Penn State Men’s Basketball Names 4 Team Captains

Penn State men’s basketball on Tuesday announced a quartet of team captains for the 2025-26 season.

The Nittany Lions will be led by junior forward Saša Ciani, freshman guard Kayden Mingo, senior forward Josh Reed and redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice.

Ciani, who spent his freshman year at Xavier and sophomore year at the University of Illinois Chicago, transferred to Penn State during the offseason and is expected to start this season. He stands at 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, giving the Nittany Lions size in the front court.

Mingo, Penn State’s highest ranked recruit ever, is expected to make an immediate impact after arriving as a four-star recruit and the No. 4 combo guard in his class.

Reed spent his first three seasons at Cincinnati, appearing in 97 games and elevating to a starting role toward the end of last season. He’s also expected to start for the Nittany Lions and provide size at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds.

Rice is the only returner of the three, playing in one game last season before a long-term injury forced him to redshirt. Prior to that, he spent his freshman season at Nebraska and averaged 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in a rotational role.

The four will take the court for the first time on Nov. 3 against Fairfield at the Bryce Jordan Center.