Penn State basketball can brush away their guard worries, because super-seniors Myles Dread and Jalen Pickett have officially announced that they will be returning to Penn State for the 2022-23 season. Pickett and Dread have both been exceptional over the course of their Penn State careers, Pickett’s just beginning this past season and Dread’s spanning his entire collegiate career. It’s safe to say that these two have their roles on the team set for next season.
Jalen Pickett, a transfer from Sienna, was a key player over the course of the whole season, averaging 37.2 minutes per game. His average stats don’t seem like much, 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists, but he was the on-court leader for the Nittany Lions and came up with some huge plays in tight games. Pickett started every single game this year, and as the point guard handled the ball on nearly every possession he played. He doesn’t have game-changing athleticism, but he’s fast enough to run in transition and strong enough to work in the paint against bigger players. While the athleticism isn’t crazy, the all-around skill is super impressive. He is incredibly well-rounded and doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. With a step up in the offseason, Pickett could vault himself into the conversation for the All-Big Ten team next year.
Myles Dread, a player who has won Penn State so many games on buzzer-beaters, was more of a rotational starter in 2021, but the news came out on March 29th that he played the entire season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Dread never missed a game while he had this surgery-inducing injury as he was medically cleared to play. He averaged his lowest points per game of his four-year career at Penn State with 6.2, but he finished the year with a 40.7 three-point percentage which led the team. While three-point shooting is Dread’s best skill, he can be a versatile player, too. Due to Penn State not having more than one starting-caliber center for most of his career, Dread has had to guard players anywhere from six to eight inches taller than he is, and was excellent in doing that. When he’s back at full strength next year, fans should get used to hearing the great way the PA announcer says his name over the speakers in the Bryce Jordan Center.
Both of these players were instrumental in Penn State’s few successes this year, and with plenty of time to get better before next season, things are looking up for 2023.