Penn State Basketball Preseason Practice Notes and Observations

The Penn State men’s basketball team returned to the hardwood on Friday afternoon, welcoming in members of the media to watch the team’s third practice of the year.

The nearly-two-and-a-half-hour viewing window provided a lengthy glimpse into how the team is coming along with a heavy influx of transfers and international players.

“This group so far, all summer, all fall, they’ve been a blast to be around and a blast to coach,” head coach Mike Rhoades said after the game. “We have a little bit of everything … we have some good bones right now, but it’s early and there’s not much adversity yet.”

Absent from the squad was Serbian freshman forward Aleksandar Zečević, who’s out with a sprained ankle, according to Rhoades. But among those participating was fifth-year forward Josh Reed, who’s currently battling for eligibility to play this season despite being listed on the team’s roster.

“You guys are on Twitter and Instagram more than me, you probably know more than me about it … there’s a process to this, you gotta just honor the process,” Rhoades said.

Reed was one of the standout players during the session, draining five consecutive 3-pointers at one point to save the team from running sprints. But despite the heroics of Reed and others throughout the afternoon, the team still did a lot of running, including after bad passes, turnovers or other miscues.

Additionally, individual players were frequently punished with pushing tires up and down the court under the watchful eye of strength coach Tyler Janota.

“We’ve got to hold our guys accountable, and when they’re not at our standard, and there’s an action that doesn’t stay at our standard, you got to pay the price,” Rhoades said. “Today, paying the price is moving the tires.”

Harping on that theme, Rhoades insisted his players stop falling to the ground after contact. While some coaches may directly or indirectly encourage flopping as a way to bait fouls, Rhoades stopped drills multiple times to tell his squad not to hit the deck, and if they did, they had “one second” to get back up.

After the first two warnings, paired with sprints, the message sunk in.

Along with Reed, sophomore forward Ivan Jurić and Davidson transfer guard Roberts Blums had strong days, though Blums briefly went to the sideline after getting banged up before quickly returning to play.

“Last year, being so young and weak, I thought in my 30 years it was the weakest, softest team we’ve coached,” Rhoades said. “That ain’t happening any more. It’s all about physicality, being big, strong and tough.”

There was an emphasis on defensive effort, and the team spent much of practice working out its zone defense and practicing communication and switches. Rhoades and assistant coaches Taylor Battle and Clay Conner harped on keeping hands up and moving to deflect shots and passing lanes, even though it may look goofy.

“You guys wanna be cool? You know what’s really cool? F—ing winning,” Rhoades said.

There were frequent stoppages during three-on-three and five-on-five action where Rhoades called out individuals or made them redo drills. But after each berating, he made his way over to the individual player to speak quietly and build them back up.

“None of that stuff freaks anybody out,” Rhoades said. “I think the group we have wants to be really coached.”

Another standout was Filipino guard Andy Gemao who, despite being the shortest player on the team, made up for it with effort. He was consistently the first one across the line during sprints, and while he spent plenty of time with the tire after some errant passes, he was quick to push it down and back every time.

Gemao also had one of the highlights of the day when he stuffed Jurić, the tallest player on the team at 7 feet, during a one-on-one drill.

While the coaching emphasis seemed to be more about defensive alignment, there were some offensive flashes as well, with Jurić and fellow big man Tim Oboh throwing down some dunks. On the perimeter, Blums and Alabama-Huntsville transfer Thomas Allard looked sharp.

“It’s the best shooting team I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Rhoades said. “It’s probably the best shooting team I’ve had since I was at Rice. These guys can really shoot, they really share the ball, which has allowed guys to get more shots.”

Watching it all from the sideline was legendary Penn State women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose, who was responsible for seven NCAA championships and countless other honors during his tenure. Rhoades said the winningest coach in Division I volleyball history has been an asset to him.

“I just sit with him and talk to him about life, about coaching, about teaching, about leadership, about kids, it’s great,” Rhoades said.