Blue White Illustrated

November 2025

Penn State Sports Magazine

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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State head coach Mike Rhoades is clear-eyed about the challenges ahead. Set for his third season with the program, he has a virtually brand-new team. And he isn't sweating it. Gone are the five core upperclassmen from his first two seasons, including Vir- ginia Commonwealth carryovers Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern Jr. Gone, too, is last year's breakout star, center Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who became Penn State's first-ever first-round NBA Draft selection. Combined with transfers out, transfers in, two marquee international additions, and a six-player recruiting class, the Nit- tany Lions' 13-man roster for the 2025–26 season includes only three members who spent last year in the program. "We are the youngest team in the Big Ten," Rhoades acknowledged. But while that surely means some pa- tience will be required, the coach is excited about the team's long-term potential. "I like our group," he said. "We have a very high-character team. We have some really good pieces. "We're just going to be really young and inexperienced. And when you're young and inexperienced, you're not as consis- tent as you want to be. We have to have a mentality of being spoilers every night, even in the nonconference, being hunters and building the program from within." That process is now underway, and at the foundation of Rhoades' efforts is the best recruiting class in program history. Point guard Kayden Mingo is the cen- terpiece — the nation's No. 34 overall prospect, per the Rivals Industry Rank- ing — joined by three-star forward Mason Blackwood. Along with 7-foot forwards Justin Houser and Ivan Jurić, plus late- addition guards Reggie Grodin and Chris Lotito, the high school-to-college crop of newcomers is robust. That collegiate inexperience extends to two more key additions with bigger résumés. Combo guard Melih Tunca (Is- tanbul, Turkey) and forward Tibor Mirtič (Slovenia) arrived this summer, giving Penn State eight true freshmen. The roster is rounded out by two tra- ditional transfer portal pickups — senior forward Josh Reed (Cincinnati) and ju- nior big man Saša Ciani (Illinois Chi- cago) — and three returning players from last season: redshirt junior guard Fred- die Dilione V, redshirt sophomore wing Eli Rice and sophomore guard Dominick Stewart. Determined to maximize team-build- ing time through a nonconference slate that begins with Fairfield on Nov. 3, Rhoades said he's ready for what's ahead. "If we really improve from now until Christmas … we can create some depth that could impact our team and impact winning," he said. Backcourt The unknown is what's so tantaliz- ing about Penn State's backcourt as the 2025–26 season approaches. And in Mingo and Tunca, the possibilities have Rhoades and his staff excited — with the requisite caveats. Tunca must adjust to playing a dif- New-Look Nittany Lions Eager To Showcase Potential NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Three-star forward Mason Blackwood is part of the highest-rated recruiting class in Penn State history, a 2025 group that placed 31st in the Rivals Industry Team Rankings. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS

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