'That Ain't Happening Anymore:' Penn State's Mike Rhoades Seeks Major Basketball Change

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades ran a physical practice last Friday, as the Nittany Lions prepare for their season-opener Nov. 2 against Canisius. After a 12-20 year with one of the youngest teams in college basketball, Rhoades is working to avoid those struggles again.

“I thought in my 30 years, [last season’s team] was the weakest, softest team we've coached,” Rhoades said inside the practice gym at the Bryce Jordan Center. “That ain't happening anymore, so it's all about physicality, playing through physicality, and being big, strong and tough.”

Penn State’s practice reflected that. Players who didn’t execute a rep well enough had to push a tire halfway down the court and back. Rhoades told his players they have “one second to get up at Penn State” if they fall to the floor during a play.

Rhoades was animated and unafraid to call out his players when they weren’t executing well enough. He told them, “You know what’s really cool? F—cking winning,” after they made mistakes in 3-on-3 reps against graduate assistants. Rhoades called his players “very coachable” as Friday’s practice offered significant insight into the Nittany Lions.

“The best part of my job is being in the gym and having fun,” Rhoades said. “I'm always like this. It's been cool with these guys because there's a lot of teaching, because we got all these new guys, but that's why you get into it.”

The latest on Josh Reed

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball player Josh Reed participates in practice at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI

Forward Josh Reed was present at practice despite not being eligible to play a fifth season as his lawsuit in Ohio remains ongoing. Earlier this summer, Reed received an injunction against the NCAA allowing him to play, but the NCAA appealed and was granted a stay.

This means that Reed has to wait for the legal process to play out before he can be eligible. The Ohio Supreme Court denied the players’ motion to vacate the stay this week, according to Ohio-based basketball reporter Paul Fritschner.

The parties went before the Ohio Court of Appeals last week, and a decision is pending. Rhoades said he had no further update on Reed’s status.

“You probably know more than me about it,” Rhoades said. “I'm just talking to people that have their hands in it, and his people, and all that stuff. There's a process to all this. You got to just honor the process. And one thing I'll say is, the timeline is never on our time. All we can control is how we approach today, and that's for Josh right now. We'll just go from there.”

At practice, Reed looked like one of the best players in the gym. He has a mature presence and consistently knocked down 3-pointers. That’s what he showed at the end of last season, making his eligibility crucial for Penn State this year.

Rhoades thinks highly of Penn State’s 3-point shooting

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball player Roberts Blums guards Thomas Allard during practice at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI

Penn State’s 3-point shooting was a little off to start practice. Rhoades attributed that to the media being inside the gym, saying “they were a little excited early on.” The 3-point shooting seemed to improve as practice went on, and Rhoades followed that with a noteworthy comment.

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

During Rhoades’ last season at Rice, the Owls shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range. For reference, the best 3-point shooting season Penn State has had under Rhoades was in 2024-25, when the Nittany Lions shot 34.3 percent.

Davidson transfer Roberts Blums was impressive during practice and looks to be a main reason Rhoades thinks so highly of his team’s 3-point shooting. Blums went on a hot streak during 5-on-5 drills, making shots at a high clip. Rhoades called him a “daredevil in a good way.”

"The dude wants to win everything, and I love guys like that,” Rhoades said. “Sometimes I got to pull him back, but you'd rather pull the dog back than try to get him on. He's been a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed coaching him."

First look at new international players

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team gathers for a moment during practice at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI

Penn State has four new players on the roster who arrived in State College from outside of the United States: Croatian forward Roko Prkačin, French wing François Wibaut, Filipino guard Andy Gemao and Serbian forward Aleksandar Zečević.

Prkačin is listed at 6-8 and can play at small forward or power forward. He showed that versatility at practice and used his length to make plays in the paint.

“He's a really good teammate, but he can make plays,” Rhoades said. “He really can move, as you guys saw. He can bring the ball up the court at times and is a great connector. I want him to be even more aggressive making plays, but great connector and dudes in the gym all the time, which is really neat.”

Wibaut didn’t seem to have his best practice with the media watching. At one point, Rhoades even told him to “quit turning the ball over” after he committed what Rhoades believed was his ninth turnover of the day.

But Rhoades praised Wibaut, saying he’s a “hard-rocking wing” who can “really guard” the ball.

“I think he's pretty good in transition, and then just he's played every level,” Rhoades said. “He's played with older guys and older players, so he just has a really good feel for how to play the game.”

Meanwhile, Gemao didn’t necessarily look like a freshman. He had one standout defensive rep during which he stole the ball from center Ivan Jurić. Rhoades said Gemao could take other players’ minutes this season.

“He's better than I thought at this stage,” Rhoades said. “Andy's battling, and he's playing against two senior point guards [Dasonte Bowen and Jay Rodgers]. They could be his uncles. It's been cool, and he doesn't back down.”

Zečević was present but didn’t practice because of a sprained ankle, Rhoades said. Rhoades expects him to be back early next week. Other than Zečević, Penn State was fully available for Friday’s practice.

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