{"id":160582,"date":"2025-10-01T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=160582"},"modified":"2025-09-30T20:33:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T00:33:36","slug":"penn-state-2025-26-preview-can-rhoades-keep-them-competitive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/01\/penn-state-2025-26-preview-can-rhoades-keep-them-competitive\/","title":{"rendered":"Penn State 2025-26 Preview: Can Rhoades Keep Them Competitive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Mike Rhoades era for Penn State basketball thus far has been hit or miss. The Nittany Lions haven’t reached the postseason, but they have won 16 games in each of the last two seasons. Penn State has proven to be a tough out in the Big Ten. That’s the biggest question for the Nittany Lions coming into the 2025-26 season. Ace Baldwin Jr<\/a> proved to be a very reliable point guard, but he graduated. Not to mention Yanic Konan Niederhauser<\/a>, who heard his name in the NBA Draft.<\/p>\n

Penn State basketball in 2025-26 will see plenty of new faces, and the question remains.\u00a0 Can Coach Rhoades keep the Nittany Lions competitive?<\/p>\n

Penn State 2025-26 Preview: Can Rhoades Keep Them Competitive?<\/h2>\n

Roster Make-Up<\/h3>\n

The best way to quickly address needs on your roster is the transfer portal, and Penn State did just that. The Nittany Lions’ biggest grab was Josh Reed<\/a> from Cincinnati. He may have only averaged 4.8 points per game, but he started nine of the Bearcats’ final 10 games, and even had a career-high performance of 19 points in the Big 12 Tournament against Oklahoma State. Penn State basketball found a gem from the portal in Niederhauser last year from Northern Illinois. They once again went to a smaller school to bring in size for the 2025-26 season, adding Sasa Ciani<\/a> (UIC). Ciani, who hails from Slovenia, averaged just under 10 points and was the Flames’ leading rebounder at 7.6 boards per game.<\/p>\n

Pairing those transfers with returners such as Freddie Dilione V<\/a> and Dominick Stewart<\/a> makes for a solid group of returners, as the rest of the Penn State roster is quite young. They bring in a class of eight freshmen. Three come from overseas, as that has been the big trend, especially in the Big Ten.<\/p>\n

Tibor Mirtic<\/a> (Slovenia) and Ivan Juric<\/a> (Croatia) give the Nittany Lions even more depth in the post alongside Ciani. Melih Tunca<\/a> brings a 47.5% mark from three-point land from last season, playing in his native Turkey, to Happy Valley. Mason Blackwood<\/a> comes in as a four-star prospect and finished as the No. 108th overall recruit in the country according to 247Sports<\/a>. Then there was the gem of the class, Kayden Mingo<\/a>, who is the highest-rated recruit in Penn State basketball history. Mingo certainly has a chance to come right in and start right away.<\/p>\n

Best of the Rest:<\/h4>\n

Eli Rice<\/a> (RS-Sophomore)<\/p>\n

Reggie Grodin<\/a> (Freshman)<\/p>\n

Justin Houser<\/a> (Freshman)<\/p>\n

Chris Lotito<\/a> (Freshman)<\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s all about the players.@CoachRhoades<\/a> is sitting down with @PennStateMBB<\/a> GM @CoachScottPera<\/a> on this episode of \ud835\udc0e\ud835\udc1f\ud835\udc1f \ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc11\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1d.<\/p>\n

\u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/ROAeC8AJZo<\/a>#WeAre<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2CUrQmkJIl<\/a><\/p>\n

— ROAR+ (@ROARPlusPSU) September 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n