Themes emerging for Penn State basketball post-media day

As we continue to ramp up to the start of the regular season, Penn State basketball made its coaches and players available to the media for the 2023-24 season media day. Listening to Mike Rhoades and his thought process about the season was very interesting. Through talking with the players and coaches, it is easy to see some themes emerging as they get ready to play Robert Morris this Friday and get the season on the road next month. 

A new offense in State College

The first thing that really jumped out was the talk about the offense. Mike Rhoades made it a point to say, “We have to play faster than Penn State did last year” and continued to say they needed to beat VCU’s pace too.

When we look at possessions per game last year, Penn State basketball ranked 334th in the country. This means that Penn State was, because of the slowness of the offense, the lack of offensive rebounds, and the lack of forced turnovers, giving itself fewer chances to score than most of the other teams in the nation.

Now this didn’t end up hurting the Nittany Lions that much because they averaged the 4th lowest amount of turnovers per game and they were 24th in points per possession meaning that even though they had a limited number of possessions, they scored very effectively when they got those chances. VCU on the other hand was middle of the pack in offense rebounding and 13th in steals which should lead to a lot more possessions.

However, VCU was only 188th in possessions per game, and was 163rd in points per possession. This is because its half-court offense was slow, filled with non-shooters, and sloppy, ranking near the bottom of the country in turnovers per game.

Will pace issues follow Mike Rhoades from VCU?

Mike Rhoades and his VCU teams have had similar offensive issues throughout his tenure, but it seems he’s focused on change. We can see that through the personnel he’s brought in. Baldwin, Nick Kern, Clary, Puff Johnson, and D’Marco Dunn jump off the page as guys who can get out and run.

Rhoades wasn’t the only one vocal about the pace, however. Almost every player I talked to mentioned the pace in some way. They are all ready and excited to get out and run. Returner Kanye Clary even listed the fast pace as one of the main reasons he stayed with the Nittany Lions despite the hectic offseason. The biggest example of this commitment to upping the pace is starting both Clary and Ace Baldwin together in the backcourt. This paring will up the speed and playmaking of any lineup they are in which should be a big boost to the Penn State offense. 

The Nittany Lions “Gotta have an edge”

If I had to pick coach Mike Rhoades’ favorite word it would be “edge.” He used it a lot to describe different players and the team at large on Tuesday. He said plainly, “You have to have an edge to win at this level,” and you can see it throughout the roster.

When discussing the backcourt, Ace Baldwin was quick to say he thinks people are sleeping on them. When talking about the defense with an undersized backcourt, Clary mentioned they are always gonna play with intensity because it’s his nature and coach Rhoades’ nature.

When discussing Baldwin, the first thing Rhoades mentioned was his competitiveness. The roster is made up almost entirely of players with something to prove. Whether that’s guys fighting for bigger roles like Clary, Johnson, Dunn, Lilley, and others, or players jumping to a higher level of the basketball power hierarchy like Baldwin, Kern, RayQuawndis Mitchell, and Zach Hicks, this roster has the makings of a scrappy group that won’t be afraid to get dirty and do whatever it takes to get the win.

Win the day

Getting the win is the expectation according to coach Rhoades. Obviously, that applies to the games, but it goes beyond that. Rhoades said the expectation for the team is to “win the day.” Whether that’s game day, going through practice, or even on an off day, they want to set high standards and meet them day in and day out. 

Overall, the vibes around the Penn State basketball program were good, and everyone is excited for the season to get going. We did not get to see much in the open session of practice, but the energy was high throughout.

Early exhibition action for the Nittany Lions vs. Robert Morris on Friday

The season officially tips off on November 6th, but the Nittany Lions will get a tune-up this Friday against Robert Morris. The exhibition game was set up as a charity event for coaches vs cancer over the summer.

It will also be a bit of a homecoming for North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson, who went to Moon Area High School nearby to the Robert Morris campus. Johnson told me that he has played pickup with the guys at Robert Morris since he was a freshman in high school, so getting to go up against that team again and be close to home will be special for him.

The game will take place on Friday, October 27th at 7:30 PM EST.

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