The transfer portal has been extremely friendly to Penn State basketball the past couple years. In 2022, they used it to put together the final pieces that allowed them to make their first NCAA Tournament since 2011. Last offseason, it was used more so as a luxury to ensure the roster was filled out to its maximum potential.
This offseason, the portal has been used as a necessity.
After Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame, many of the young players he brought into the program entered their own names into the transfer portal. The three incoming freshmen also asked for the release from their commitments to Penn State. This made the roster for the 2023-24 season dangerously thin by the time [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] was named the next head coach.
He got to work bringing two of his VCU players with him, keeping two of last year’s freshmen in the program and getting commitments from a handful of transfers from different schools in the country.
On Wednesday, Rhoades and his staff gained another commitment from UMKC transfer [autotag]RayQuawndis Mitchell[/autotag].
Proverbs 3:5
🔵⚪️🦁#Commited #WeAre#Rhoadeslesstraveled#wmdt pic.twitter.com/rgJ5D44W4n— RayQuawndis Mitchell (@rayquawndis) May 10, 2023
Last season for UMKC, Mitchell played and started in all 32 games. In 35.5 minutes, he averaged 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.5 made threes per game.
Mitchell is a 6’5″ 200 pound guard who should add immediate scoring for the Nittany Lions.
He started out his career at Idaho in 2018 before transferring to a junior college for a season. He then enrolled at University of Illinois-Chicago in 2020. Mitchell played there for one season before heading to Kanas City for his senior season. He will use his final season of eligibility playing for Penn State in the 2023-24 season.
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