Taran Buie gave Penn State great news hours after the Nittany Lions’ 2008-09 season ended, committing to Ed DeChellis’ team hours after Penn State defeated Baylor to win the NIT championship.
With the 2009-10 season set to begin Friday, the highly touted combo guard gave the Nittany Lions more good news Wednesday, sending a signed National Letter of Intent to the Bryce Jordan Center on the first day of the week-long early signing period.
The 6-foot-2 Buie, who starred last season at Bishop Maginn High School in Albany, N.Y., but will play this season at State College Area High School, is the half-brother of Penn State junior guard Talor Battle and arguably the Nittany Lions’ most anticipated recruit of the decade.
“We are very happy and excited to have Taran joining our team,” Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said in a release. “With his brother, Talor, being here and that relationship, we feel like he has been a part of our Nittany Lion family for awhile now and fits in perfectly with what our program is all about. We are thrilled he has decided to bring his considerable athletic ability and basketball skills as well as his competitiveness and drive to our program.”
Buie, the 24th-ranked shooting guard and No. 87 overall recruit in the ESPNU 100, led Maginn to a state championship during his sophomore season and to the state semifinals last year as a junior, averaging better than 18 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. He was a second-team all-state selection. Like Battle, Buie also played for the Albany City Rocks AAU program.
“Taran is a terrific playmaker and defender,” DeChellis said. “He is a real team player who understands the game and makes his teammates better. He is a tremendous athlete with the ability to get to the rim and a strong mid-range game. And, like his brother, he just has a tremendous motor and plays with great energy.”
Buie, the only player in the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2010, chose Penn State over offers from Maryland, Pitt, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Marquette, among others.
Buie: Class act
