UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's basketball alumni Andrew Funk (Chicago Bulls), Seth Lundy (Atlanta Hawks), Jalen Pickett (Denver Nuggets) and Calvin Booth (General Manager – Denver Nuggets) will represent the Nittany Lions as the NBA postseason begins this week.
Pickett and Booth's defending NBA champion Nuggets team will be the No. 2 seed in the West and open NBA Playoffs action on Saturday, April 20, against the winner of the West's No. 7/8 seed play-in game. Funk's Bulls team and Lundy's Hawks team will square off against each other in an NBA Eastern Conference Play-In game on Wednesday, April 17, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Jalen Pickett '23 – Denver Nuggets
Pickett has appeared in 27 games throughout his rookie season with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Pickett was drafted by Denver in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft with the 32nd overall pick, becoming the highest-drafted Nittany Lion in the modern era of the two-round NBA Draft that dates back to 1989.
Pickett's collegiate career culminated in a Consensus All-American season in 2022-23 as he averaged 17.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 6.6 apg with a 50.8 FG%, becoming the first Division I men's college basketball player since at least the 1992-93 season to average 17/7/6 or better while shooting at least 50% from the field. Pickett finished his five-year collegiate career with marks of 2,207 points (15.3 ppg), 780 rebounds (5.4 rpg), 841 assists (5.8 apg), 178 steals and 115 blocks. The Rochester, N.Y. native was the only Division I men's basketball player since at least the 1985-86 season to have accumulated career marks of 2,000+ career points, 700+ career rebounds and 800+ career assists. He tallied 1,068 points, 407 rebounds and 378 assists through just 68 games in a Penn State uniform, reaching his 1,000th point at Penn State in just 65 games, while leading Penn State to 2023 NCAA Tournament and Big Ten Tournament Championship game appearances.
Seth Lundy '23 – Atlanta Hawks
Lundy, on a two-way contract, has appeared in nine games with the Atlanta Hawks throughout his rookie season. He was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft with the 46th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks.
Lundy completed his four-year Penn State career in 2022-23 after putting together a career-best season as a senior, finishing the season with 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and leading Penn State to 2023 NCAA Tournament and Big Ten Tournament Championship game appearances. He proved to be one of the most efficiently productive players in the country, as one of only five Division I players to tally 10+ points per game and 6+ rebounds per game while shooting at least 50% from two-point range (53.3%), 40% from three-point range (40.0%) and 80% from the free throw line (80.7%). Lundy finished his Penn State career ranking sixth all-time in school history in career 3-pointers (229), ninth in career free throw percentage (81.4 FT%) and 20th in career points (1,283). He became the 39th member of Penn State's 1,000-career point club on Jan. 11, 2023.
Andrew Funk M'23 – Chicago Bulls
Funk signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls on February 25 after spending five months with the Denver Nuggets' G League affiliate. Funk has seen action in five games with the Bulls since signing less than two months ago.
Funk completed an outstanding five-year collegiate career at Penn State, proving to be the most lethal 3-point shooter in the Big Ten in 2022-23 while leading the conference and ranking top 25 in the nation in both 3FG% (41.2%) and 3-pointers made per game (3.03). Funk's 112 triples during the 2022-23 season led the Big Ten and were the second-most in a single season in school history. He set a Penn State record in an NCAA Tournament game with 27 points and eight 3-pointers in the Nittany Lions' NCAA Tournament First Round win over Texas A&M. Funk finished his five-year collegiate career with marks of 1,693 points (11.5 ppg), 457 rebounds, 237 assists and 302 3-pointers. He played four seasons at Bucknell before playing his graduate season at Penn State and earning his master's degree in management and organizational leadership. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention laurels at Penn State as well as a spot on the Academic All-District team.
Calvin Booth '98 – General Manager – Denver Nuggets
Booth, the front office mastermind behind Denver's first title run in franchise history in 2023, looks to lead the Nuggets to back-to-back NBA titles in his fourth season as Denver Nuggets General Manager. Booth was named General Manager of the Nuggets in July 2020 and signed a multi-year extension in Oct. 2022. He was previously Assistant General Manager with the Nuggets from 2017-2020. After a 10-year NBA playing career, he entered the front office with the New Orleans Pelicans as a scout in 2012 before working with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a scout and Director of Player Personnel from 2013-17.
The 1998 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Booth was a three-year starter and two-time captain at Penn State. He holds the school record for career blocked shots (428). He led the Big Ten in blocks in all four years that he played, and his career total ranks second in conference history. After his senior season, Booth became the then-highest-drafted Nittany Lion in program history when he was taken as the 35th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 1999 NBA Draft.
