Penn State men’s basketball underwent various changes throughout the last six months. Micah Shrewsberry joined as a new head coach, multiple players transferred into the program, and a handful of former stars chose to leave Happy Valley.

One of the few pieces that remained the same, however, is Myles Dread.

The senior guard had plenty of opportunities to leave Penn State and join another team. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, that was never in his plans, which he mentions right away at the beginning of his interview with the Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz.

“I committed to Penn State on July 10, 2016,” Dread said. “I’ve been committed to Penn State and the State College community since then, and my faith in the program and the school has never wavered.”

Katz quickly asked Dread about Shrewsberry and what he’s been like as workouts progressed this summer. Dread complimented his head coach’s basketball IQ, noting how he has an answer to almost any question his teammates ask.

“He is just a basketball mind,” Dread said. “He knows the game. If you have a question, he usually always has an answer for you. He’s willing to teach, and he expects us to work hard and learn.”

The conversation shifted to the team and what Dread expects from the Nittany Lions this season. It should come as no surprise that he feels very confident about his guys and what he expects to see from them.

"I think we're gonna surprise a lot of people, Andy."@mylesd12_ is back with @PennStateMBB, and he's looking to be an extension of new head @Coach_Shrews on the floor in Year 1.

Full interview with @TheAndyKatz https://t.co/zYnPY7K5DD pic.twitter.com/OE07GMXAtn

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) August 26, 2021

“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people, Andy,” Dread said with a laugh. “We worked really hard, and we got a lot better. We brought in a lot of older, experienced, and underrated guys that are willing to buy into the program and do whatever it takes to win.”

Katz pushed Dread to name a new player that has stood out in summer training that the rest of the country doesn’t know about yet. With little hesitation, Dread mentioned Greg Lee and discussed his importance to the new-look squad.

“Greg Lee is going to surprise a lot of people this year,” Dread said. “He’s been underrated for his entire career, he’s a great guy, he’s fun to be around, and he works really, really hard. Like, really hard. I’m very excited to play with him.”

The interview ended with Dread being introspective on how he wants to come across as a leader. He is the second-longest-tenured Nittany Lion on the team behind John Harrar. Lately, his experience gives him new aspects of leadership and responsibility that he hasn’t had before.

Fortunately, he has had a lot of different role models on how to be an effective leader, specifically Lamar Stevens and Josh Reaves. They taught him how to be a more vocal leader — something he wants to be this season.

At the end of the day, Dread has three goals for himself this season. If he can achieve these three goals, he said he’d consider it a successful season for himself.

“I’m going to be more versatile. I’m going to be a leader. And I am going to go that extra mile to do what it takes to win,” Dread said. 

Penn State opens its season by hosting Youngstown State on November 10. The Nittany Lions are also slated to compete in November’s Emerald Coast Classic alongside teams like LSU and Oregon State.