Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 8 J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the Nittany Lions will take on Providence College in the 2025 Hall of Fame Show- case on Nov. 22. The Saturday event, part of a doubleheader also featuring Harvard and Boston University, will be played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Providence finished with a 12-20 re- cord in its second season under head coach Kim English. The Friars were 6-14 in Big East play, falling to Butler in the first round of the conference tournament. In the aftermath of the disappointing season, in which it finished No. 100 in the NCAA NET rankings, Providence hit the transfer market hard. In addition to land- ing two four-star high school prospects in a 2025 class that is listed 18th in the On3 Industry Team Ranking, Providence signed five transfers, including former Vanderbilt star Jason Edwards, the na- tion's No. 44 overall transfer and No. 11 point guard, per On3. "We're excited for the opportunity to bring our team to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut to face a strong Providence team," Rhoades said via press release. "This will be our second straight year competing in a Hall of Fame event, and we know it will be a first-class experience for our group. The game will challenge our team early in the season and allow our fans and alumni in the Northeast region the chance to see us play in a fun college basketball environment." Additionally, Penn State has learned its Big Ten single-play, double-play and home/away breakdown for the upcom- ing season. The Nittany Lions will again see seven opponents at home and seven on the road for one-off games in the ex- panded 18-team league, with three op- ponents appearing on both the home and road slates. The breakdown is as follows: Home and away: Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers Home only: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, UCLA, USC, Wiscon- sin Away only: Indiana, Maryland, Ne- braska, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Washington No arrangements have been an- nounced for potential Rec Hall or Palestra games against Big Ten opponents. ■ Talor Battle Makes A Welcome Return To Penn State Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades couldn't have known all the details of the changes in store for his pro- gram when he met with reporters to recap the 2024-25 season. But coming off a disappointing campaign in which the Nittany Lions went 6-14 in Big Ten play and missed the conference tournament, there were inevi- tably going to be significant moves, including efforts to improve the program's culture. "There's a lot of parts of the culture that I like and people like and see, but there's always stuff you're fight- ing for," Rhoades said. "I'll be the first one to say that there were times I didn't think it was where we needed it to be. Or maybe we took it for granted that we thought it was there. For me as the head coach, that's something I'm talking about, that we're addressing. "We're finding different ways to re-teach it, to hold people — not just players, but everybody in our pro- gram starting with me — more accountable, to live and push and drive that culture. I believe that your culture is what it is on the hardest of days, not on the greatest of days. Your culture shines when it's a dark day, when there's great adversity. When you're building a pro- gram, that gets challenged on the toughest days. It gets dented by tough moments." Penn State is in the midst of such a moment. On a personnel front, five seniors playing heavy minutes have departed, including Ace Baldwin Jr., Puff Johnson, Nick Kern Jr., D'Marco Dunn and Zach Hicks. Three 2024 signees have also exited, with Jahvin Carter, Miles Goodman and Hudson Ward announcing their transfers. Also, the coaching staff is chang- ing, with assistant Jimmy Martelli opting to join the staff being assembled at Virginia Commonwealth by his brother Phil Martelli Jr. On April 3, Penn State officially started the process of forming its new identity. That's when it an- nounced the hiring of Talor Battle to fill the team's coaching vacancy. Penn State's all-time leading scorer has returned to his alma mater following three seasons at Northwestern and a year at Ohio State. "We are thrilled to welcome Talor and his family back to Happy Valley," Rhoades said via press release. "One of the all-time great Nittany Lions, Talor's passion and appreciation for Penn State, this program and this community are unmatched. He knows the Big Ten in and out, and his experience as both a player and coach in this conference will be highly beneficial. I have no doubt he will serve as a great leader for our players." Rhoades and his team are right to be excited. During his playing career at PSU from 2007-11, Battle was an undersized point guard who over-delivered. He scored a program-record 2,213 points and also ranks in the top five in assists (fourth, 517), field goals (second, 722) and free throws (fourth, 452). Even in defeat, his deep, score-tying three-pointer late in Penn State's first-round matchup against Temple in the 2011 NCAA Tournament was a chill-inducing moment. And yet, the numbers aren't an adequate way to encapsulate the qualities that make Battle such a seamless fit. His attitude was just as important as his stats. Battle worked tirelessly to maximize his tal- ents and led teammates both vocally and through his actions. Few former Nittany Lions have had the same cultural impact. Battle's arrival is well-timed for a number of reasons. He will be tasked with helping develop a trio of young guards in sophomore Dominick Stewart and true freshmen Kayden Mingo and Reggie Grodin. Those players and the ones who follow will have an opportunity to absorb the lessons of a coach whom Ohio State's Jake Diebler described as "elite" at player development. Maybe equally important, Battle will serve as a proof-of-concept for the players he'll be coaching. He overcame the odds to become a great college player, and his successors at Penn State will have the op- portunity to follow his lead. — Nate Bauer Battle's 2,213 career points from 2007-11 still stand as the most in program history. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL