Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M with 14 points and a then-career-high 14 rebounds at Ohio State. He added an- other with 13 points and 10 rebounds at No. 9 Nebraska in February. Jurić finished with his best scor- ing performance of the season, totaling 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tourna- ment. He also had 6 rebounds and 3 as- sists in the 76-66 loss. He gave Rhoades evidence that he could handle a substan- tial role. The 7-foot, 250-pound native of Za- greb, Croatia, had arrived at Penn State after a season at Sunrise Christian Acad- emy in Kansas. Before that, he played for BC Dubrava in the Croatian Premier League. He also represented Croatia at the 2024 FIBA U18 EuroBasket tourna- ment, averaging 14.4 points and 5.9 re- bounds. That background gave him experi- ence against different levels of competi- tion. A full Big Ten season added a more immediate reference point for what he needed to improve. Rhoades said Jurić responded well to responsibilities that were considerable for a freshman. "Jurić's a quiet guy, and he's still one of the younger guys on our team. Get- ting thrown in the fire last year and the level of maturity he had, he has a lot of bounce-back," Rhoades said. "We asked a lot of him last year. I think there was great growth there. His family and his people back home were really impressed with how far he's come. I think his sky's the limit for him." Additional Options The challenge now is to build on those performances without requiring Jurić to carry quite so much of the frontcourt workload. Rhoades expects junior trans- fer Tim Oboh to help make that possible. At 6-11, 230 pounds, Oboh brings two seasons of college experience from Buf- falo. He started all 32 games as a sopho- more, averaging 8.5 points and a team- leading 4.9 rebounds while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. His 47 blocks also led the Bulls. That shot-blocking production gives Penn State another option around the basket. Jurić blocked 7 shots as a fresh- man, so Oboh offers a different defensive strength in addition to the opportunity to give the returning starter more rest. Jurić described Oboh as an excellent shot blocker who also contributes in ways that do not appear in a box score. He appreciates his new teammate's toughness, energy and willingness to work, saying Oboh "brings it." The additions extend beyond center. Two new forwards — fifth-year senior Roko Prkačin and junior François Wibaut — bring experience from European pro- fessional basketball. Prkačin, like Jurić, is from Zagreb. Senior Jay Rodgers arrives from Central Connecticut State, while graduate student Dasonte Bowen joins the backcourt after playing at Iowa and St. Bonaventure. Brant Byers, a redshirt junior from Mi- ami (Ohio), and Roberts Blums, a junior from Davidson, add shooting options. Josh Reed also returns for his fifth col- legiate season. Together, those players give Penn State more experience around a center who is still early in his develop- ment. "It helps. With the experience, lots of those guys came from winning places," Jurić said. "Them doing the things they already did that helped them succeed, and helping this program like everybody combined together — I think it helps." The additions offer more than another option at center. Jurić expects teammates who have succeeded elsewhere to bring habits that can help Penn State improve collectively. Rhoades, meanwhile, sees the deeper frontcourt as a way to keep Jurić from wearing down as the season progresses. When the Nittany Lions opened against Canisius on Nov. 2 at the Bryce Jordan Center, Prkačin was all but un- stoppable, totaling 28 points on 12-of- 14 shooting from the floor and adding 6 rebounds in the Nittany Lions' 97-57 victory. Jurić had a remarkable night, too, totaling 14 points and 15 rebounds in just under 20 minutes. Prkačin and Jurić combined to produce 28 points and 16 rebounds against visit- 2026-27 Schedule Date Opponent Time/TV/Result Oct. 17 St. Bonaventure (Exh.)* W, 68-65 Oct. 26 at Drexel (Exh.) W, 68-57 Nov. 2 CANISIUS W, 97-57 Nov. 5 CHATTANOOGA W, 97-93 Nov. 8 Pitt** L, 82-76 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/Miss. St.^ 7:30 p.m. 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 # 7 p.m./B1G+ 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. "I wouldn't say I feel pressure. It's just kind of a chip on my shoulder, to grow and be better than we were last year. You can see the rankings; they don't have us high. I think we will show that we're better than that." J U R I C ´