I’m usually not a big fan of these posts that do little to educate the reader.  They’re more self-indulgent, pure opinio and fluff.  But hell, this is the first time I’ve gotten to do it for this blog, so I’m going to.  This is a report card for all the Nittany Lions 2009 seasons.

Talor Battle: A- Battle was incredible for this team, emerging as a darkhorse candidate for Big Ten player of the year, and being named to the first team, all Big Ten.  So why doesn’t he get an A?  Well, he went through a painful dry spell during the team’s three game skid in mid-February.  How painful?  Just after almost singlehandedly leading his team to a win in East Lansing, Battle hit 7 of 38 shots in losses to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Purdue.  Yes, he had two huge buckets, to beat Illinois and George Mason, and yes, Battle led a furious comeback to even force overtime against Iowa.  But Battle was just a sophomore, and carrying this team was going to be tough for him.  We saw some growing pains, but he’s better for getting through it.

Jamelle Cornley: A- It’s no coincidence that Cornley earns the same grade as Battle.  The two guys guided this team, in skill, in scoring, and with their leadership.  For Cornley, though, it was much tougher.  At 6’4, Mel is vastly undersized against all but a few power forwards, but he just didn’t know the meaning of quit.  It’s funny, on Thursday, these two MSG ushers couldn’t stop gushing over Cornley, “That guy is beast,” one of them said.  “You’re telling me,” replied the other.  And it was the kind of performance that Cornley put on, at least in the first half against Baylor, that give him a place amongst the greatest in Penn State history.  He was versatile, scoring from inside and out, playing solid defense, but most of all just never giving up.  His own physical limitations were the only things that held him back.  That, and his occasional desire to just do too much.  Still, it’s not Mel’s fault that the team went away from the post when they got in trouble.

Stanley Pringle: A- Who am I kidding?  These guys were the big three all year, and each of them contributed their own individual strengths.  For Pringle, it was his lights-out shooting (tops in the Big Ten), lockdown defense, and steady ball handling.  Let’s be honest; before this season, Pringle was known more for his library transgressions than his hoops skills.  But Pringle, who really should’ve been considered for Big Ten most improved player, almost doubled his points per game averages from a year ago, and his rebound, assist, and steal ratios increased too.  I think the loss of Pringle after this season is going to hurt the team more than one might expect: he was a great partner for Battle in the backcourt, he could play either guard position, and he managed to consistently put up double digit point games without taking over.  It’s tough to imagine the impact Pringle could’ve made if he’d come to Penn state directly as a freshman, rather than as a JuCo transfer.

Andrew Jones III: B- Just like as we saw with player production this season, the grades see a pretty big drop-off after the Big Three.  Jones, though, was clearly the fourth best Nittany Lion all season long, culminating with his phenomenal NIT run.  Hell, if we were grading the players just on tournament performance, Jones would be bumped up to at least a B+.  But this is a full season report card, and Jones was simply ho-hum throughout the first 2/3 of the season.  He did what was asked of him: crash the boards, play solid, if unspectacular, low-post defense, and chip in a handful of points.  Jones could’ve done a lot of things better.  Namely, block shots.  0.3 per game is pretty bad for a guy who started every game of the season at center.  This grade reflects Jones’s season: solid, but unspectacuar.  Nobody’ll give you crap for getting a B-, but it’s nothing to brag about.

Danny Morrissey: C If I were grading on effort, Morrissey would get an A+.  He gives his all, busts his ass, leaves it all on the floor (including his blood).  Unfortunately, and whether its due to his overwhelming whiteness, injury history, or whatever other factor, Morrissey just doesn’t have the athleticism to keep up with a lot of Division I players.  His shooting got worse this year, and as his career went on (47% as a sophomore to 40% as a junior, to 37% this season from the field), and his free throw shooting went from really good (80%) to not-as-good-as-it-should-be (68%).  And don’t get me started on his defense, or lack thereof.  Still, there’s something about Morrissey that you can’t help but like.  He was a captain, a senior, and the team wouldn’t have been the same without him.

David Jackson: C- I’m convinced that there were, in fact, two different David Jacksons that played this season for Penn State.  One was David Jackson (the bad one) and the other was DJ Jackson (the good one).  David earns an F, for absolute suckitude.  Playing with zero confidence, he couldn’t hit an open jumper and was afraid to take layups.  Then there was DJ, who played great on-the-ball defense, contributed solid rebounding, hustled his ass off, and his a few shots.  He would get a solid B.  Unfortunately, David showed up more than DJ, though DJ enjoyed a nice renaissance towards the end of the season.

Jeff Brooks: D+ It’s so frustrating to see Jeff Brooks not be a great player.  He’s one of the most prized recruits Penn State ever signed, as a runner up for Mr. Kentucky basketball, and you see that talent in spurts.  However, you also see Brooks struggling, not just with his consistency, but to play the game that suits him.  We’ve seen Brooks’s athleticism on defense, but he doesn’t always hustle on that end.  He’s got some nice post moves, but he seems more content to jack up threes.  He came up big in the George Mason and Rhode Island games when Jamelle Cornley was out, and that was when he showed flashes last year, too.  Perhaps Cornley moving on can spur a more rapid development in Brooks’ game.

Chris Babb/Cam Woodyard/Andrew Ott: Incomplete I feel that there’s no better way to grade these guys than together.  On their own, each of them have some very positive aspects: Babb developed into a lights out, if streaky, shooter, Woodyard hustled and was a spark off the bench, and Ott was, well, 6’10.  I would’ve loved to see Ed DeChellis give them more playing time than 10, 6, and 7 minutes per game respectively, because they’re going to need to play more than that in 2010.  I haven’t seen enough of these guys to give them full grades, but I do think they’ll be key pieces for the Lions in the future.

Releated Posts:

1. Grading The Lions: Week One
2. The Glass is Half Full
3. Penn State Handles Penn to Open Season
4. The Glass is Half Empty
5. Penn State Storms Past Robert Morris

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