Shooters shoot.

Penn State men’s basketball shot its shot in the transfer portal and surprisingly got some solid roster additions ahead of the 2026-27 season.

While all of the hype is surrounding Miami (Ohio) guard Brant Byers as the Nittany Lions’ biggest splash, Davidson transfer Roberts Blums should also shape up as a critical piece of the new-look Penn State squad.

“I like the vision they [Mike Rhoades and Penn State] had for the program and what the things they want to do this year. The offense fit me pretty well with the way I played back in Davidson … I really feel like every day I get better. It’s not just about the team here, but it’s also about individually getting better as a basketball player and as a human,” Blums said Wednesday.

Blums won the 2024 Latvian League and Latvian Cup titles and played for Latvia’s U16 and U18 squads. He averaged 20 points and 5.3 rebounds per game en route to an MVP and first-place finish at the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championships.

His work in his native country pushed him to move to the United States and play for Davidson in the Atlantic 10 conference.

“I think it was a great option for me coming out of Europe to go to the A10, play for Davidson, get adapted to American basketball,” Blums said. “Obviously I did tons of work there, all those unseen hours, the lonely nights in the gym, early mornings. It was all really hard work.”

He played in all 31 games for the Wildcats in his freshman campaign, but his sophomore 2025-26 season is where he really blossomed as a player.

Blums led the team in points, averaging 12.4 per game. A good chunk of his production came from behind the 3-point line. He shot a staggering 40.7% with 77 total conversions.

Those marks were good for seventh in the A10 and would’ve been Penn State’s best in 2025-26 by .017 points. The next-closest Penn State player in 3-pointers was Freddie Dilione V with 42 makes.

“Just playing hard, honestly. Being a dawg, and just giving the most I can every minute on the court,” Blums said. “Obviously I can shoot the ball. I like to attack, I like to be aggressive and physical on defense.”

Blums came off the bench in Penn State’s comeback win over St. Bonaventure in an exhibition game on October 17. He scored 17 points and four 3-pointers.

One of his threes brought the Nittany Lions within one point at 59-58 as the contest entered its final four minutes.

Blums doesn’t mind coming off the bench if it means Penn State can simply win basketball games.

“I hate losing, even [in] practice or no matter what drill I’m doing … I want to win. Whoever team fits, I trust coach Rhoades and all the coaching staff. I trust whatever decisions they make,” Blums said. “Do I prefer to start? Yes. But I’m happy with whatever role, and I’m going to go out there and play dawg minutes.”

It’s also worth noting that Davidson is a historically good 3-point shooting program. Two players have averaged 40% from deep in three or more seasons: Brendan Winters and Steph Curry. Yes, Steph Curry.

All signs point to Blums making a deep impact on Penn State sooner rather than later. If he can revitalize the Nittany Lions’ 3-point game alongside Byers and other transfers, they could turn some heads in the Big Ten.

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