By Jeff Rice, NN Senior Writer

jrice@nittanynetwork.com

Feb. 11, 2009

Taran Buie played one season at Albany’s Bishop Maginn High School alongside his older brother, Talor Battle.

“I think we played pretty good together, and we complemented each other with two different styles of play,” Buie said. “It made my job a little easier being a freshman playing with him. Everybody was just keying on him.”

Defenses are still keying on Battle, who is now a sophomore at Penn State and the Big Ten’s scoring leader. And Buie is getting plenty of attention at Maginn – from both opponents and some high-major colleges.

And there’s a decent chance the two could once again be in the same lineup.

The 6-foot-2 junior is one of the top combo guards in the Northeast, and Penn State ranks among his current favorites, which also include Marquette, Notre Dame, Maryland and Georgia Tech.  ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. rates Buie as the 12th-best shooting guard and a top 40 overall prospect nationally in the class of 2010.

Should Buie decide to become a Nittany Lion, he and Battle would more than likely play just one season together. His mother is contemplating moving the family to Pennsylvania, which could mean Buie plays his final high school season somewhere else. But nothing is definite on that front, and Battle has kept his recruiting advice to his brother pretty general.

“He’s told me basically just to have fun and take a closer look and not believe everything coaches are telling you,” Buie said. “Everything Penn State told him has come out true, but he told me to take a look and make sure I’m not being misled, to see if the roster matches up with what the coaches are telling me.”

Both players can fill up the scoring column, and Buie says he is learning to become the same kind of leader on the floor that Battle was at Maginn and is now at Penn State. There are some differences in their individual games, though.

“I think I’m more athletic than Talor, and I play like that – I kill the glass, get some easy points around the rim, bang with the big guys,” Buie said. “I also have a mid-range game; I like to stop and pop from 15-17 feet. I’m not as great of a shooter or as quick as my brother, though.”

Bishop Maginn is 13-3 on the season, has won eight of its last nine games and owns a pair of wins over rival Christian Brothers Academy. Buie is averaging 19 points per game and is looking forward to the playoffs.

“The team is doing pretty good this year,” he said. “We had not so hot of a start but we got it going on now, got some momentum. I’ve been trying to help the younger guys as we get closer to the playoffs. It’s a high level of basketball at sectionals, and I’m trying to help them make the transition.”

Buie most recently took an official visit to Notre Dame. He’s been to three Penn State home games this season, cheering on his brother from the stands, and plans to attend the Nittany Lions’ game against Minnesota on Saturday. He is likely to wait at least a few months before making his decision but doesn’t have a hard and fast plan.

“There’s not a time frame,” he said. “I want to see how things go for me this summer. My AAU team (the Albany City Rocks) is going to be good this year … we should make some noise.”