Penn State Athletics is in disarray, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed. Don’t worry, though. Its savior is here.
Blue and white basketball is back this weekend, with an exhibition against St. Bonaventure and Mike Rhoades’ magic is just what not-so Happy Valley needs right now.
I won’t sugarcoat it: The Nittany Lions are the laughing stock of the Big Ten. The results have upheld that notion and this year’s fate is hard to shake as another season of it. Only three wins in conference play last season, and there were some bad moments. A blowout at the GIANT Center by rival Pitt. Disappointment on Senior Night. The Return to the Rec and the Big Ten Tournament. Overall, the program stagnated to a forgettable 44-52 record under Rhoades.
The next generation of hoopers sees the state where Pittsburgh and Villanova are both in a transitional period. And then there’s Penn State: A program that was starting to soar at the start of the decade, but can’t seem to capitalize on the trends.
Picked at the bottom in the Big Ten again in the unofficial Media Poll and trailed only by Northwestern in the first KenPom rankings of the year, it’s hard not to anticipate another gloomy season for Penn State.
But this offseason has been different, filled with reporters and fans who have their eyes on the hardwood for once.
The dialogue actually feels aware of the position of the program, and it almost feels synonymous to the movie “Rudy.” Campus has embraced both the need to punch up and the underdog mantra. The social media buzz has fans joking about themselves, acknowledging the difficulties head on.
The justification for the program’s stagnation has been the notion that Penn State just “isn’t a basketball school.” However, this summer proved that notion wrong. People do care. As much as that phrase has been thrown around by Athletics and isn’t pushed back on by those who have reported on basketball, it’s short-sighted.
The care has tapered because AD Pat Kraft doesn’t believe in the product or the investment; the people do. College basketball will always make waves and capture hearts; the charm of Rhoades and Co. should make that an easy sell. They love Penn State more than any hoops coach would.
Last year’s team was one of the worst in recent history. The overall win percentage was the 15th all-time worst at Penn State, and Big Ten production was the seventh worst. But through it all, fans still showed up for any game and brought in a crowd that only showed flashes of what the Bryce Jordan Center has to offer. Home attendance actually averaged higher once the team imploded in Big Ten play than during a light nonconference slate.
Athletics needs to invest, bring a winner and add prestige, and the Penn State fandom will reflect that generosity by revealing the love for hoops that exists. Check the Purdue upset in 2024; the pandemonium was a brief glimpse of what’s possible. Let’s build off those moments instead of reliving glory days.
The women’s squad has hit an even stiffer wall, but the connection to blue and white was enough to bring program legends back to the sidelines and woo top recruits into visits.
Past groups of players haven’t shown the same care for the program, as evidenced by the mass transfer portal exodus in recent seasons of Rhoades’ tenure. This group of players, contrarily, perfectly reflects where the people are at — passionate and seasoned through the wringer.
Rhoades’ emotion for the program always shone through. Now that there’s a group of players where a majority arguably feel the same way, it’s time to put up the results.
Miami (OH) transfer forward Brant Byers, one of the leading acts on a nationally prominent RedHawks squad, had a grocery list of suitors in the portal but landed at the bottom of the Big Ten. Why? Because he loved the program and he knew what it stood for.
Despite what happens, watch it all. The sidelines, the players, coaches and environment — the energy is there; it’s just a matter of finally acknowledging it, and for once embracing it.
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