When Mike Rhoades was hired as the head coach of Penn State men’s basketball, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to find consistent success, but he was committed to it.

“We’re going to build this, and I’m committed to building this to last and to make it so successful that everybody wants to come here,” Rhoades said on March 31, 2023.

Now, as he’s heading into his third year at the helm of the Nittany Lions, Rhoades is still searching for that level of steadiness.

In an era of college basketball when teams are spending upwards of $20 million to form a roster, Rhoades said programs can turn around in a single year, but since Penn State is “doing it the right way,” it’s a slower process for him to build the program.

In the last two seasons, the Nittany Lions have gone 32-32 but finished last year with a 6-14 Big Ten record to finish 17th out of 18 teams in the conference. However, in the head coach’s mind, there have been many positives during his time in Happy Valley.

“It’s up and down all the time, peaks and valleys, and you got to weather the storm. I like to say you got to ride that wave,” Rhoades said ahead of the 2025-26 season. “We’ve had pockets of success. We’ve had some really good moments that raise the standard, but it’s not consistent enough, in my mind, in all facets of our program.”

Picked to finish last in the preseason Big Ten media poll, Rhoades’ roster will feature only three returners, with the rest being made up by two transfers and eight freshmen.

Rhoades got a small preview of the season through two exhibition games, a 78-62 loss to Dayton and an 86-67 win over Shippensburg, and said he saw things that should improve as the season progresses.

“Defensively, it’s not good enough, not to where I wanted to be in the full court and half court, but I also know that’s what happens when you have young guys and you have multiple first-year players out there,” he said.

Despite there being things to work on, there’s a lot of promise in the group of newcomers.

The freshman class is headlined by guard Kayden Mingo, the program’s highest-rated recruit ever, three-star forward Mason Blackwood, and big men Justin Houser and Ivan Juric.

With the coaching staff and returning players Freddie Dilione V, Dominick Stewart, and Eli Rice heading the team’s leadership roles, the young players have adjusted to college basketball and will quickly become key pieces of the team, according to Rhoades.

“There’s going to be a lot of growing pains with these freshmen, but also you’re going to see some ability from these guys right off the jump,” he said. “Even though a lot of times we’re going to have three or four freshmen out there, we just got to make sure we put the right guys out there to help our guys get off to a good start.”

The 2025-26 season, which Rhoades hopes will jumpstart consistent success in the program, will begin with a matchup against Fairfield at 7 p.m. on Monday, November 3, at the Bryce Jordan Center.