Penn State hoops adds former On3 Top 100 guard, filling final roster spot
Penn State basketball head coach Mike Rhoades vowed patience and persistence in the program’s pursuit of filling the roster ahead of his debut season with the Nittany Lions.
“It’s been two months of just everyday has been get up early, stay late, and sprint to exhaustion. It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been a lot of fun, too,” Rhoades told BWI last week. “We got down to three players in the program, and we’re not the only ones in the country to have to go through it, but it is what it is and you can complain or make excuses, or find a way.
“We’re gonna find a way. So it’s been a whirlwind. And it’s pretty crazy. But hey, it’s what I signed up for.”
A full two months into his tenure with the program, that patience has finally met its pay-off.
D’Marco Dunn, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard in the transfer portal after two seasons at North Carolina, committed to Penn State on Thursday afternoon. Dunn has been pursued heavily by BYU, Gonzaga, and West Virginia, among others, since entering the portal on May 12. He visited the Nittany Lions on May 28 and 29.
“I chose Penn State for the opportunity to play for Coach Rhoades and an amazing school,” Dunn told On3’s Joe Tipton. “I’ve known him and his staff and believe in what they are building. I’m excited to be apart of something special.”
Last season, Dunn appeared in 27 games for the Tar Heels, averaging 10.3 minutes per outing. He connected on 42.4 percent of his field goals (28 of 66), finishing with 2.7 points per game. The effort followed a debut in 2021-22 in which he played sparingly in 23 games. As a freshman, he finished with 1.0 ppg over 4.1 mpg.
As a Class of 2021 prospect, Dunn finished at No. 70 nationally with a four-star rating in the On3 Industry Ranking.
Where things stand for Penn State (13 of 13 scholarships filled)
PG Ace Baldwin, Kanye Clary, Bragi Gudmundsson
CG Jameel Brown, RayQuawndis Mitchell, D’Marco Dunn
SF Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, Leo O’Boyle
Penn State scholarship breakdown by class
Bonus year (3): Qudus Wahab, Leo O’Boyle, RayQuawndis Mitchell
Fourth year (2): Ace Baldwin, Puff Johnson
Third year (2): Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, D’Marco Dunn
Second year (4): Kanye Clary, Jameel Brown, Demetrius Lilley, Favour Aire
First year (1): Bragi Gudmundsson
