After 5th Win, Penn State's Mike Rhoades Urges Fans to 'Sweat With Us'

The Nittany Lions' basketball coach makes impassioned plea for more atmosphere at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the Virginia Tech Hokies at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Penn State men's basketball remained unbeaten Wednesday, though not with some anxiety. The Nittany Lions labored through a sluggish first half, both with their shots and on defense, before recalibrating for a 102-89 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne at the Bryce Jordan Center.

After the game, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said his team didn't have its best stuff but stuck it out and improved to 5-0. The Nittany Lions also opened their season by scoring 80+ points in five games, a first in program history. Still, something else stuck with Rhoades. An announced Bryce Jordan Center crowd of 6,547 evidently didn't fill the building with noise, and the second-year Penn State coach sought to change that.

"This is to everybody that shows up to games at the [Bryce Jordan Center], OK?" Rhoades told reporters after the game. "The talk and what we used to say about the BJC and how quiet it is, I'm challenging all of you, right, the old Penn Staters, the middle-aged Penn Staters like me and all the young ones, all the students, every one of us: Get out of your seat, get on your feet, sweat with us, OK? We don't need popcorn at this game. Get your butts out of the seats."

Penn State is off to a compelling start. The team is 5-0, entered the game averaging 98.2 points per game and entered Wednesday's game leading the country in steals per game (15.3) and turnover margin (10.8). Penn State has a star in guard Ace Baldwin Jr., a budding star in forward Zach Hicks and rising star in 7-foot forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

It also has a long-standing atmospheric issue at the Bryce Jordan Center, which swallows crowds and noise. Penn State, which is averaging 7,053 fans through four home games, has tried some initiatives to develop more of a home-court advantage. In 2022, the program shifted its student section to behind the courtside benches in an effort to create a more "intimidating and raucous" environment. Rhoades wants everyone to get more raucous.

"We will fight for you guys," Rhoades said at his postgame press conference Wednesday. "I want you sweating with everybody. We should never have the BJC quiet. I don't care how big the BJC is. We're not making any excuses around here, but I need you all. So if you come to the game, bring some extra Gatorade and some water and sweat with us and get into the game. And for the older people like me and up, it's a great day for exercise: in your seat, out of your seat, in your seat, out of your seat. Stand up."

"For all you young people, get crazy with it. And bring your friends with you all the time. You're not going to get in trouble for being an idiot for 40 minutes. I got your back. But I want to build this program with all of you guys, and I want it to be a fun night in State College every time we play."

As for the game, Penn State fell behind the Mastodons by 11 points in the first half, when it shot 37.9 percent and made two of 11 3-pointers, before getting its act together. The Nittany Lions stretched a 15-0 run into and out of halftime, shot a blistering 71.9 percent in the second half and created seven turnovers.

Baldwin was superb, generating a double-double (25 points, 11 assists) while contributing seven rebounds and two steals. And he led the second-half surge with 15 points and nine assists.

Zach Hicks made five 3-pointers in scoring 17 points, and Niederhauser played an assertive game with 16 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. The Nittany Lions went 9-for-14 from 3-point range in the second half.

Up Next

Penn State heads to Daytona Beach to play in the next stage of the Sunshine Slam. The Nittany Lions will start with a game against Fordham (2-2) on Nov. 25, and then play either Clemson (3-1) or San Francisco (4-0) on Nov. 26.

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