How Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades plans to make men’s basketball a sustained winner
Penn State has been able to catch lightning in a bottle in the past with its men’s basketball program, but rarely has it had sustained success. For the most part, its greatest moments have come as one-offs — with its NCAA Tournament appearances since 1960 coming in 1965, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2011 and 2023, each with at least a five year gap.
But head coach Mike Rhoades, now in his second season with the program, is out to change that.
“It would be great if we could start right now and start building sustainable success, but nothing is guaranteed. But I do truly believe with the support from the administration, the decisions we’re making building a program, I believe we’re going in the right direction. We gotta win, man. We’ve had pockets of success. We don’t have much tradition of Penn State basketball (having) sustained success.”
That hasn’t come easy for any of his predecessors. Even the 2023 team that qualified was set to take a step back even before then-head coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame.
But Rhoades plans to be different. He wants the buy-in to come from everyone. It’s about getting all of the key voices in lockstep and ready to help the men’s basketball program get where it needs to go.
“You need support,” Rhoades said. “You need support by your administration. You need support by the university. You need support by the fans and the donors and the alumni. And we’re going to go out and build on it. And we’re building that.”
The first step to that is getting where it wants to for the first time under Rhoades — the NCAA Tournament.
Last season that goal was never in reach, but with five seniors in tow this team will have a much better chance. And that’s what the head coach says success will look like this year.
“Let’s get to the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “Let’s beat teams in the Big Ten and let’s get to the NCAA Tournament.”
Once the first comes, he hopes the second will too. And maybe even a third or fourth, because he sees no reason the Nittany Lions can’t be like some of the historic programs it faces night in and night out in the Big Ten.
“I’m gonna be unapologetic for trying to build a winning program that is gonna be like Michigan State someday or Purdue someday,” Rhoades said. “Why not?”
Offensive identity
Rhoades’ defense was always going to be what it is now at Penn State — a high ball pressure, turnover-oriented group that presses high up the floor and wreaks havoc on that end of the floor. But what the offense would be was more of a question. Sure, there will be buckets in transition created by all of those turnovers, but eventually the team would have to score in the half court too.
That’s where Joe Crispin’s expertise comes in.
The current assistant to the head coach and former Nittany Lion great is in charge of the team’s offense. After coaching at the Division III level with high-powered offenses, Crispin joined Rhoades’ staff last year and geared a group that lacked shooting to become more perimeter-oriented.
While the personnel wasn’t quite up to the standard it needed to be and the offense struggled at times, it set the foundation for what could be coming this year.
The offense should be one that’s geared toward running in transition, getting to the rim and shooting from beyond the arc. That’s evident in how the team has recruited at each position.
And while last year’s bigs weren’t able to help in that regard, things are much different this time around. Transfer big Yanic Konan Niederhauser can stretch the floor in ways the team’s centers last year couldn’t.
“He opens up a whole other world offensively,” Crispin said. “Yanic, his ability to pass, shoot and play on the perimeter with a great deal of confidence, it makes bigs come out on the perimeter. All this stuff that we were doing last year, that was only selectively effective, I think can be more specifically effective because there’s just simply more space on the court.”
Quick hitters
- Rhoades said the team’s current health status is good but not great. He added that the team was dealing with illnesses and a couple of bumps and bruises.
- The Penn State head coach emphasized the example his team’s veterans — like Ace Baldwin Jr. — have set for the team’s youngest players. That is something several people within the program have commended Baldwin for in taking a step forward this season.
- Penn State will head to Lebanon Valley College Friday night for an exhibition game against Lafayette. The game will benefit charity and tips off at 8 p.m.
