Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
4 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he lone senior on Penn State's ros- ter last season, Josh Reed received the traditional sendoff during the Nittany Lions' final home game in March. Turns out, it was not his last. Reed was among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in Ohio in late July seeking an additional year of eligibility under the NCAA's new "five-for-five" model. On July 10, a judge granted a preliminary injunction for a group of 15 players, in- cluding Reed, opening the door for him to play this season. He plans on taking advantage of that opportunity to return to the Nittany Lions for the 2026-27 season. While declining to address Reed's status earlier this summer, Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades reiterated his affinity for the veteran forward. "Everybody knows how much I love Josh Reed. He had a great year for us. His best year in college basketball is at Penn State," Rhoades said. "He also got his MBA. He's an impressive young man. He's a great example of what we want our guys to be." Reed's return comes alongside the anticipated arrival of forwards François Wibaut and Roko Prkačin. Though nei- ther of the two international players had been formally added to the roster as of early August, they would, in combina- tion with Reed, significantly reshape the outlook for a team that looked far less complete earlier this summer. Despite Rhoades' open acknowledg- ment of Penn State's financial challenges within the Big Ten, those limitations haven't prevented him from reimagining this year's team. Through their offsea- son additions, the Lions addressed what they considered some of their biggest weaknesses in the 2025-26 campaign. "Last year, we went with a really young team. We went with a lot of freshmen. Everybody in the league got bigger and older and deeper with older guys, and we just couldn't do that," Rhoades said. "We were trying to get some older guys, guys with experience, and find a way to get them here. And I think we did a good job of that with what we have." The lesson, Rhoades continued, was obvious. "I never want to be the youngest team in Power Four basketball ever again," he said. With Reed, Wibaut and Prkačin, Rhoades and the Nittany Lions would take another step toward addressing that commitment. To date, Reed has played in 129 games during his college career, includ- ing three seasons at Cincinnati and 32 games with the Nittany Lions. Over that stretch, his minutes and production in- creased each year, topping out at 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game last season. Likely joining a group that also in- cludes four players with at least three previous seasons of college experi- ence, plus the 23-year-old Prkačin and 21-year-old Wibaut, Reed boasts a ré- sumé that fits the identity Rhoades has worked to build this offseason. "We've got to be highly skilled and re- ally tough," the fourth-year PSU coach said. "We're going to be different. We're going to play differently than I've done in the past." Much of that transformation begins MEN'S BASKETBALL A More Experienced PSU Roster Takes Shape This Summer NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Forward Josh Reed seemingly played his last game at the Bryce Jordan Center when Penn State fell to Ohio State on March 4, but legal challenges to the NCAA's new eligibility rules have given him an opportunity to extend his career with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS