Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
3 8 N O V 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 tenor at the start of Penn State's preseason basketball camp was unmistakable. At a practice that was open to reporters dur- ing the last week of September, head coach Mike Rhoades practically barked as he demanded physicality and tough- ness from his team. Set to embark on his fourth season guiding the Nittany Lions, he wouldn't tolerate the alternative. After a 3-17 Big Ten campaign in which Penn State finished 12-20 overall, the team's identity needed to change. Rhoades intends to deliver that change this season through a comprehensive roster overhaul and a daily insistence on tougher play. "I thought in my 30 years [of coach- ing], it was the weakest, softest team we've coached," Rhoades said, looking back on last year's performance. "That ain't happening anymore. It's all about physicality, playing through physicality, and being big, strong and tough." To that end, Rhoades and his staff re- built a roster that last season included eight freshmen, two sophomores, two juniors and one senior by listed eligibil- ity class. That senior, 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward Josh Reed, continues to face uncertainty as he attempts to return this season. Reed celebrated Senior Day last March after one season with the Nit- tany Lions and three at Cincinnati. Penn State announced his return Aug. 6 after an Ohio state trial court granted a pre- liminary injunction in July to athletes seeking a fifth season under the NCAA's new eligibility model. The Ohio injunction was later stayed pending appeal. On Oct. 2, Ohio's First District Court of Appeals reversed it and sent the case back to the trial court. Reed is among 24 plaintiffs named in that decision. A separate federal in- MEN'S BASKETBALL GETTING TOUGH Mike Rhoades wants Penn State to play with a physical edge it lacked last season NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Sophomore Ivan Juric returns to anchor Penn State's frontcourt after averaging 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds as a fresh- man. The 7-footer shot a team-best 57.7 percent from the field. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS