Penn State Poised to Hire Basketball Coach Mike Rhoades From VCU
Penn State is finalizing a deal with Virginia Commonwealth's Mike Rhoades as its next men's basketball coach, potentially bringing a Pennsylvania native back to his home state.
Multiple outlets are reporting that Rhoades, who just completed his sixth season at VCU, will replace Micah Shrewsberry, who left for Notre Dame. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported that Penn State has offered Rhoades more than $3 million per year.
Before Penn State announces any hire, the Board of Trustees must approve the contract in a public meeting. The board's Subcommittee on Compensation has scheduled three meetings this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A public session is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Rhoades has a 129-61 record at VCU, making three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT. The Rams went 27-8 this season, falling to Saint Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Rhoades signed a two-year contract extension with VCU in 2021. With bonuses, Rhoades made more than $1.8 million last season.
Penn State reportedly offered Shrewsberry more than $3.5 million and is willing to make a similar investment in its new coach. Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said in December that he planned to broaden financial resources for the basketball program.
"That infrastructure, which I think has lacked for a lot of our sports, is where I think we have to invest in now," Kraft said. "We started already doing that. So paying the coach is great, but the great coaches understand it's all the other stuff that helps you eventually win a national championship."
Rhoades, 50, is a Pennsylvania native who grew up two hours east of State College in Mahanoy City. He played at Lebanon Valley College, which he led to the 1994 NCAA Division III national championship. Rhoades was the 1995 Division III national player of the year, an Lebanon Valley retired his jersey No. 5.
Rhoades spent 10 seasons as head coach at Randolph-Macon, a Division III program in Virginia, leading the program to four NCAA Tournament appearances. He joined VCU's program in 2009 as an assistant to Shaka Smart and was part of the 2011 Final Four team.
Rhoades left VCU in 2014 to become head coach at Rice, where he went 23-12 in his third season. That success led Rhoades back to VCU, where he became head coach in 2017.
From Pennsylvania's coal region, Rhoades played at Mahanoy Area High before attending Lebanon Valley College. His father, James J. Rhoades, was a seven-term Pennsylvania state senator.
“Growing up, my dad would drive me all over eastern Pennsylvania to watch playoff games," Rhoades told the Allentown Morning Call in 2000. "Chester, Hazleton, Carlisle’s Billy Owens and Jeff Lebo — I was a big Lebo fan. When I was a kid we had tickets for all the state championship games in Hershey. I loved when teams would throw Hershey kisses onto the court when they knew they’d be going to Hershey.”
At the NCAA Tournament regional round in Albany, Rhoades discussed having a hometown crowd to watch VCU against Saint Mary's.
"The one thing about where I'm from, everybody's got each other's back," Rhoades said. "When somebody's doing well from our area, everybody celebrates it. To be able to be in the NCAA Tournament and share with all the people back home in the region of Schuylkill County, I love it."
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