Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
4 0 N O V E M B E R 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 entered the offseason recognizing key reali- ties from his debut season at Penn State. Having led the Nittany Lions to a 16-17 overall record and a 9-11 mark in Big Ten play, Rhoades and his staff knew they needed to focus on crafting a roster that could handle the rigors they had seen in the previous 33 games. That meant retaining five core veter- ans with extensive playing experience, both at Penn State and in their stops prior to joining the program in the 2023 offseason. The staff got what it wanted. First, graduate point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. decided to return for a fifth and fi- nal season of college ball, and the team also welcomed back super senior forward Puff Johnson, senior guards Nick Kern Jr. and D'Marco Dunn, and senior forward Zach Hicks. "We need those five seniors to lead the way, and they have," Rhoades said at Big Ten Media Days in early October. "They've had great summers, great falls." Ahead of their Nov. 4 opener against Binghamton at the Bryce Jordan Center, the Nittany Lions are working to comple- ment those players. They've brought in four transfers: sophomore forward Kachi Nzeh, junor forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser, sophomore guard Eli Rice and redshirt sophomore guard Freddie Dilione V. They've also welcomed a four-man fresh- man class featuring guards Jahvin Carter and Dominick Stewart, and forwards Miles Goodman and Hudson Ward. The Nittany Lions have been buzzing about what the additions have meant to their outlook this season. Specifically, Rhoades indicated that the collective impact of the transfers has been notable. "Yanic Niederhauser is our big guy. We're really excited about him. He's go- ing to impact us. Eli Rice, the transfer from Nebraska, he's going to impact our program, and Freddie Dilione, from Ten- nessee, is a guy I recruited really hard in the past," Rhoades said. "We're bigger, we're faster, we've got more shooting. We could play our style that we want to play [for longer stretches] because we're going to be deeper." Determined to maximize those strides this preseason by continuing to build a "culture of work," Rhoades said he ex- pects the Nittany Lions to be more com- fortable on the court this season. That includes playing more freely on the of- fensive end and adding to the defensive reputation established in Year 1. "We recruited more ball handlers, more shooting, more size to compete and do what we need to do. But we've got to play more free. We've got to let our hair down and go," Rhoades said. "We're always go- ing to guard and play really hard on de- fense to try to steal the ball [and create] great offense. But I just think our offense, with more depth, is going to get better this year. "It's all about getting better. We've got to get the program better in all facets RAISING THE BAR A mix of returning leaders and talented newcomers will look to elevate Penn State in 2024-25 NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Ace Baldwin Jr. played 35.9 minutes per game in his first season with the Nittany Lions, the most of any player in the Big Ten. He considered turning pro this past summer but opted to return for one last season of college basketball. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS