Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
4 0 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M H ead coach Mike Rhoades remem- bers his first two months with the Penn State men's basketball pro- gram as a whirlwind. With a total of 10 players turning over from the team he in- herited last spring, the ensuing mad dash to construct a roster wasn't a matter of choice. Rather, it was a necessity. "We were down to three guys," Rhoades told reporters. "We just jumped right in. Number one was not to panic. Make sure we found guys that fit me, fit our staff, fit our program and what we were trying to do. "We didn't want to make any mistakes. We were very picky in the transfer por- tal. We got 10 players in 59 days. So yes, we were in the transfer portal pretty in- tensely." With a full year at Penn State under their belts, Rhoades and his staff did not face the same obstacle this spring. Although eight players left following Rhoades' debut season — three players exhausted their eligibility and another five transferred out — Penn State pro- cured a four-man 2024 recruiting class. Welcoming an influx of young talent that would help offset those losses, the class was ranked among the top 25 in the coun- try according to some recruiting services. Combined with a roster that returned five players with starting experience — rising super senior point guard Ace Baldwin, senior guard Nick Kern Jr., senior forward Zach Hicks, super senior wing Puff John- son and senior guard D'Marco Dunn — the core of the Nittany Lions' next team also remained intact. Accordingly, Penn State could take a focused approach to the transfer portal this spring. Over just 26 days, the Nittany Lions did exactly that. Welcoming five prospective transfers to campus for official visits, Rhoades and his staff landed verbal commitments of four of them. In the process, Penn State bolstered its depth and size for the 2024- 25 campaign while spreading out its scholarship distribution by class, to help shape its future. Here is a look at the Nittany Lions' transfer portal haul and their potential im- pact on the team this season and beyond: MEN'S BASKETBALL Growing Season The Nittany Lions expand their roster this spring with four transfers NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Forward Kachi Nzeh averaged just under 10 minutes per game as a freshman at Xavier last season and saw his playing time increase as the Musketeers' campaign went on. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS