Only a handful of days after former head coach Micah Shrewsberry left Penn State men’s basketball for Notre Dame, the program has reportedly found its new successor. VCU head coach Mike Rhoades was reportedly hired as the next head coach of the Nittany Lions, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.

Over the course of six seasons with the Rams, Rhoades compiled a 129-61 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances since 2017. He led VCU to an Atlantic 10 Championship this past season and won Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2019. Overall, he is 176-113 in his Division I collegiate head coaching career including VCU and three seasons at Rice.

During his time as an assistant and associate head coach from 2009 to 2014 at VCU, Rhoades developed several players that have found success in the NBA, including Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland of the Denver Nuggets and former Bucks center Larry Sanders. That success will serve as an important recruiting tool to draw players to Happy Valley for next season.

Rhoades also spent 10 seasons as the head coach of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, from 1999 to 2009. The coach led the Divison III Yellow Jackets to a 197-76 record, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and two trips to the Sweet Sixteen in 2002 and 2003.

Rhoades is a Pennsylvania native and grew up in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. He played college basketball at Lebanon Valley, where he still holds the record for assists, steals, and free-throw percentage, and was the program’s leading scorer when he graduated.

The upcoming season poses a big challenge for Rhoades and whoever he brings with him on his staff. It will be a complete rebuild and he’ll have to work overtime to fill out the roster and convince current players to stay. It remains to be seen if success in the Atlantic 10 translates to success in the Big Ten.