Penn State sets course for new season with experience, optimism
When asked about the offseason for the Penn State men’s basketball program, Mike Rhoades offers a correction. The Nittany Lion players, he clarified, are currently able and encouraged to enjoy some downtime at home.
A little bit of home cooking combined with a few weeks away from one another, the program’s objectives are clear for its five core players returning from last year’s squad.
“They went home right after exams,” said Rhoades on Thursday evening at the program’s annual Coaches vs. Cancer reception. “We’ve got a good good number of weeks everyone’s been at home, working out at home and eating Mom’s food, which is great. They need a great break.
“I want them to be recharged and fired up to get back here. We’ll start on June 16. Everybody will report here and we’ll get going with our eight weeks. That week, we’ll get our eight weeks started. Start going to work and building our team.”
Building a team
Rhoades and the Penn State coaching staff cannot say the same when it comes to breaks.
Instead, coming out of a 16-17 debut season with the program, one featuring a 9-11 mark in the Big Ten regular season, the Nittany Lion staff has been hard at work building its next roster. Since their final game against Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 14, roster management immediately took hold.
During a transfer portal window that saw five players exit the program, along with the graduations of three others, Penn State identified, recruited, and landed its future roster. It took shape in the form of the additions of Kachi Nzeh, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Eli Rice, and Freddie Dillione. Amidst that influx of scholarship players, the Nittany Lions also rounded out their four-man Class of 2024 with the formal addition of forward Hudson Ward. He joins the November signings of Jahvin Carter, Miles Goodman, and Dominick Stewart.
All 13 players, plus freshman walk-on Joe Sedora, will convene on Penn State’s campus for the start of an eight-week summer workout session on June 16. Sizing up the group in its totality, Rhoades offered his optimism for its potential this season.
“I’m really excited for the five core guys, returning players, the freshmen, and then the four guys that are joining us from the transfer portal. I really liked the group we put together,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean anything until they get on the court and build their togetherness and get together and get on a mission.”
Next steps for Penn State basketball
The advantage, of course, is Penn State’s positioning this year as opposed to last.
Still working on bringing in their final players through the transfer portal at this time last year, the Nittany Lions now have something resembling a bridge of stability spanning the first and second years of Rhoades’ tenure. In conjunction with the experiences that first season brought to everyone in the program, the efficiency of the operation has changed positively with it.
“Any job I took, a year later, you know the place, you know how it functions, you know how it works and how to get things done. And you put all your emphasis on your team. Now the landscape is so different, so you’re always working on your team and trying to get figured out a new place,” said Rhoades. “A year later, I’m more comfortable, our staff is. We understand this place a little bit better. We understand the transfer portal and NIL. Your best teacher is experience. So we experienced a year, but now we gotta get even better.”
Blue-White Illustrated is proud to again participate in this year’s CVC golf tournament. To suport the Penn State chapter of CVC, learn more here.
The post Penn State sets course for new season with experience, optimism appeared first on On3.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings