Mike Rhoades Makes Changes to Penn State's Basketball Staff, Too

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades is remaking more than his roster this offseason. He faced changes with his coaching staff as well.

Rhoades promoted assistant coach Brent Scott to associate head coach this offseason and hired veteran Big Ten assistant Dwayne Stephens to his staff. Penn State lost two assistant coaches after last season, when they went 12-20 and finished last in the Big Ten. Former associate head coach Jamal Brunt left for Syracuse, and assistant coach Joe Crispin became the head coach at Air Force.

Scott becomes Rhoades' associate head coach in his fourth season at Penn State. He has worked with Rhoades for 10 years on his staffs at Rice and VCU. Prior to that, Scott was an assistant at TCU and LCU.

Rhoades called the decision to promote Scott a "no-brainer." Scott was instrumental in developing Yanic Konan-Niederhauser from a portal signee to first-round NBA Draft pick in one season. Konan-Niederhauser became the first Penn State men's basketball player to be selected in the first round in the modern draft era.

Scott played professionally in Europe for 14 seasons, building scouting relationships that have helped Penn State become a player in the international recruiting scene. According to a Penn State release, Scott "brings a unique global perspective to roster building and player evaluation while leveraging decades of relationships across the basketball landscape."

You got it, dude. 🤝 Introducing our 2026-27 coaching staff!#WeAre | https://t.co/KzO7a2wfTf pic.twitter.com/ebHoP2MmXT
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) June 8, 2026

Stephens joined Rhoades' staff after spending the past four seasons as the head coach at Western Michigan. Before that, Stephens was an assistant for 19 years with Tom Izzo at Michigan State.

“That's a flagship program that he was at for a long time, was a part of the teams that went to the pinnacle of college basketball,” Rhoades said of hiring Stephens. “I think that's a valuable resource for us.”

Penn State retained assistants Talor Battle and Clay Conner. Battle, Penn State's career-leading scorer, returned to his alma mater in 2025 after spending the previous three seasons at Northwestern. Battle began his college coaching career in 2020, when he was hired by former Penn State coach Pat Chambers.

Penn State also announced a new chief of staff in Patrick Dorney, who was the director of operations for the past three seasons. Sam Little, who worked on Stephens' staff at Western Michigan, moved to Penn State as the video coordinator/player development.

The Nittany Lions have undergone another offseason of dramatic change before Rhoades' fourth year as head coach. The program lost nine players to the NCAA Transfer Portal and return just three players from last season.

Rhoades said that the roster change made Penn State older and more experienced, something the head coach wanted to change after roster eight freshmen last season.

“We'll have Big Ten size, and we'll be long and athletic throughout the roster,” Rhoades said at the recent Coaches Vs. Cancer Penn State golf tournament in State College. “I like our skill level. Now, we’ve got to put it together on the court come November, but I do like the pieces we have.”

Penn State currently has 11 players on its signed roster, with two committed players from Europe who are unsigned. Becuase the NCAA is considering stricter eligibility restrictions on international professional players, Penn State awaits the signing of those two players.

Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades looks toward the bench against the Ohio State Buckeyes. — Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades looks toward the bench during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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