former Siena guard Jalen Pickett.

This is quite the coup for the Nittany Lions. Pickett brings good size to the guard position with a 6-foot-4, 202-pound frame, but perhaps most importantly, he gives Penn State a true point guard. Over the past three seasons with the Siena Saints, Pickett averaged 6.1 assists to 2.2 turnovers. While Sam Sessoms and the aforementioned Cornwall will certainly see some on-ball duty, it’s a safe bet to say the offense will be set up by Pickett.

Pickett is much more than just an initiator though. He comes to Happy Valley having averaged 15 points per game throughout his college career, thanks in large part due to his three point shooting. While he isn’t at Cornwall’s level as a three-point marksman, Pickett shot 36% from deep on a healthy 5.5 threes per contest.

Pickett lacks top-tier athleticism and twitch, but he’s one of the top mid-major players in college basketball because he can help in all areas — from scoring, to passing, to rebounding, to generating blocks and steals, Pickett is a pretty complete player, which is why he was getting some NBA Draft pub heading into the season.

This is a really nice pickup for Shrews and Co. I think you can safely slot Pickett into the starting lineup with Lundy, Harrar, and likely Dread, with Sessoms and Cornwall battling it out for the other guard spot. Although, as we have seen, the portal is never closed.