“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. \u2014 At Penn State, where football is king, basketball is an afterthought. The program has a relatively slim fan base and has not been consistently successful, sometimes finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten.<\/p>\n
“But Talor Battle, a sophomore point guard, is working to change that.<\/p>\n
“Rising from a childhood in which his family was briefly homeless and overcoming serious ankle injuries, Battle has helped Penn State match the program\u2019s highest single-season win total. The Nittany Lions (25-11) will take on Notre Dame (21-14) in the National Invitation Tournament semifinals on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Baylor (23-14) and San Diego State (26-9) will meet in the other game.<\/p>\n
“Battle \u2014 a team co-captain averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists a game \u2014 has helped dictate Penn State\u2019s offense with an up-tempo style. He can slash to the hoop or distribute from the point, and he became the fifth Nittany Lion to be named a first-team all-Big Ten selection.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“STATE COLLEGE, Pa. \u2014 At Penn State, where football is king, basketball is an afterthought. The program has a relatively slim fan base and has not been consistently successful, sometimes finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten. “But Talor Battle, a sophomore point guard, is working to change that. “Rising from a childhood in … <\/p>\n