Mike Rhoades sets example, pushes Penn State forward: BWI hoops podcast

Mike Rhoades and the Penn State men’s basketball program left New York on Saturday night admittedly disappointed. Fighting back from a late deficit to beat Georgia Tech at Madison Square Garden in overtime, a last-second blown call upended that reality. 

Instead of a thrilling overtime decision for the Nittany Lions, the call gifted the Yellow Jackets an 82-81 win.

Enjoying a few days off to recalibrate following the loss, Rhoades joined the BWI hoops podcast this week to dissect the setback while looking ahead to what’s next.

“I was proud of our guys’ effort,” Rhoades said. “Our style of play is exciting. We can get after it. We sure are up and down, but we have a level of fight in us that I think people at Penn State and a lot of people are telling me they’re very proud of, and the last eight minutes of that game, you saw that fight and the press and what the press can do for you. 

“I loved our guys’ approach going down the stretch and in overtime. It’s unfortunate that it ended that way. But that’s life. That’s how it goes.”

Mike Rhoades sets an example

Falling to 5-6 in Rhoades’ debut season because of the decision, the trip to New York wasn’t entirely fruitless for Penn State. For the immediacy of this year’s team, the matter-of-fact demeanor with which Rhoades handled the disappointment while acknowledging the officiating error, a path forward was created. 

Determined to correct the vulnerabilities that put his Penn State team in a hole, Rhoades worked to set an example of how to move on from a particularly dispiriting outcome.

“If there’s an injustice, I’ll fight to death for it. But I also know that it’s really important that I set an example for my players,” Rhoades said. “At the moment, I want to tackle the referee. Yeah, sure. But that’s not gonna help anything. I really believe that your character shows when it’s needed the most. And as disappointed as I was, and I felt it was very unfair what happened at the end of the game and the ref blew the call, they’re not changing it. That’s how it goes.

“My mom used to say to me, ‘Life’s not fair. Deal with it. Get over it.’ And that’s one of those moments. It’s not fair. It’s disappointing. But you got to handle it the right way and move on. As a coach. I think you gotta be the right example to your players of handling things the right way, because you see some people go do things differently and it really disrespects the game.”

More to give

A foundational moment from which Rhoades and his staff can now work to build the program, the trip also yielded a second dividend. Embracing the realities of college basketball’s new NIL landscape, and what it means to Penn State’s competitiveness on the hardwood, the head coach also worked to forge relationships with the Penn State men’s basketball donor community on Friday evening.

Gathering about 20 supporters at a dinner to discuss the program’s needs and the impact of that support on the program, Rhoades’ mission to grow interest and passion for the Nittany Lions took another step.

Actively trying to build the Happy Valley United hoops-specific collective, “More to Give,” Rhoades indicated the effort is being done with intentionality.

“(We’re trying to) get people involved and be a part of our program,” Rhoades said. “I am friend-raising before I’m fundraising. I want to get as many people involved in our basketball program and feel a part of it in different ways… And I want people supporting our program to sweat with us, to be there with us. 

“The other side of it is, of course, the NIL. It’s a hot topic these days, but it’s something that we have to be very competitive in that arena. And I’ve been very active as the head coach here at Penn State of getting people on board for that. Getting people to support our players. Getting Happy Valley United to build a cool business model so we do it the right way.”

Hammering home the program’s primary focus on providing a great education and subsequent Penn State degrees, Rhoades added that the hire of Pat Flannery, his former coach at Lebanon Valley, has provided an avenue to creating a well-run, education-forward approach gathering NIL support. 

Listen to the BWI Penn State hoops show

Joining Blue-White Illustrated for a lengthy podcast discussion about Penn State’s setback last weekend, the program’s NIL approach, and the Nittany Lions’ standing as the schedule soon resumes Big Ten play, Rhoades offered insight into all.