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Report: Penn State basketball picks up important spring roster addition

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•06/02/25•

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Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades. (Matthew O'Haren | Imagn Images)

The process of building back the Penn State men’s basketball roster ahead of the 2025-26 season has taken another step. Melih Tunca, a 19-year old guard from Turkey, has committed to play next season with the Nittany Lions.

Eurohopes first reported the news.

Tunca, listed at 6-foot-5, played the 2023-24 season in the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and followed it with Turk Telekom Ankara this year in BKT EuroCup. The team went 11-9 with Tunca coming off the bench, playing in 17 games while averaging 2.9 points and 0.8 assists per game over 8:29. He also knocked down 30 percent of his 3-point attempts, hitting 6 of 20 shots from beyond the arc.

Tunca has also been a member of the Turkish 19U and 20U national teams, winning a bronze medal with the 2023 third-place finishing 19U team.

For the 2024-25 season, he was selected among the Top 10 EuroCup Rising Star Award candidates. From the story:

“After making his EuroLeague debut with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Melih Tunca comes to Turk Telekom Ankara on loan to take another step forward. Just 18 years old, Tunca has already proven to be a force to be reckoned with at youth level. His 17.6 points and 6.4 assists were both third-best at the U20 European Championship in July. That came after Tunca led the U19 Turkish League in scoring last season with 27.9 points per game. He has looked sharp in the preseason and could emerge as an important player for Turk Telekom this season and for Efes in the future.”

Melih Tunca highlights

Next steps for Penn State

With the addition of Tunca, Penn State has its fourth spring cycle addition to the roster, joining Josh Reed, Ivan Juric, and Reggie Grodin. Meeting with reporters on Friday at the program’s 30th annual Coaches vs. Cancer golf tournament, Rhoades acknowledged that more work remained to fill out the roster before the start of summer workouts beginning June 14.

“We got to go out and get another player with size and ability, which I’m really confident and feel really good about where we’re at with that right now,” Rhoades said. “We also had maybe a head start because we anticipated that this might occur. So we weren’t blindsided. 

“In recruiting and roster management, you got to be ready to pivot at a drop of a hat. So we were ready to do that. If Yanic stayed, awesome. If he’s going to go into the draft because he’s got guaranteed positions, awesome. So what’s next? Be ready. There’s no excuses. There’s no complaining about it. We got to solve it. So it’s a quick pivot and we’re in the thick of recruiting guys right now that I’m excited about.”

Where things stand for Penn State

Guards Freddie Dilione, Dominick Stewart, Kayden Mingo, Reggie Grodin, Melih Tunca
Wings Eli Rice, Mason Blackwood, Josh Reed
Bigs Justin Hauser, Ivan Juric

Penn State scholarship breakdown by class

Fifth year (0): 
Fourth year (1): Josh Reed
Third year (2): Freddie Dilione, Eli Rice
Second year (1): Dominick Stewart
First year (6): Justin Hauser, Mason Blackwood, Kayden Mingo, Ivan Juric, Reggie Grodin, Melih Tunca (Uncertain where he’ll classify yet)

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