A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Talor Battle returns for his final campaign on the cusp on placing his name among the all-time greats in Nittany Lion basketball history. Having briefly tested the NBA Draft waters following his junior campaign, the three-year starter comes into his senior season just 612 points shy of the 55-year old career scoring mark set by Jesse Arnelle (2,138) in 1955. He also stands just 25 rebounds short of becoming the first Nittany Lion ever to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists on a career and can place his name at the top or among the top five of 11 major career categories. The 6-0 guard is also on pace to finish among the top 15 all-time rebounders in Nittany Lion history and the most prolific rebounding guard ever. One of two players in NCAA Division I to average at least 18.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 4.0 apg in 2009-10, he will look to join Arnelle as just the second player to lead the Lions in scoring in four consecutive seasons.
HONORS/MILESTONES
Two-time All-Big Ten (1st team in 2009, 2nd team in 2010)
First-team All-Big Ten selection by Sporting News (2010)
USBWA All-Region 2 (1st team in 2009)
NABC All-District 7 (1st team in 2009, 2nd team in 2010)
2009 U.S. World University Games Team leading scorer (10.0 ppg)
2009 NIT All-Tournament Team
Second in Big Ten in scoring in 2010 (18.5 ppg)
Four career 30-point games, 30 20-point games
Only BCS conference player to lead team in total points, rebounds, assists and steals in 2009-10.
One of two players in NCAA Division I to average at least 18.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 4.0 apg in 2009-10.
Seventh all-time scorer (1,526) in PSU history
Eighth all-time in assists (417) in PSU history
Fourth all-time in three pointers (211) in PSU history
Third Lion ever to post 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists
Fourth player to lead PSU in points, rebounds and assists in a season (2010)
Led the nation in minutes played (1,422) in 2008-09
Set Penn State single-season assist record (189) in 2009
Owns fifth (635) and sixth (574) best scoring seasons in PSU history
Third player to post back-to-back seasons of 500 points or more in PSU history
Set record for points scored (952) in first two seasons at Penn State
First player to earn three, Team MVP awards (2008 (co), 2009 (co) & 2010)
National Player of the Week (CollegeHoops.net) (2/2)
2009-10 JUNIOR
Led the U.S. World University Games team in scoring (10.0 ppg) and three-point shooting (13) on its way to a bronze medal performance in Serbia in July...Posted the best shooting season of his career (42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from three) in leading Penn State in scoring for the third-straight season (18.5 ppg)...Second in the Big Ten in scoring...Posted the sixth-best scoring season (574) and 11th highest season average in PSU history, becoming just the third Lion to post back-to-back 500-point seasons...Became seventh Lion to score more than 1,500 career points and just the fourth to lead Penn State in scoring, rebounding (5.3) and assists (4.1) in a season...Also led PSU with 71 threes...The only BCS Conference player to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals and one of two NCAA Division I players to average at least 18.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 4.0 apg...Second in the Big Ten with four 30-point outings on the year (the second most in PSU history) and third with 14 20-point games...Third in Big Ten in assists and fifth in threes made...Led Penn State in scoring 23 times and posted 26 double-figure scoring games...Posted career highs of 32 points twice on the year first in a 69-67 victory at Virginia (11/30), which included a PSU record 28 second half points to bring the Lions back from a 27-21 halftime deficit, and then in a 66-64 loss to Virginia Tech (12/12), a game in which he added a team-high nine boards and career-best 12 field goals....Scored Penn State[apos]s last 15 points and a game-high 31 in a 67-64 loss at Iowa (1/16)...Made a career-most 11 free throws in the game...Hit a career-best seven threes on 11 attempts for 30 points and five assists in a loss to No. 10 Michigan State (2/13)....Led Penn State with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists hitting 8-of-18 while being guarded by eventual National Player of the Year Evan Turner (6-7) in a 75-62 loss at Ohio State (2/3)...Had 20 points, five assists and a career high five steals in a 66-64 loss at Minnesota (2/6)...Had sixth career double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in a 55-51 victory over Michigan (2/20)...Led Penn State with 22 points in 75-67 loss to No. 9 Ohio State...Posted team highs of 16 points, eight assists and six rebounds in a 67-65 loss at No. 11 Michigan State (3/4)....Posted 27 points and 10 rebounds in the Lions[apos] season-opening win over Penn (11/13)...Equaled a then career high with 29 points vs. UNC Wilmington (11/19)...Posted 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists in an overtime loss at Wisconsin (1/24)...Named to the Naismith, Wooden and Cousy Award Watch Lists.
