Penn State basketball: Mike Rhoades seeks ‘I got it’ approach from senior class
Penn State men’s basketball head coach Mike Rhoades has ample reason for optimism ahead of his second season with the program. Set to begin eight weeks of summer workouts on June 16, the Nittany Lions will begin the work of building a new team.
That group will include five core returning players featuring the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Ace Baldwin, plus all-conference honorable mention selections Nick Kern and Zach Hicks coming out of a 16-17 overall campaign with a 9-11 mark against Big Ten competition. And, it’ll include a four-man Class of 2024 and four transfer portal additions.
But, he’s also not letting the program get ahead of itself.
Pleased by the retention of many of the key pieces of the program’s success last season, as well as the newcomers to the program, taking steps forward isn’t a guarantee, he suggested. Instead, needing to return to work with the same sense of purpose that helped establish the program’s foundation under his watch last year, the coming weeks and months will be critical.
And, he’s counting on his veteran performers to lead that process.
“We have like 60-some percent of our scoring back. That’s a great thing if they take the next step. If they do that, and more,” said Rhoades. “Returning players should always do more. But on top of that, are they going to set the example as leaders, on and off the court?
“Are they going to bring these new guys in, freshmen and transfers, and make them understand the standard that I want every day? That this is how we do things? And are they going to build relationships with their teammates that go beyond basketball? That’s the role of returning players. If that happens, then good things could happen.”
Penn State needs strong senior class
At the forefront of that effort, Rhoades continued, Baldwin will be called upon to act as an extension of the Penn State coaching staff.
A point guard who played all 33 games last season, starting 31 while averaging 14.2 points, 6.0 assists, and a Big Ten-leading 2.7 steals per game, Baldwin announced his return to the Nittany Lions for a fifth and final season of eligibility last month.
He can’t be alone in that endeavor, though, Rhoades said. Similarly needing to rely upon a class-wide characteristic from the likes of Kern, Hicks, Puff Johnson, and D’Marco Dunn, the head coach outlined what he would like to see from the program’s veterans.
“When you’re a senior, you got to become an ‘I got it’ guy. When the coach says, We got to work on this, “I got it, Coach.” We got to help this guy. ‘I got it, Coach,’ and the coach doesn’t have to talk a second about it again,” said Rhoades. “Not every senior wants that, but if we get a group of seniors that want that responsibility, and lead by example and then lead by pulling these guys along, that’s when you have special things happen.
“I’ve had some teams like that, where the seniors become ‘I got it’ guys. ‘I got it, Coach. I got this guy,’ and we all are rowing in the same direction, we all have two feet in the boat. That’s what happens.”
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