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Penn State Basketball Is Recruiting Overseas Again This Offseason

Coach Mike Rhoades reportedly is signing two international players with extensive professional experience in Europe.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions basketball coach Mike Rhoades looks on from the bench during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State Nittany Lions basketball coach Mike Rhoades looks on from the bench during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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The Penn State men's basketball team recruited international players heavily last season, with mixed results. Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades is returning to the European basketball market again this offseason but with a different approach.

Penn State reportedly has agreed to sign two veteran European professional players while retaining Ivan Juric, who averaged 10.2 points per game as a freshman for the Nittany Lions. The signings were first reported by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, which covers professional basketball.

With that, Penn State has begun the offseason under Rhoades, who needs to produce in Year 4. The Nittany Lions went 12-20 last season, their first 20-loss season since 2013. They finished last in the Big Ten in wins (3-17) and scoring defense, with the former causing the latter.

Penn State ranked 314th nationally in scoring defense (79.3 points per game), which was the program's highest average allowed since the 1940s, according to Big Ten Network. None of the team's players made an all-Big Ten team, including first-year standout Kayden Mingo, who did not make the conference's all-freshman team.

"It was a really hard year for me," Rhoades said after Penn State's loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. "It was really hard. The world we live in now, you want to give yourself a chance. You want to give your team a chance to be successful. So it's hard. The reality, is when you're really young in Power 4 basketball, you're at a disadvantage. So we need to address that."

With eight freshmen on the roster, three of whom started against the Wildcats, Penn State had one of the nation's youngest teams. Rhoades is addressing that this offseason with two signings from Europe. Rhoades signed four international players before last season.

Roko Prkačin is a 23-year-old Croatian player who most recently played professionally in France. And Francois Wibaut is a 21-year-old player who has played for multiple French professional teams.

According to Proballers, Prkačin, a 6-9 forward, has played professionally since 2018. He spent the past two seasons playing for Nanterre in France's top pro league. Prkačin averged 6.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 17.3 minutes per game for the club last season. He averaged 9,2 points and 19 minutes during the 2024-25 season.

Wibaut, a 6-6 forward, recently turned 21 and has played the past four seasons in several French leagues. He spent the most recent season at Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez in France's Pro B league. According to Proballers, Wibaut averaged 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 19.7 minutes per game with the club team.

The signings follow Rhoades' strategy to upgrade his team's age and experience while also being players whom Penn State can afford.

"You've got to be old," Rhoades said at the Big Ten Tournament. "You've got to be old, because everybody else is. The best teams in our league and the best teams in the country are old and experienced. We've got to address some of that."

Rhoades also made a key move to retain Juric, who was the most productive of the fpirfour international players Penn State signed last season. Juric played in 30 games, starting 26, averaging 10.2 points per game. He also led the Nittany Lions in rebounds (5.3 per game) and field-goal percentage (57.7 percent).

Transfer portal updates

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V attempts a shot against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Freddie Dilione V attempts a shot against the Ohio State Buckeyes. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Three Nittany Lions have announced plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, including Freddie Dilione V, who led the team in scoring (14 ppg). Dilione played well offensive later in the season, but Rhoades looked for the guard to be more consistent defensively.

Freshman guard Melih Tunca is in the portal after one season at Penn State during which he played in 30 games, averaging 7.8 points. And freshman Mason Blackwood, who averaged 2.6 points in 26 appearance,s will enter the portal as well.

Mingo so far appears poised for a second season at Penn State. He was a game-changing recruit for Rhoades, who needs a few more. After the Big Ten Tournament, Mingo sounded eager to return.

"I'm very grateful and very blessed for the whole season," Mingo said. "I feel like God put me in a very good position with a lot of good people around me. Going into next season, I'm really looking forward to fixing things that I could do better to help the team win. Be back here and win more games. That's the most important thing, winning more games."

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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