2008-09 SOPHOMORE
Battle posted one of the most outstanding seasons in Penn State history setting a school record with 189 assists and racking up 635 points (fifth best ever) while leading the Nittany Lions to a school-record 27 wins and the programs first-ever national tournament title in the 2009 NIT...Earned first-team All-Big Ten, USBWA All-Region and NABC All-District honors while receiving honorable-mention All-America consideration from FOXsports.com and CollegeHoops.net...Led the Big Ten in scoring in the regular season (17.3 ppg)...Led the nation (1,422 minutes) and Big Ten (37.4 mpg) in playing time while making 37 starts and playing in all 38 games...Led Penn State in scoring (16.7), assists (5.0) and threes (92) and was second in steals (45)...92 threes rank as the third best season total at PSU...Ranked in the top 15 of eight Big Ten statistical categories, including second in assists, third in made threes, and 12th in rebounding (5.3)...Led Big Ten with 14 20-point games...Named to NIT All-Tournament team...Penn State team Co-MVP...Scored in double-digits in 35 of 38 games leading PSU in scoring 16 times and posting three double-doubles...Drove the length of the floor to hit the GAME WINNER with 0.3 second to play in a 64-63 upset of #23 Illinois...Hit a GAME TYING three at the buzzer to send a first round NIT game with George Mason into overtime and went on to score 11-straight points in the 77-73 victory...Scored a career-high 29 points, including 13 straight in the first half, to bring Penn State from 13 down to a 72-68 upset of No. 9 Michigan State in East Lansing (2/2)...Made six threes, including a 27-footer at the half, and 11-of-19 from the floor in the game...Led Penn State with 21 points and a career-high nine assists in a upset of No. 14 Purdue (1/6)...Had 26 points and 12 rebounds in a Big Ten opening win over Northwestern (12/31)...Posted 26 points and 10 boards in a double-overtime loss at Iowa (3/7)...Nearly posted a triple-double on four occasions: 15 points, eight boards and eight assists vs. Rhode Island (12/28); 15 points, eight boards and nine assists vs. Towson (12/29); 11 points, 10 boards and eight assists vs. Sacred Heart (12/23); 10 points, nine boards and seven assists at Ohio State (2/24)...Made a habit of rallying Penn State from deficits with end-game heroics: 1) Scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half, including eight straight during a game-tying run, and added a game-high 12 boards and career-best tying seven treys in a Big Ten opening win over Northwestern (12/31/08) as he led Penn State back from an 11-point second half deficit...2) Scored 20 points, including nine straight in the final 5:00, to help lead Penn State from 14 down to a 63-59 victory over Iowa (1/24)... 3) Scored 13 straight points and hit four threes, including a 27-footer at the buzzer, to bring Penn State from 13 down to a 38-37 halftime lead. He went on to score a career-high 29 points in a 72-68 upset of No. 9 Michigan State in East Lansing (2/1)...4) Scored 19 of his team-high 21 points in the final 20:01 after hitting a last second three to give Penn State a 24-23 halftime lead in a victory over Minnesota (2/14). Hit two huge threes to twice tie the game in the final 5:00 and picked Devoe Joseph[apos]s pocket for an and-one lay-up with 1:00 to play and Penn State clinging to a two-point lead...5) Scored seven of his game-high 11 points in the final 2:23 of a huge 38-33 victory at #16 Illinois. Played all 40 minutes and was the only player in double-figures....6) Hit the game-winner with 0.3 seconds to play leading Penn State back from 10 down with 5:11 to play to a 64-63 upset of #23 Illinois (3/5)....7) Scored 12 straight points in the final 3:31 to bring Penn State from nine down and send the game into overtime in an eventual double-overtime loss at Iowa...8) Down three with 5.1 left, Battle drove the length of the floor and tossed in a game-tying three over two George Mason defenders as time expired to send the game to overtime...Proceeded to hit back-to-back threes and a reverse lay-up in OT to complete a run of 11-straight points in a 77-73 overtime victory in the first round of the 2009 NIT.
