GENARO C. ARMAS
The Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Talor Battle returned to Penn State an inch taller than last season with a more toned upper body.
Good thing, too: The 6-foot point guard may need to shoulder a bigger load if the Nittany Lions want to return to the NCAA tournament a year after winning the NIT.
Battle is already Penn State’s leading returning scorer (16.7 points per game) and passer (5.0 assists), and second-leading returning rebounder (5.3). The goal for Happy Valley’s do-everything go-to guy: prove to the naysayers that the Nittany Lions aren’t going away.
“I think we need to have another successful season so it’s not one of those one-hit wonder things and the program really is on the rise,” Battle said.
A fitting answer from an energetic player who has the hops to wiggle his frame through big men in the post for layups or last-second dishes to open teammates. Battle also has the range to knock down 3-pointers with a defender in his face.
They are the kinds of plays he made on an almost nightly basis during what passes for a dream season last year for Penn State (27-11, 10-8 Big Ten): a school record for wins culminating with a five-game postseason dash through the NIT. …
Read it all: G Talor Battle hopes to lift Penn St. to NCAAs | AP | 10/28/2009.