NEWS: Penn State basketball lands international talent in transfer portal

After a wave of attrition with the opening of the transfer portal in mid-March, Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball are now making their counterpunch. Monday night, the Nittany Lions added a commitment from Swiss-born big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser out of the portal. Niederhauser’s portal pledge is the second of the spring for Rhoades after a successful visit to Happy Valley.

Penn State basketball lands Yanic Konan Niederhauser from transfer portal

Size was already a weakness for Penn State basketball coming out of the 2023-24 season, but became even more of a soft spot after losing sophomore forwards Favour Aire and Demetrius Lilley to the transfer portal. But Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions are now striking back, adding a pair of portal big men of their own.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser became the newest Nittany Lion late Monday night, announcing his commitment following a visit with Rhoades and the Penn State coaching staff in early April. The visit was first reported by Nate Bauer of Blue-White Illustrated in March.

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A post shared by Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (@yanic14x)

A native of Fraschels, Switzerland, Niederhauser played his first two seasons at Northern Illinois before simultaneously entering the transfer portal and declaring for the NBA Draft. The 6-11, 255-pound sophomore averaged 7.3 points in 27 games for the Huskies this season. Niederhauser led the MAC with just under two blocked shots per game this year.

Before coming to the United States, Niederhauser played in the German pro league and for the Swiss Under-18 National Team.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser becomes the second transfer portal big man that Mike Rhoades has added this offseason. Xavier center Kachi Nzeh announced his commitment to Penn State basketball on March 30.

Both will play key veteran roles for the Nittany Lions next season while highly-rated recruit Miles Goodman comes into his own in the Blue and White.

A new career-high for 🇨🇭 Yanic Niederhauser, with 27 points on 9/11 shooting. High leaper, strong finisher inside, also hit a three off his own creation. Added 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. pic.twitter.com/3qDTpaO72z

— Eurohoops Scouting (@EHoopsScouting) March 6, 2024

Ace in the hole

With the pair of transfer portal commitments, Penn State basketball is beginning to make up ground on the roster spots lost since the end of the season.

Four Nittany Lions with eligibility hit the portal in March on top of Kanye Clary, who was dismissed in February. Clary has since committed to Mississippi State. Demetrius Lilley is expected to commit to La Salle, while Jameel Brown is believed to be joining former Penn State basketball assistant Adam Fisher at Temple. 

Penn State got a much-needed boost when senior forward Puff Johnson announced he would use his COVID year to return to the Nittany Lions.

However, there is no official news yet from star guard and leading scorer Ace Baldwin, who is in a similar position. The winds appear to be blowing towards a return for a final season. But in the transfer portal era, it’s best to not take anything for granted.

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