Feb. 17, 2016
By Jack Milewski, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Raw talent can't be taught. It can be refined, harnessed and improved upon, but never taught.
A raw talent is how you would probably describe Penn State's redshirt sophomore Jalen Penrose. Now in his second season playing for the team, Penrose has seen extended time on the court and is second on the team in kills. Penrose, at any time, can be the most dynamic player on the court for either team. The one big knock on the supremely talented outside hitter is that he has yet to master the art of consistency and he will be the first one to tell you that.
"I feel like I have made lots of great strides already, but I can still get much better," Penrose said. "The biggest thing for me is to become more and more consistent. I'm still only in my redshirt sophomore season so I feel like I have time. I'm taking it day by day and trying to improve every day."
Head coach Mark Pavlik echoed Penrose's sentiment, in terms of consistency being his biggest flaw. However, at the same time he also acknowledges that Penrose has a talent level that is rare for many players.
"Jalen is still at the point where he is scoring a lot of points for the other team," Pavlik said. "Once he limits that and is able to start scoring a substantial amount of points for us, he has the ability to take over the whole match for its entire duration. Now he can do it in spurts, but if he gets more consistent he can do even more."
Penrose has formidable height, great length and an exceptional right arm. His serve is clocked between 65-72 miles per hour and he can touch 11-foot-8 at the height of his vertical leap. In other words, he has a talent level that could translate one day to the international level.
"He's very close to the numbers that most of the international players are putting up," Pavlik said. "If he works in the offseason and during the season like [Aaron Russell] did, I have no doubt that Jalen will be able to play at the next level.
For Penrose, the Cambridge, Mass., native, playing volleyball overseas is the ultimate goal, but he also acknowledges that it is still a long way away.
"I want to keep my ties with United States volleyball and ultimately play overseas," said Penrose. "However, I still want to take it one day at a time and not get ahead of myself. I still have more than two college seasons to play."
Outside his freakish athletic abilities, the one thing that stands out about Penrose is his fiery demeanor on the court. He can be an explosive force that really kick-starts a team rally. Penrose says that he has had that attitude since a young age.
"I have always been extremely competitive," Penrose said. "I played basketball when I was younger and I always played hard. Growing up in the city I feel like you have to be a little rough around the edges so I would say that's where that all comes from."
For Pavlik, the fire that Penrose brings is a beneficial tool in his mind, he just feels that the redshirt sophomore can better harness that energy at times and use it to the benefit of his team even more.
"When Jalen comes in he can really pump us up," Pavlik said. "He just has to use that energy in the right way and make sure that it benefits us positively as a team instead of the other way around. That competitive edge can be a great advantage for us."
For Penrose, he is already on of Penn State's main offensive catalysts when he is on the court. The problem lies in keeping him on the court and that will all stem from consistent play. Pavlik believes that the consistent play will come and when it does, Penrose will be even more of a force to be reckoned with.
"I think this is the time for Jalen to figure things out," Pavlik said. "He still has some things to work on, but I have all the confidence in the world that he will be able to figure it out. Once he does, the sky is the limit for him and I'm excited for the next two-plus seasons to see what Jalen does."
Excitement is what Penrose brings day in and day out to the Penn State men's volleyball team and that will only persist as the redshirt sophomore continues to hone his raw talents. Will the support system that he has and the caliber of coaching that is present at Penn State, Penrose is in the right environment and has the right rare skill set, to be a franchise player for Penn State.