Penn State Sports Magazine
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M junction in Colorado that would have granted relief to a broader group of ath- letes was also stayed in August. With his eligibility unresolved, Reed remains in limbo. "There's a process to all this. You've got to just honor the process," Rhoades said. "The timeline is never on our time. All we can control is how we approach today. That's true for Josh right now, and we'll just go from there." The eventual decision on Reed's eligi- bility will have major ramifications for Penn State's outlook. He continues to practice with the team while awaiting a resolution, but he is not the only veteran on a vastly more experienced roster. After losing promising young point guard Kayden Mingo to the transfer por- tal, the Nittany Lions added graduate student Dasonte Bowen from St. Bo- naventure and senior Jay Rodgers from Central Connecticut State to bolster the backcourt, with Thomas Allard provid- ing depth from Alabama-Huntsville. Wings Brant Byers and Roberts Blums arrived from Miami (Ohio) and Davidson, respectively, both with junior eligibility. And 6-11 forward Tim Oboh joined the team after two seasons at Buffalo to help Ivan Jurić in the frontcourt. In addition to freshmen Aleksandar Zečević, a forward from Serbia, and Andy Gemao, a guard from the Philip- pines, the Nittany Lions have two in- ternational newcomers of particular significance. Roko Prkačin begins his college career after playing profession- ally overseas since 2018, most recently spending two seasons with Nanterre 92 of France's top division. François Wibaut, a 21-year-old French forward, also has professional and youth national team experience, most recently playing for Pau-Lacq-Orthez in France's Elite 2 league. Penn State had not yet listed an eligibility class for either player as of early October. The coaching staff also evolved this offseason. Dwayne Stephens, brother of former Penn State basketball stand- out Jarrett Stephens and a top assistant to Tom Izzo for nearly two decades at Michigan State, was brought in to re- place Jamal Brunt in May. Stephens joins Brent Scott, Talor Battle and Clay Conner on a staff that is working to establish an identity that makes the most of the talent and character of Penn State's newcomers. Rhoades said the early returns have been encouraging. "This group so far, all summer, all fall, they've been a blast to be around and a blast to coach," he said. "We have a little bit of everything. We've got some young guys, we've got some older guys, got some skilled guys. We've got some big athletic guys, and we have good charac- ter, good bones right now. "I think the group we have wants to be really coached. Nobody has the answers. It's been enjoyable. They've been very, very coachable, high character. When there's a lot of adversity 40 days in, 60 days in … it could be a different answer. But, I like where we're at." Backcourt Rhoades values experience, and he has it this season. A senior, Rodgers arrived at Penn State after spending four seasons at Central Connecticut State, where injuries cost him most of his sophomore season and all of his junior year. Last season, he av- eraged 11.0 points and 6.9 assists and earned second-team All-Northeast Conference honors. Bowen, meanwhile, was a late addition to the roster, an- nouncing his decision to transfer from St. Bonaventure in June for his fifth year in college. With the Bonnies last year, he averaged 10.9 points, 4.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds as one of the Atlantic 10's most productive guards. Unproven in the Big Ten, though, Rod- gers and Bowen will be called upon to lead against elevated competition this season while surrounded by capable scorers and defenders. After Penn State averaged 73.7 points per game last season, Rhoades is deter- mined to improve the offense, particularly from beyond the arc. The Nittany Lions made just 6.9 three-pointers per game on 21.3 attempts, shooting 32.4 percent from deep. Newcomers Blums, Byers and Allard give him reason to expect improvement, as would Reed's return if he is cleared to play. Rhoades credits unselfish guard play and better shooting on the wings for the improvement he has seen in practice. He was unequivocal about the early results. "It's the best shooting team I've had since I've been here. It's probably the best shooting team I've had since I was at Rice [as head coach from 2014-17]. These guys can really shoot," he said. "They really share the ball, which has allowed guys to get more shots. We have some guys that can make shots, multiple guys. "If you have multiple guys out here to shoot, you can't just stand in the lane on 2026-27 Schedule Date Opponent Time/TV Oct. 17 St. Bonaventure (Exh.)* TBA Oct. 26 at Drexel (Exh.) TBA Nov. 2 CANISIUS 7:30 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 5 CHATTANOOGA 6 p.m./BTN Nov. 8 Pitt** 8 p.m./ESPN2 Nov. 12 MERCYHURST 6:30 p.m./B1G+ Nov. 15 NEW HAVEN 4:30 p.m./Peacock Nov. 18 IU INDY 6:30 p.m./BTN Nov. 25 Memphis^ 5 p.m./ESPNU Nov. 27 Wake Forest/Mississippi St.^ TBA Dec. 1 UALBANY 7 p.m./B1G+ Dec. 8 NEBRASKA 8 p.m./BTN Dec. 12 at Illinois 2 p.m./FS1 Dec. 16 UT MARTIN 6:30 p.m./B1G+ Dec. 19 LAFAYETTE ^^ 2:30 p.m./Peacock Dec. 22 Saint Joseph's # TBA Jan. 2 OREGON 2 p.m./BTN Jan. 6 at Minnesota 8:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 10 NORTHWESTERN Noon/BTN Jan. 13 at Wisconsin 7 p.m./BTN Jan. 17 at Ohio State Noon/BTN Jan. 20 PURDUE 6:30 p.m./BTN Jan. 23 at Iowa 4 p.m./BTN Jan. 26 at Michigan State 7 p.m./BTN Jan. 30 MARYLAND Noon/BTN Feb. 2 INDIANA 6 p.m./FS1 Feb. 6 OHIO STATE Noon/BTN Feb. 12 at Nebraska 9:30 p.m./FS1 Feb. 17 WASHINGTON 7 p.m./BTN Feb. 20 at Rutgers 1 p.m./Peacock Feb. 23 MICHIGAN 6 p.m./FS1 Feb. 27 at UCLA 10:30 p.m./BTN Mar. 2 at USC 9 p.m./BTN Mar. 7 RUTGERS 3 p.m./BTN * at KeyBank Center, Buffalo ** at the Palestra, Philadelphia ^ Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas ^^ at Rec Hall # at GIANT Center, Hershey, Pa.