How Mike Rhoades Built Penn State's New Basketball Roster

The Lions will field one of the Big Ten's most unique lineups next season. In the recruiting process, Rhoades said he was looking for 'hidden gems.'

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Before circling his team to start practice in July, Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades casually swished a few 3-pointers. Rhoades still has a pretty good shot, 28 years after being named the Division III player of the year, and sees shooting as a root strength of his first Nittany Lions team. During practice, Rhoades was lively and active, and his players seemed grooved in their drills. They understood when to drop for pushups without being told.

But as Rhoades said, "basketball's the easy part." Ten of the 15 players on his first roster played elsewhere last year, and many had never set foot on Penn State's campus before signing. Two transferred from North Carolina. Another is playing for his fifth school in six years. And a freshman arrived in early July after playing in Iceland's top professional league. This eclectic group needs more time together off the court than on it before it begins the 2023-24 season in November. But Rhoades at least sees early signs that his players are forming a team.

"One thing I like is that there's not just one guy going out the door, there's six or seven going out the door together," Rhoades said. "Four guys are going to eat together. That's very important. That's the stuff I've seen early, which are positives for sure."

About four months into his Penn State basketball coaching career, Rhoades has shed the welcome-home vibes, finished his roster build and begun the process of coaching basketball. The Pennsylvania native (he's a coal region product of Mahanoy City) has reconnected with several former high school teammates who work at Penn State. He's still fielding congratulations from hometown fans and reuniting with the state's high school coaches on a new recruiting trail. At the same time, Rhoades and his staff, which includes former Penn State star Joe Crispin, have built a roster unlike any in Penn State history.

Four players from Micah Shrewsberry's NCAA tournament team remain, including sophomore forward Demetrius Lilley, whom Rhoades said is in the best shape of his career. Around them, Rhoades populated the roster with nine transfer players who have played at 11 different schools. Among them is RayQuawndis Mitchell, a Minnesota native who played college basketball in Idaho, Colorado, Chicago and Kansas City before signing with Penn State.

Mitchell is among the players who saw Penn State's campus for the first time when he enrolled. He played at the University of Missouri-Kansas City last season and, after entering the portal, found Rhoades' staff among the first to contact him. "I took that loyalty and ran with it," he said. A 6-5 guard and graduate student, Mitchell is one of the players Rhoades and his staff took a "deep dive" into, believing his experience and versatility would fit the roster's needs. Mitchell also appreciated how Rhoades views him and his fellow transfers.

"He sees that I’m like a hidden gem," Mitchell said, "someone who works really hard but has kind of been overlooked throughout their career. He just feels that he can bring the best out of me, and so far being here has been amazing."

Finding the "hidden gem" was a core concept of Rhoades' arrival plan. Knowing he'd have to construct a team largely from the transfer portal, Rhoades sought a variety of ages and playing experiences from programs large and small. Two of the transfer players (Mitchell and 6-11 forward Qudus Wahab, who played at Georgetown and Maryland) are grad students. Another graduate student, forward Leo O'Boyle, played in the Patriot League at Lafayette. Point guard Ace Baldwin, Jr., who played for Rhoades at VCU, and former North Carolina player Puff Johnson are seniors. There's a group of juniors, including VCU's Nick Kern, Jr., and Temple's Zach Hicks, and sophomore Favour Aire from Miami. 

The Penn State Nittany Lions' 2023-23 men's basketball roster. Coach Mike Rhoades brought in nine transfer players to the program / Penn State Athletics

One more hidden gem might be guard Bragi Gudmundsson, the team's only true freshman. Gudmundsson's older brother Jon Axel, a point guard, was the 2019 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year at Davidson, so Rhoades saw him up close while coaching at VCU. In scouting Bragi, Rhoades expected to see a younger brother who was "cocky, tough and a good player," all of which materialized. And like his new teammates, Gudmundsson bought Rhoades' pitch about playing for "something that's bigger than ourselves."

"I have no problem saying, 'No, we’re going to pass on that guy because he doesn’t fit us,' because I’ve always believed that, in the craziest time or most intense time or when you need those guys most, they’re not right," Rhoades said. "And I want to play against those guys. I’ve always felt that way."

Johnson seems to fit the model as well. A Moon Township High graduate, Johnson was the Pennsylvania Class 5A player of the year in 2019 and played three seasons at North Carolina. He played in the 2022 NCAA championship game and started two games last year for the Tar Heels, which began the season ranked No. 1. 

Johnson said his biggest strength is "knowing how to win." That's a perspective Penn State will find valuable. He also embraces a very different position at Penn State, which recently won its first tournament game in 22 years.

"Last year [at North Carolina] we had the [target] on our backs every single game," Johnson said. "We knew that people were going to give us their best shot. So I’m excited to see a different perspective of it and that we’re going to go into each game and be the best shot to another team. It’s going to be a cool experience."

Rhoades debuts his new roster in the Bahamas, where the Lions will play a pair of exhibition games as part of a week-long August international tour. The Lions face the Bahamas National Team on Aug. 8 and the University of Victoria on Aug. 10 at the Baha Mar Convention Center. FloHoops will stream both games.

Rhoades expected to know more about his team after that trip. While he's keeping expectations for his first team TBA, Rhoades wasn't shy about voicing his long-term ambitions.

"I didn't come back here because it’s my home state," he said. "I came back here because I want to win. I want to win in the Big Ten. I want to win at a cool university like Penn State."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.