Welp. That was definitely one of the seasons of all time.

After starting the 2024-25 campaign 12-2, Penn State men’s basketball won just four games the rest of the season to finish 16-15 and 6-14 in Big Ten play. It was a disappointing season, to say the least, but time goes on.

On the bright side, though, the Nittany Lions bested two top-12 opponents: No. 8 Purdue in December and No. 12 Wisconsin on Saturday. Head coach Mike Rhoades has said plenty of times that he’s trying to build this basketball program, and Rome wasn’t built in a day. It wasn’t the ending to the season many had hoped for three months ago, but there is still promise for this program.

Retaining Talent

The Nittany Lions are losing Ace Baldwin Jr., D’Marco Dunn, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, and Nick Kern Jr. Retaining the remaining players on the roster is now even more important, especially with the five freshmen and two underclassmen starters on the roster.

“It’s important. It’s important to every team in all of sports, in college now and the way the landscape is,” Rhoades said on Thursday. “Those are relationships. Those are conversations. It’s always there all year long. It’s always a hot topic at the end of any season in college athletics. It’s the same for us, it’s the same for me, and we’ll jump right on it.”

Due to the new men’s basketball transfer portal rules, the window has shrunk from 45 days to 30 days. According to the NCAA, players will now have from March 24 — after the second round of the NCAA Tournament — to April 22 to enter the portal.

There is also less of a punishment for players transferring with the new rules. The NCAA approved a rule that allows all undergraduate athletes to transfer multiple times with immediate eligibility as long as they are in good academic standing with their previous institution. This means that undergraduate athletes no longer have to sit out a year after transferring after their first time.

The Nittany Lions will look to retain starters Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Freddie Dilione V, reserves Kachi Nzeh and Eli Rice, and freshmen Jahvin Carter, Dominick Stewart, Miles Goodman, Joe Sedora, and Hudson Ward.

Transfer Portal

Because of the loss of five seniors, making some moves in the transfer portal will also be important. Penn State should look for a point guard and either a small or power forward.

The Nittany Lions will be losing a floor general in Baldwin and two solid forwards in Johnson and Hicks. Johnson’s absence was apparent when he suffered a season-ending hand injury against Michigan State and none of the guards on the roster have shown to be as crafty as Baldwin either.

Hitting on at least one transfer this offseason would be impactful. Last year, Rhoades brought in impact transfers like Konan Niederhauser, Dilione, and Nzeh. Rice was the other transfer addition but suffered a season-ending injury in November and will be just a junior by next season.

Some freshmen like Carter and Stewart could step up and have a more important role in 2026 as they each have recorded a stat in at least 24 games this season. However, Ward, Sedora, and Goodman have 26 games combined, and Goodman was dealing with an injury for the first half of the season. Forward depth is young and inexperienced so adding one there would also be impactful.

Kayden Mingo & The 2025 Recruiting Class

Ignore everything about getting a point guard in the transfer portal if Kayden Mingo hits. Mingo is the highest-rated recruit in program history and is the No. 2 player from New York, the No. 5 combo guard, and the No. 41 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

The 2025 class also hails Mason Blackwood, a 6’7″ three-star small forward from New Hampton, New Hampshire. Blackwood is the No. 5 player from his state, the No. 37 small forward, and the No. 145 player in the nation. Penn State also added three-star 6’11” center Justin Houser in this year’s class.

Last year’s class of Goodman, Ward, Carter, Stewart, and Sedora placed Penn State 30th in the nation, but the 2025 class, with two fewer recruits, is currently ranked 24th and is the highest-rated class in program history.

Building Culture

The end of this season said a lot about the culture Rhoades has built at Penn State, despite the losing streak. The Nittany Lions handled a tournament team in Nebraska, beat Minnesota, lost to No. 16 Maryland by four on Senior Day, and upset No. 12 Wisconsin in Madison for the first time in 30 years.

It will say a lot if Rhoades can retain the roster and keep the team bought in, along with the incoming transfers and freshmen after the season the Nittany Lions just had.

The most important part of building a collegiate program is finding a head coach who can build a winning culture. Although the record book may not reflect that yet, this offseason can move Penn State a step in the right direction.