University Park, Pa. — Penn State point-guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) made it official Saturday (May 8) removing his name from NBA Draft consideration and delivering a letter to Penn State Director of Athletics Tim Curley stating his intention to return for his senior season as a Nittany Lion.
The All-Big Ten point-guard, who ranked second in the Big Ten last season averaging 18.5 ppg, will be among four senior starters returning for coach Ed DeChellis' eighth season leading the Nittany Lion program. He will join senior forwards David Jackson (9.5 ppg), Jeff Brooks (7.4 ppg) and Andrew Jones (6.0 ppg) on a Penn State team that returns 75 percent of its scoring and 67 percent of its rebounding.
Battle, who joined Jamelle Cornley as the only Lions ever to earn three team-MVP awards, stands seventh all-time in scoring at Penn State with 1,526 points after becoming just the third player in Nittany Lion history to post back-to-back 500-point seasons. Battle, who has averaged 604 points a season over the last two seasons, stands 612 points shy of All-American Jesse Arnelle's all-time Penn State scoring mark of 2,138 points.
He also needs just 25 rebounds to become the first player in Nittany Lion history to post 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists on a career. Battle, who stands eighth all-time with 417 career assists, was one of two players in NCAA Division I to average at least 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in 2009-10 and the only BCS conference player to lead his team in total points, rebounds, assists and steals.