Puff Johnson has come a long way from being a skinny kid who scored 14 points as a freshman in the national championship game.

Heading into his fifth season in college basketball and second year with Mike Rhoades and Penn State men’s basketball in Happy Valley, Johnson is taking on a new role on and off the court.

After his first full season competing in Big Ten play, the Moon Township, Pennsylvania, native realized he needed to put on some extra pounds to sustain his highest level of play through a full season. In the offseason, Johnson put on 15 to 20 pounds, focusing on building muscle while remaining athletic.

“This conference is a little bigger, a little more physical, so adding weight was necessary for me this summer, and that’s one thing I was really focused on from my time here and my time at home,” Johnson said.

The Big Ten has elite big-man play across the board. Johnson and newcomers, Miles Goodman and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, will be tasked with stopping the opposing team’s forwards night in and night out.

Putting on additional weight wasn’t the easiest thing for Johnson. The former Tar Heel learned how to cook for himself, with a little help from his friends and family.

“It was definitely a lot of work to go into eating because I have Crohn’s disease and I’m on a special diet already where I can’t eat wheat, dairy, and eggs. So eating was definitely one of the biggest obstacles,” Johnson said.

On the offensive side of the ball, the 6’8″ forward knew how important his ability to shoot the three-pointer is to the Nittany Lions.

“I know how capable I can be as a shooter and how capable I should be as a shooter,” Johnson said. “I feel like at the end of the day, I should be one of the better shooters, not only in the conference but one of the best shooters around. That’s just my mentality.”

Shooters are going to shoot. At the tail end of the last season, Johnson proved his value, becoming one of the best three-point specialists in the conference.

The Nittany Lions will go as far as its leaders, Johnson and Ace Baldwin Jr., can take them this season. Rhoades knows that and he recognizes the importance they have for the program.

“He’s such a great kid. He epitomizes on and off the court what we want out of our players,” Rhoades said. “He’s an awesome teammate, and I want him to have an awesome year so to have them (Johnson and Baldwin) back makes our program better, but selfishly, they’re just fun people to be around.”

Inside the program, expectations are high. Rhoades has laid the foundation for winning basketball in State College, so Johnson and the rest of the Nittany Lions expect to win every time they step onto the court.

The goal in year two with Rhoades at the helm is simple. The players want and expect to make the NCAA Tournament this year. Preparation for that didn’t start in the summer or the fall, it started as soon as the season ended last year. Johnson has led himself and the team through an important offseason for the Nittany Lions.

“The big thing for me this season is understanding that Penn State has not had that much success in the NCAA Tournament or making the NCAA Tournament. And that’s one thing I want to bring to this fan base, just because last year, I got a good glimpse of how strong the Penn State fan base can be if you’re winning,” Johnson said.