Mike Rhoades Evaluates the 2026-27 Penn State Men’s Basketball Team

The Penn State men’s basketball roster is once again full of fresh faces following an offseason of heavy turnover, with only three returning players from last year’s squad. And maybe that’s a good thing coming off a 12-20 campaign which featured an abysmal 3-17 record in conference play. 

Head coach Mike Rhoades expressed optimism about this year’s group, which has made major strides over the course of the offseason.

“We’re putting this team together and trying to get better every day,” Rhoades said. “The big thing in the preseason here is just stacking days of the type of basketball we want to play and the way we want to approach it. So I’ve been really proud of our guys and their approach and effort. Very coachable team. We got a ways to go, but I’m optimistic and excited about the way they’ve approached it all.”

Among the returners is sophomore center Ivan Jurić, who was arguably the team’s most efficient scorer and led Penn State in rebounds a season ago.

He’s joined by fifth-year forward Josh Reed, who had a lengthy battle for eligibility over the offseason but ranked third on the team in points per game last year. Also back is guard Reggie Grodin who redshirted last year and didn’t see any action.

“All three of those guys are great teammates,” Rhoades said. “Before you get to leadership, our number one rule of leadership and teammates is take care of your own stuff. Those guys do that at a high level. All three of them are good students, they’re on time, they’re ready to go, they’re ready to work, they’re coachable.”

One of the key additions for the Nittany Lions was Pennsylvania native Brant Byers, who grew up attending games with his family as fans of the team. Through mutual connections, Rhoades reached out to the Miami (Ohio) transfer to inquire about a potential homecoming.

“When he went in the portal, just knowing some people that he knows and so forth, and building that relationship with him and his family, and getting him on the campus right away,” Rhoades said. “We love to be able to recruit our state as best we can even if they come back.”

This year’s roster is noticeably older, with just three freshmen out of 14 players compared to eight out of 13 last winter. That includes multiple fifth-years like Reed and transfer guards Dasonte Bowen and Thomas Allard.

Rhoades said that seniority makes them more coachable and less emotional than last year’s squad, which he previously called the softest he’d ever coached. 

“They’re keeping the main thing, the main thing,” Rhoades said. “As I like to say, the wires don’t go haywire. When you’re a little bit younger and inexperienced, you get a little more emotional. We have some older guys that have been through it before, and playing for other coaches as well … we have a group of guys that I think are mature on and off the court, just the way they’re handling their business. So our guys, I think we have a high character group.”

The new approach to bringing in veteran talent sounds good on paper, but until tipoff against Canisius on Monday, it’s all just speculation. After tying for his worst record in 22 seasons as a head coach, Rhoades is eager to reenter the win column and make some noise within the Big Ten.

“Winning. Like let’s go out and win,” Rhoades said. “I talk about the coach speak, the process and getting better. I truly believe that. I love being in the gym with these guys. I want them to understand that if you put the work in, you be a great teammate, you’re about the right stuff, you give yourself a chance to be successful. You stack days like that. That gives you an opportunity to go out and get results.”