Penn State, Mike Rhoades set for first Big Ten Media Day

Penn State basketball started its preseason practices on Sept. 25. Now wrapping their second week of work, the Nittany Lions are gearing up toward the Nov. 6 start of the 2023-24 campaign.

But, they’ll break for a brief detour first.

Announced on Friday, Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades and three of his players will appear at the 2023 Big Ten Basketball Media Days next week. Set for Tuesday, Oct. 10 in Minneapolis, Ace Baldwin, Kanye Clary, and Puff Johnson have been chosen as the Nittany Lions’ player representatives.

Rhoades will be among the first coaches to meet with the media. His 10 minute session at the podium is set for 10 a.m. eastern, with the event aired live on BTN. Later in the afternoon, Penn State players and Rhoades will be made available for breakout sessions with the media.

Setting the table

That Rhoades and his staff decided on Baldwin, Clary and Johnson as the three player representatives comes as little surprise.

Baldwin, the reigning A10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, was Rhoades’ crown jewel making the transition from VCU to Penn State this offseason. The first former Ram to commit, making it official on Easter Sunday, Baldwin’s announcement set of a domino in which nine other transfers joined the new-look Nittany Lion program.

Describing Baldwin’s personality and command of the team upon the start of the program’s formal offseason practices this summer, Rhoades painted the picture of a leader.

“Ace has just a great feel with people. I just think he does a good job of knowing how to get along with people,” Rhoades said. “Ace doesn’t pull any punches, either. He wants to win and his competitiveness, I think really leaks to everybody else. And guys know that.”

Last season, Baldwin was posted 12.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.23 steals per game as the Rams’ unquestioned star performer. And, in Clary, he has a partner providing many of the same qualities in the Nittany Lions’ backcourt. Immediately impressing Rhoades and his staff, the sophomore who stuck with Penn State has only built on his team-leading role in the program.

“I think Kanye is like that, too. He’s a super competitive kid,” Rhoades said. “So those two guys, if you’re on their team, they’re leading by example and by competitiveness, which is great. I think both of those guys have done that.”

Establishing a Penn State culture

Determined to maximize the months between the arrival of Penn State basketball’s new pieces and the start of the season, Rhoades and his staff have invested significant time and energy into setting the standard and culture they’d like to build upon in Happy Valley.

Calling on all three players, including North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson, to be a part of that process, the meshing of the Nittany Lions got off to a good start this summer.

“Basketball is the easy part, because that’s why we’re all here. Basketball is what brought us all together. We all love basketball. That’s the easy one,” Rhoades said. “It’s off the court. It’s dealing with different ages of young men, different personalities. Some guys are a little further along in life than than others.

“But, that’s the neat thing for me is getting Puff Johnson to look after Bragi because he’s an upperclassman. Getting Ace to communicate with Qudus, because they only knew each other through AAU basketball playing against each other. Now they’re teammates. I just think that’s what’s really cool about putting a new team together is the relationships you can help foster and build. And our guys are doing that.”

Penn State opens the season with an exhibition against Robert Morris on Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh. Tickets are available for purchase, supporting Coaches vs. Cancer, for $10.