Penn State guard Jalen Pickett named first Nittany Lion All-American since 1955

For the second time in program history, Penn State men’s basketball has an All-American.

Jalen Pickett was named a second team All-American by Sporting News, one of the four outlets used by the NCAA to determine consensus All-American status.

Pickett joins Jesse Arnelle, who was a first teamer in 1954 and a second teamer in 1955.

The Nittany Lion will finish his career after only two years at Penn State — after spending three at Siena — but established himself as one of the best players in program history in that short amount of time.

He’s averaging 18 points, 7.3 rebound and 7 assists per game this year, the only player in the country hitting all three marks. Pickett has been integral to the team’s success on both ends of the floor this year, and had a stretch against Illinois and Minnesota when he scored 73 points across the two games.

Those two victories began a 5-1 finish to the regular season that put the program firmly in the mix to make the NCAA Tournament with a 19-12 overall record and 10-10 conference record.

Pickett and the Nittany Lions are scheduled to take on Illinois Thursday evening in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

This story was originally published March 7, 2023, 11:42 AM.