Mike Rhoades never lacked belief in 2023-24 Penn State roster

The Penn State Nittany Lions got two big wins this past week, including an upset win over Illinois and a convincing home win against Indiana. For head coach Mike Rhoades, it was proof of how good this Penn State team is capable of being.

After the Indiana win, Rhoades explained that he never lacked belief in the 2023-24 Penn State roster.

“By who? Not me,” Mike Rhoades said. “So, look, if you talk about a lack of belief, then people will think about it. If you talk about getting better every day and moving forward and knowing that this is what we’re going to try to do and the good days and the bad days, you learn from them all. So, no, I mean, you’re talking to the wrong person when it comes to that. Just strap ’em up, double not ’em, go to work, and play.”

Mike Rhoades is in his first season as the head coach at Penn State, replacing Micah Shrewsberry. He had previously been the head man at VCU since 2017. Penn State is 14-14 to this point in his first season.

“We’ve had games this year where we’ve been really good for 10 minutes and then lousy for 10 or halves and all that stuff. I think that’s sometimes the inconsistency of a first year program and a lot of new guys. But, you’ve got to get to a point where you don’t make excuses. You figure it out and you go from there,” Rhoades said.

“I’ve been frustrated, I’ve been mad, I’ve been disappointed, especially in myself, but losing belief? No way. Nope.”

Mike Rhoades opens up on feelings of celebrating with family after Illinois win

Following the Illinois game, Mike Rhoades opened up on how it felt to celebrate the win with his family.

“This is hardest on my wife. This is hardest on my kids. They allow me, and they support me, to do my passion. They’re on this trip. I’ve never coached a game without [my wife] Jodie. Think of that. It’s been a lot of wins and three kids. My three kids have seen the world because of basketball. And Chase is with me with his buddies here. They get to storm the court. I mean come on,” Rhoades said.

“You wanna share this with everybody. You want to share it with Penn State. You want to share it with your families. You want to share it with everyone and you want people to be a part of it. So it’s always that way. Family, to me, is not blood. Family, to me, is all of us in this together putting our heart and soul into it and having fun doing it, because we only get to do it one time.”