Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M The Right Stuff With their roster lacking experience in the frontcourt, Rhoades and his staff had relied on Johnson as an extra body to spell foul-prone junior forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Sophomore Kachi Nzeh is still raw, and true freshman Miles Goodman is recovering from offseason surgery, which made Johnson all the more valuable. "He's a high-level character kid with toughness and an edge of competing, and he plays really hard. He put on 15 pounds in the offseason, and that's huge," Rhoades said earlier this season. "Small- ball five in the Big Ten — you don't think of that, right? But because he's so much stronger and he's mature, he gets it, and I'm really proud of him. "Puff is just all about the right stuff. He just plays so darn hard with the way he drives to the basket, the way he pursues loose balls, and his defense. He's a winner, and he can help these young guys under- stand [that you have to] master your role, star in your role to make the team win." Now confronting the possibility of a lengthy stretch without Johnson, a pros- pect made particularly daunting given his absence in the Nittany Lions' shellacking in Champaign, Rhoades is determined to find a solution. Demanding more of the younger players who are already manning the position, he said Penn State will need to make adjustments to its normal rota- tion. That could involve more minutes for Nzeh, while senior guard Nick Kern Jr. and senior forward Zach Hicks will also be called on to help make up the difference. "Some of the young guys have got to step up," Rhoades said. "Kachi has been playing more and more, so we'll be able to move him over to that four spot as well. And of course, Zach and Nick have played that position, too. I hate to say it like this, and it's because of how valuable Puff is to us, but everybody goes through this. "It's a next-man-up mentality. We play in different ways and with different guys, so guys are familiar with what we have to do. And guys are going to get some more minutes doing that, for sure." Senior Leadership In addition to his statistical production, Johnson has been a positive influence on the team as an on-court leader. On a ros- ter full of fiery veterans and inexperienced young players, he's been a calming pres- ence. Now that he's out of action, others will have to fill that role. "The seniors have got to step up," Rhoades said. "The seniors have got to step up and use their voices more. That's the one thing that has to change. We've got to have more talk out there. I think Ace runs the huddles, but when it's in live action, everybody needs to do their part and talk. Puff does. He is a great talker and communicator out there. That's a void that guys have got to step up and fill, for sure." Senior guard D'Marco Dunn was among the Nittany Lions determined to do just that. Coming off one of his best games in two seasons at Penn State, an 18-point, 5-rebound outburst in the loss to the Spartans, he said the team was committed to ensuring that it rises to the challenge. "It definitely hurts," Dunn said. "Puff was a real leader. His voice was always heard, but it's next man up. He dealt with injuries all year. Even last year, he was out for a little bit. "We're all trying to be good players, so we're going to have to deal with it." ■ 2024-25 Schedule Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 25 Lafayette (Exh.)* W, 79-64 Nov. 4 BINGHAMTON W, 108-66 Nov. 8 UMBC W, 103-54 Nov. 12 SAINT FRANCIS (Pa.) W, 92-62 Nov. 15 Virginia Tech** W, 86-64 Nov. 20 FORT WAYNE W, 102-89 Nov. 25 Fordham^ W, 85-66 Nov. 26 Clemson^ L, 75-67 Dec. 1 BUFFALO W, 87-64 Dec. 5 PURDUE W, 81-70 Dec. 10 at Rutgers L, 80-76 Dec. 14 COPPIN STATE W, 99-51 Dec. 21 at Drexel W, 75-64 Dec. 29 PENN W, 86-66 Jan. 2 NORTHWESTERN W, 84-80 Jan. 5 Indiana^^ L, 77-71 Jan. 8 at Illinois L, 91-52 Jan. 12 OREGON L, 82-81 Jan. 15 at Michigan State L, 90-85 Jan. 20 RUTGERS W, 80-72 Jan. 24 at Iowa 9 p.m./FS1 Jan. 27 at Michigan 6:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 30 OHIO STATE 6:30 p.m./FS1 Feb. 4 MINNESOTA 7 p.m./BTN Feb. 8 at UCLA 4 p.m./BTN Feb. 11 at USC 9 p.m./BTN Feb. 15 WASHINGTON 2 p.m./BTN Feb. 19 NEBRASKA 6:30 p.m./BTN Feb. 22 at Minnesota 2 p.m./BTN Feb. 26 at Indiana 8:30 p.m./BTN Mar. 1 MARYLAND Noon/BTN Mar. 8 at Wisconsin 1 p.m./Peacock Mar. 12-16 Big Ten Tournament# TBA * at Lebanon Valley College ** Hall of Fame Series, Baltimore ^ Sunshine Slam, Daytona Beach, Fla. ^^ at the Palestra, Philadelphia # at Indianapolis Johnson has been one of Penn State's on-court leaders since arriving in State College last season after starting his career at North Carolina. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "It's a next-man-up mentality. We play in different ways and with different guys, so guys are familiar with what we have to do. And guys are going to get some more minutes doing that, for sure." C O A C H M I K E R H O A D E S O N J O H N S O N ' S I N J U R Y