The Penn State men’s basketball season is underway in less than two weeks, folks.

Prior to year two of the Mike Rhoades era, which begins on November 4, the Nittany Lions held their annual media day on Wednesday afternoon.

The day began with Rhoades at the podium before seniors Ace Baldwin Jr., Nick Kern Jr., and Puff Johnson took to the stand at the Bryce Jordan Center. The group addressed the media about expectations for the team, offseason improvements, the team’s leadership, and more.

On This Year’s Group Of Freshmen

Rhoades had no hesitation in saying folks will see Penn State’s freshmen on the floor.

“I’m going to play them, throw them in the fire. Some days are going to be pretty good, other days, as freshmen, sometimes you’ll learn by getting burned, but I’m going to play them,” Rhoades said.

Rhoades spoke about each freshman specifically, describing how they have impacted the team in the preseason and how they’ll continue to do so as the year progresses. The 2024 recruiting class includes Dominick Stewart, Jahvin Carter, Miles Goodman, Hudson Ward, and walk-on Joe Sedora.

Baldwin, a fifth-year senior, has been a leader throughout the offseason for the group of freshmen, and like Rhoades, he’s been impressed with what the five have had to offer.

“They are really good players, and they help us compete every day. They are important pieces to the team,” Baldwin said.

On Senior Leadership

Penn State is led by five seniors, all of whom are returning for their second year in Happy Valley: Baldwin, Kern, Johnson, D’Marco Dunn, and Zach Hicks.

Being the oldest players in the gym, the seniors understood what is needed from them, especially in their role as leaders for younger players. Johnson, who played three seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Penn State, is using his and his teammates’ experience to guide the Nittany Lions.

“All of us up here (Baldwin, Kern, Johnson) have played a total of 14 college basketball seasons, so we understand what needs to be done. Just teaching that to the young guys and letting them know that every game is going to be a battle,” Johnson said.

Baldwin is also helping his teammates adjust to college basketball, saying there’s been a “good dynamic” between the freshmen and seniors since the younger group joined the team.

“The freshmen, they’re coming along, they’re just following us as leaders and we’re leading the way,” Baldwin said.

Johnson and Baldwin elected to return for their fifth and final years of eligibility, and Rhoades was happy they made that decision as they improve the team both on and off the court.

“To have them back makes our program better, but selfishly, they’re just fun people to be around. You want to go to bat with those guys, and for all the seniors, guys can leave anytime they want,” Rhoades said. “When you keep guys and guys want to be here to build something and put their prints on it, you’re really proud of that.”

On Front-Court Improvement

Penn State made a splash over the offseason in recruiting bigs, both through the high school recruiting cycle and the transfer portal. Goodman, 6’11”, and Ward, 6’7″, came into the program as freshmen, while seven-footer Yanic Konan Niederhauser and 6’8″ Kachi Nzeh entered as transfers from Northern Illinois and Xavier, respectively.

After the graduation of the 6’11” Qudus Wahab and the transfer of 6’10” Demetrius Lilley, Rhoades and his coaching staff made it a point to replace that frontcourt talent.

“We have Yanic, Kachi, and Miles, we recruited them for that reason. They’re versatile big guys. They all can play together, they will play together, so we could play big,” Rhoades said.

Rhoades didn’t forget to mention the returning forwards, all seniors, he said made improvement since the end of last season. According to the head coach, strength was a big area of development for his front-court over the offseason.

“Puff’s not small. He might be an inch smaller, but he’s stronger. He had an awesome summer in the weight room, he’s 15 pounds stronger, and he plays that way. Nick and Zach got bigger and stronger. Hudson gives us beef and he has a nose for the ball,” Rhoades said.

While Penn State only has two players over 6’8″, the team is confident in its ability down low. However, “small ball” will continue to be a key part of how the Nittany Lions operate.

“If you look on the roster, sometimes it’s just not always size. It’s wantitude and fortitude, and we got that. I think we can play big at times, but we will play small,” Rhoades said. “I think we can play multiple ways. We’ll be ready to do both.”

On Big Ten Expansion

The Big Ten is now an 18-team conference after the addition of UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon, and with matchups against each of them on the horizon, the Nittany Lions spoke about the league’s expansion.

Rhoades started by listing the benefits of four teams across the country, including a trip to California, playing in historic arenas, and consistently playing on national television.

“You get to go all over the country to play college basketball on the biggest stage. Who wouldn’t want to do that?” Rhoades said. “You get to go all over the country on national television, in great arenas, great crowds, but you get to do it now on the West Coast as well. I think those are great opportunities.”

After listing the pros of the expansion of the Big Ten, Rhoades couldn’t think of any downsides to it.

“You’re talking to a guy who used to coach Division III and have to drive the white vans, so I don’t know what the cons are. If you accept a change and make the best of it, you’re probably ahead of the game. We’re not allowed to complain in this program. Complaining gets you beat. I think we’re all pretty lucky,” he said.

On Team Mentality

With the goal of an NCAA Tournament appearance this season, Rhoades has instilled a “why not us?” mentality into his team, and the players have responded well.

“That’s something we think about every day, especially us three coming back from the season that we had last year. Really, why not us?” Kern said.

Rhoades said the phrase came from the improvements of the team, as he doesn’t see a reason why this team shouldn’t make the tournament, even though it’s still months away.

“Let’s beat teams in the Big Ten and let’s get to the NCAA Tournament. Why not?” Rhoades said. “We’ve got older guys who have battled. We have some great pieces. We have a long way to go to get there, but let’s throw it on the table. Let’s talk about it.”