The Penn State men’s basketball season begins in just 13 days, folks.
On Monday, the team held its annual media day ahead of Mike Rhoades’ first year at the helm of the Nittany Lions. After the departure of Micah Shrewsberry to Notre Dame and Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy to the NBA, there are a plethora of new faces within the program that reached the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament last March.
The day began with Rhoades speaking to the media inside the Bryce Jordan Center, alongside Puff Johnson, Kanye Clary and Ace Baldwin Jr.
Rhoades and the select handful of executives discussed several topics throughout the day, some of which included player relationships, building a roster from scratch, a point guard duo and Penn State’s roots.
All Rhoades lead to Penn State
Rhoades is a Penn State guy through and through. Growing up in Schuylkill County in eastern Pennsylvania, Rhoades has been around the university for a long time. He has spoken many times about his connections and vision for Penn State hoops.
“I need to be at a place like Penn State,” Rhoades said. “I came here because of the trust that (Pat) Kraft has in Penn State and the trust he had going after me and the alignment of our president and our athletic director…I know a guy like him has my back, and he’s It’s been a lot of fun working for six months here and he’s excited about what we’re trying to do.
Rhoades echoed Nittany Lion fans in saying he was here to stay in Happy Valley for the long haul after Micah Shrewberry’s two-year stay. With family in the area and her daughter committed to Penn State women’s lacrosse, Rhoades left no room for interpretation that her time at the Bryce Jordan Center would be brief.
“I’m two hours from my mom,” Rhoades said. “I’ve seen my mom in the last six months more than ever since I got into this crazy business, and so it’s been a lot of fun.”
Returning players
Clary and Jameel Brown highlight the Nittany Lions’ comebacks from last year’s team. Demetrius Lilley and extras Dan Conlan and Andy Christos also return. With only five players on that roster from a season ago, combined with an entirely new coaching staff that brought in 10 newcomers, returning players often carried additional responsibilities throughout the offseason.
“I’ve been coming here my whole life,” Conlan said. “So it’s been great. I know the area very well… it’s been good. I was able to kind of show people what the culture is like and what the people are like and if we play extremely hard, everyone will come out and support us.
For forward Demetrius Lilley, he discovered a role helping newcomers adjust not only to Happy Valley, but also to the identity of Penn State basketball.
“The first thing is to make sure everyone feels comfortable here,” Lilley said. “It’s like just showing the culture of Penn State basketball. We play hard. We play hard. We want to play until the last second of the match.
Dynamic duo in the backcourt
Clary and Baldwin Jr. provide a unique set of guards for the Nittany Lions this upcoming season. Both are natural point guards and neither stands taller than 6’1”, which sets up an interesting pattern when both are on the court at the same time.
Although new to each other and playing together, Baldwin Jr. arrived from VCU with plenty of knowledge and experience to share with his speedy counterpart.
“I mean, definitely, with two point guards, those are questions that people are going to ask,” Clary said. “It’s like two same people, but in a way it works for us because (Baldwin Jr.) can score, I can score, and he can pass, and I can pass. I think it just helps everyone on the court to get more shots.
Rhoades pointed out that Clary and Baldwin Jr. have been great leaders on and off the field. He also said he was excited to see the bond between the two men develop over the course of the season as primary ball handlers.
List development
There may not have been a coach in college basketball who had a tougher task rebuilding a roster than Rhoades this offseason. From convincing players to stay, to bringing VCU recruits with him, to taking advantage of international recruiting, it all happened pretty quickly for his team.
“A lot of people ask me: how do you get to know everyone? And I’m like, “What do you mean?” That’s what we do,” Rhoades said. “For these guys to give me and our program and everyone everything they’ve gotten, the first thing they want to know is, ‘Coach, you got my back, you got this to me.'”
For the coaching staff, it can be a whirlwind few months to connect and build relationships with players and their families. Despite facing tight deadlines to fill out a roster while cultivating confidence, Rhoades said it starts with having a plan for everything they do.
“The first thing is to have a plan, right? Have a plan in everything we do,” he said. “So we have a plan for our day as a staff. We have a plan for our players every day. From the weight room, to the classroom, to their meals, to their tutoring, to their basketball, to their practices.
