Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
4 6 N O V E M B E R 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 T he second season of Mike Rhoades' tenure at Penn State ended on a high note. The Nittany Lions soundly beat Wisconsin in Madison last March to finish above .500 in an otherwise chal- lenging, at times disappointing, cam- paign. Five seniors saw their college playing careers end with that victory over the Badgers, and another four players chose to enter the transfer portal. Later, standout center Yanic Konan Niederhauser opted to continue on with the NBA Draft pro- cess, ultimately landing as the final pick of the first round in June. All told, Penn State retained only three players from last year's roster, welcoming back a trio of guards — redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V, redshirt sophomore Eli Rice and sophomore Dominick Stewart. Rhoades and his staff rebuilt the roster through traditional recruiting, transfer acquisitions, and also by turning to over- seas professional leagues to bolster a new look for Year 3. The Lions added guard Melih Tunca from Turkey and forward Tibor Mirtič from Slovenia. With preseason practices well under- way and exhibition games set for Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, BWI checked in with Rhoades to learn more about the Nittany Lions on the eve of their 2025-26 campaign. BWI: What have your initial impres- sions been of Melih Tunca? MIKE RHOADES: He's a talented 6-5 combo guard. Really has a great feel. You could tell he's played with older guys his whole life. He has a really good feel, knows how to play. It's just the adjustment of be- ing in the United States, the adjustment of college, the adjustment of playing a different style of basketball than what he did growing up. There's going to be an adjustment for a freshman at any level, and an adjustment for him in lots of areas of his life. But man, the kid loves to be in the gym. He can really play. Good shooter, good passer, just a good basketball player. BWI: Is it a wildly different style of basketball from Europe to here? RHOADES: I think the communica- tion part and the terminology and lingo are very different. He has very good English, but what we call a "screen the screener" may be called a little different, or the way you talk about the game is a lit- tle different. There's a little bit of a learn- MEN'S BASKETBALL Learning To Fly Coach Mike Rhoades is excited about the potential of his youthful team NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Rhoades has guided the Nittany Lions to a 32-32 record in his first two seasons with the program, including a 16-15 mark last year. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS