March 16, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 16, 2010 - Nittany Lions junior point-guard Talor Battle has been honored as a first-team All-Big Ten selection by Sporting News and as a second-team All-District choice by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Battle, who was earlier named a second-team All-Big Ten selection by conference coaches and media, joined Trevon Hughes (G, Wisconsin), Evan Turner (G, Ohio State), Robbie Hummel (F, Purdue) and John Shurna (F, Northwestern) on the Sporting News All-Big Ten first team.
He was joined by Hughes, Shurna, Manny Harris (G, Michigan), and DeShawn Sims (F, Michigan) on the NABC All-District 7 second-team. Hummel, Turner, Kalin Lucas (G, Michigan State), E'Twaun Moore (G, Purdue) and Demetri McCamey (G, Illinois) earned first team honors from the NABC, which selects first and second teams for 24 districts nationally.
Battle finished the season as the second leading scorer in the Big Ten posting 18.5 ppg and led the Big Ten with 14 20-point outings and four games of 30 or more points. Battle was the only BCS conference player in the nation to lead his team in points, rebounds (5.3), assists (4.1) and steals (1.1) and joined Turner as the only two players in NCAA Division I to average better than 18.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 4.1 apg.
Battle became just the third Nittany Lion to post consecutive 500-point seasons ending his junior campaign with 574 points. He stands seventh all-time on the Nittany Lion career scoring chart with 1,526 points and is within range of passing All-American Jesse Arnelle's all-time scoring mark of 2,138 points set from 1952-55. Battle, who posted 635 points while averaging 16.7 ppg in Penn State's 27-11 season last year, would need 612 points in his senior campaign to catch Arnelle.
Battle also stands eighth all-time with 417 career assists and has 475 career rebounds. Having posted a Penn State single-season record with 189 assists in his sophomore season, he will enter his senior campaign 183 assists shy of the all-time career mark of 600 set by Freddie Barnes (1989-92) and needing just 25 rebounds to become the first Nittany Lion ever to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists on their career. With a year to play, Battle stands fifth all-time in Penn State annals with a combined total of 2,418 in points, rebounds and assists. Having averaged a combined total of 948 in the last two seasons, he will enter 2010-11 958 shy of Arnelle's all-time record of 3,376.
Battle earned first-team NABC and USBWA All-District honors last season.
-NITTANY LIONS-