Penn State Director of Recruiting for hoops vacancy opens
Penn State men’s basketball head coach Mike Rhoades formally introduced the first piece of his coaching staff turnover on Thursday with the announcement of all-time scoring leader Talor Battle as the Nittany Lions’ newest assistant. Replacing Jimmy Martelli on the bench following his departure to VCU earlier this week, on Thursday evening, a new vacancy was created.
Brandon Rozzell, the Penn State Director of Recruiting for Men’s Basketball, was announced alongside Martelli on the new VCU staff in Richmond. It will be his first on-court coaching job following a decorated college career playing for the Rams, followed by a professional playing career overseas before beginning a career as a college staffer. Both coaches will join the newly created staff of Phil Martelli Jr.
In his absence, the Nittany Lions and Rhoades will have a second personnel hire to make this cycle.
What’s the impact?
With the exits of Jahvin Carter, Hudson Ward, and Miles Goodman from the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2024, Penn State now has five open scholarships to fill . That number assumes the retention of walk-on Joe Sedora. Out are the three freshmen, plus five seniors including Ace Baldwin, Nick Kern, D’Marco Dunn, Zach Hicks, and Puff Johnson. In are three true freshmen from the Class of 2025 including Kayden Mingo, Mason Blackwood, and Justin Hauser.
And importantly in relation to Rozzell and his connections to basketball overseas, the Nittany Lions are actively scouring that market for potential additions to the roster this offseason.
“We’re recruiting all over the world. I think the landscape of college athletics and college athletic recruiting, you have to be open to everything. High school kids, the portal, and of course international. And we’ve recruited international before,” Rhoades told reporters last month. “I have guys on our staff that have done it and have made those many trips all over the world to do that. I think that’s very important to us.
“You’ve seen it around college basketball the last two years, especially this past year and in our league, and let’s be open to that. It’s helped us places that I’ve been with international. Now more than ever, I think because of what you can offer young people that are playing over there to come over here and get an education and play college basketball and be taken care of, that’s something that is appealing to a lot of international kids now.”
Where things stand for Penn State (8 of 13 scholarships projected filled)
Guards Freddie Dilione, Dominick Stewart, Kayden Mingo
Wings Eli Rice, Mason Blackwood
Bigs Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Kachi Nzeh, Justin Hauser
Penn State scholarship breakdown by class
Fifth year (0):
Fourth year (1): Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Third year (3): Freddie Dilione, Eli Rice, Kachi Nzeh
Second year (1): Dominick Stewart
First year (3): Justin Hauser, Mason Blackwood, Kayden Mingo
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