2007-08 SEASONFRESHMAN
Battle started all but the Nittany Lions[apos] first game at point-guard and led the team in assists (99), points (317) and minutes played (937) while ranking second in threes (48) and third in defensive rebounds (83) on the year...aver-aged 12.1 ppg in Big Ten conference games raising his scoring average by nearly six points per game from the non-conference season...Posted a career high point total four times in his first five Big Ten games and had 13 double-digit outings vs. conference opponents and 16 on the year...His 35 threes in the Big Ten play led the team...Had an impressive start to his collegiate career putting up 12 points and tying for a team high four assists in a 74-64 victory over St. Francis (11/12)...Battle[apos]s performance ranked as the third best among freshmen debuts under Ed DeChellis...Made his first career start in a 93-40 win over Canisius (11/16) posting eight points and a team-high five assists with just one turnover in 22 minutes...Posted 13 points and added a team-high four assists in a career high 31 minutes in a 74-67 loss to South Carolina (11/22)...Posted nine points, three rebounds and three assists with just one turnover in a team-high 35 minutes in a 66-61 win over Virginia Tech (11/28)...Made a runner in the lane with 39 seconds to play to put Penn State up three, 62-59...Scored 11-straight points in the last minute and overtime on his way to a career-high 14 points (nine in overtime) in an 89-86 overtime victory over Seton Hall (12/8)...His second half coast-to-coast drive and dunk sparked the Lions, who trailed by as many as 15...Made three late threes, one to tie the game and one to give PSU its first lead...Added a team-high four assists and a career-best five rebounds...Had a career high six rebounds and added five points and three assists in win over Colgate (12/23)...Scored all of his 14 points in the second half of a 79-68 victory at Northwestern (2/1)...Had eight of those points and two threes early in the first half to spark a 20-4 run that gave PSU the lead after trailing 35-34 at the half...Scored 19 points with a career-best three treys in a 76-73 loss to Minnesota (1/12)...Had just one turnover in a career high 36 minutes against the Gophers full-court press...Had a career game in a head-to-head match-up with freshman sensation Eric Gordon at Indiana (1/20)...Scored a then career high 20 points, making a career-best 4-of-5 from three and 7-of-12 from the floor, while leading the team with four assists and two steals in an 81-65 loss...Scored 11 points and made a career-best four steals in a career high 38 minutes in a 64-49 loss at Iowa (1/26)...Helped lead Penn State to an 85-76 upset of No. 7 Michigan State (2/2) with 17 points and a team-high four assists and two steals in 37 minutes...Made three treys in the game and scored seven straight points in the second half...recorded his sixth straight double-figure game leading Penn State with 14 points, a career-high tying six rebounds and four assists in a 52-51 win over Illinois (2/16)...Scored Penn State[apos]s last nine points of the game... Made huge three-pointer with 1:05 to play and stripped Iowa[apos]s Justin Johnson just before the buzzer to preserve a 65-64 win over Iowa (2/27)...Battle was SPECTACULAR leading Penn State to a 69-61 win over Michigan (3/1) recording career highs of 28 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and seven threes in the game...Battle had 15 points and seven rebounds at the half...He was scorching hot from the floor hitting 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the floor and 7-of-9 from three, many from beyond 22 feet...Scored 10 points and added six rebounds and a team-high five assists in a 68-64 upset of No. 17 Indiana (3/9)...Made 3-of-4 at the line in overtime to seal the win while playing a career high 43 minutes...Led the Lions with 17 points and added six rebounds and a team high five assists in a 64-63 last second loss to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament (3/13).
HIGH SCHOOL
Named to the first team Class AA (largest) New York State Sportswriters Association Boys Basketball All-Star Team as a senior...Named the Large School Player-of-the-Year by the Albany Times Union...Averaged 26.7 points, 5.7 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game as he led Bishop Maginn to the Class AA state title game...Rated a top 100 recruit in the ESPN 150, the No. 17 point-guard recruit in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 25 among point-guards by Scout.com...Ended his career as the fifth leading scorer all-time in New York Section II history with 2,161 points...Led Maginn to the Section II Class AA championship in 2007, the school[apos]s first boy[apos]s basketball title, and a 23-4 record, the most wins in school history...Ranked third in Section II in scoring and seventh making 54 three-pointers...Posted a season high 47 points in a victory over Troy and had 11 games scoring over 30 points, including a 34-point outing in the state playoffs...Named the Section II tournament Most Valuable Player after rallying his team from a 26-16 halftime deficit to defeat three-time defending champion Christian Brothers Academy in the final...Averaged 29.4 points, 5.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds a game as a junior leading Section II in scoring and posting two 40-point games...Second in Section II with 82 three-pointers while hitting nearly 40 percent from the arc...Named the Big 10 Division Player-of-the-Year and earned multiple Player-of-the-Year honors from the Troy Record, Schenectady Gazette and Fox 23 Sports...Honorable-mention 2006-07 Street & Smith[apos]s Boys High School All-America Team...Invited to the Nike All-America Camp...A four-year varsity starter, Battle spent one year at Catholic Central High School in Troy, New York before moving to Maginn...Also lettered in baseball.
PERSONAL
Born in Harrisburg, Pa., on Sept. 16, 1988... He lived there until the age seven...Has many family members still residing in the area...Mother and six younger siblings move to State College, Pa. in the summer of 2009...One of nine children, he has four brothers (one older and three younger) and four sisters (one older and three younger)....Younger half brother, Taran, joined the Nittany Lions as a freshman in 2010...A member of the National Honor Society, he carried over a 90 percent average in high school and was enrolled in advanced placement classes.