Hoops Show: Penn State basketball summer update
Penn State basketball held a media day on July 12 to give a glimpse into the new program’s progress under Mike Rhoades. Rhoades and several of his player met with the assembled media before the team held an open practice later that afternoon. BWI Insider Nate Bauer was there to take it all in and provides his insights on today’s Hoops Show.
Check out the full show wherever you get your podcasts, or enjoy listening to it on the embedded player in this article. Bauer discusses what Rhoades had to say about his team-building philosophy, culture, and his early impressions of his Penn State team. Bauer also gives his thoughts about what he saw on Tuesday. You’ll also hear from the coach himself as Bauer and host Thomas Frank Carr play clips from this week’s press conference.
Rhoades shedding folksy narrative
Despite leaning heavily on the homecoming aspect of his hiring back in March, Rhoades was decidedly less interested in his roots this week. He made it clear that he has one goal in mind.
“I didn’t come back here because it’s my home state. I came back here because I want to win. And I want to win in the Big Ten, I want to win at a cool university like Penn State,” Rhoades said on Tuesday.
Bauer and T-Frank discuss the tonal shift from Rhoades and what sort of culture he’s trying to establish at Penn State.
Rhoades also gave an initial assessment of his team’s performance this summer. You can hear the full quote in the podcast.
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“I really like our guard play. It’s probably a little bit better than I thought it would be. I hope we’re a better shooting team than I thought. We have some guys that are really shooting the ball well right now,” he said. “But, the bleachers aren’t pulled out, as I say, and the lights aren’t on, so that’s different. The biggest thing is it’s easy in the summer because there’s no adversity. Now, the next few weeks you’re going to the Bahamas, I’ll create a lot more adversity for guys, so I’ll understand our team a little bit better with that,” Rhoades said.
Roster construction was intentional for Penn State
Bauer and T-Frank also discuss the team’s roster construction through the transfer portal. The team had to dip heavily into the portal thanks to a mass exodus from the program after Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame.
Rhoades explained that the team wanted to build a program for the long term and provide stability and balance to the roster via class eligibility.
Penn State retained three scholarship players this offseason in guards Kanye Clary and Jameel Brown, as well as big-man Demetrius Lilley.
