Tag: Nick Kern Jr.

ESPN Events Invitational: How to watch Penn State vs. VCU on Sunday

Penn State, led by a handful of former VCU Rams, will face VCU in the 7th place game of the ESPN Events Invitational.

Well, this might get a little awkward. Penn State will take on VCU in the 7th place game in the ESPN Events Invitational on Sunday morning in Kissimmee, Florida, and it will be quite the reunion.

Penn State head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] should be somewhat familiar with Penn State’s final opponent this Thanksgiving weekend in Florida as he was the former head coach of VCU before being hired by Penn State. Penn State’s roster also includes a couple of VCU transfers with [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr[/autotag].

Penn State and VCU have each lost their first two games in this holiday weekend tournament, so it is safe to say both teams would love to leave Florida with a win under their belts. This could be one of the more intriguing 7th-place games in any basketball tournament given the storyline with VCU losing its head coach and two key players to Penn State in the offseason.

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Penn State lost the opening game of the tournament to Texas A&M and was defeated by Butler in the first consolation game. VCU was defeated by Iowa State in the first round of the ESPN Events Invitational and then lost to Boise State by four points in their first consolation round game. The Rams are 3-3 coming into Sunday morning’s game with Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 4-2.

Here is how to watch today’s basketball game as you fill up on some Thanksgiving leftovers and prepare for tonight’s football game between Penn State and Michigan State.

Penn State vs. VCU Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Sunday, Nov. 26
  • Time: 10:30 a.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPNU

Here is the full schedule of games for the entire ESPN Events Invitational.

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ESPN Events Invitational: Best photos of Penn State vs. Butler

Ka-chow! Butler’s mascot was entertaining fans at the ESPN Events Invitational by riding Lightning McQueen.

For the second time in as many days over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Penn State fell short in the ESPN Events Invitational. Penn State was defeated by Butler in a consolation round game of the weekend tournament at the Walt Disney World Wide of Sports complex on Friday, 88-78.

Kanye Clary scored a career-high 28 points in the losing effort as Penn State went cole with its shooting to close the first half and could not answer a critical run by Butler in the second half.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s second game in the ESPN Events Invitational.

ESPN Events Invitational: Best photos of Penn State vs. Texas A&M

Check out the best photos from Penn State’s ESPN Events Invitational opener against Texas A&M.

Penn State came up short in the opening game of the 2023 ESPN Events Invitational down in Florida on Thanksgiving, losing to no. 13 Texas A&M by a score of 89-77. It was a good test for the new-look Nittany Lions and despite coming up with the first loss of the season, Penn State showed some good fight against the Aggies.

Penn State will take on Butler in the consolation round on Friday afternoon. Butler was defeated by FAU, a Final Four team from last season. It will also be the second year in a row Penn State will face Butler. The Nittany Lions topped the Bulldogs in last year’s Gavitt Tipoff Games

Here are some of the best photos available from Penn State’s basketball game against Texas A&M in the ESPN Events Invitational.

What to watch for in Penn State basketball’s season opener vs. Delaware State

Key storylines to look for in Penn State basketball’s season opener against Delaware State.

Mike Rhoades begins his first season with Penn State tonight as the Nittany Lions host the Delaware State Hornets to open the 2023-24 season.

It’s always exciting when the college basketball season tips off, and for Penn State, the amount of intrigue couldn’t be higher with a new coach and a revamped roster. A year ago, the Nittany Lions beat the Hornets 60-46 at the Bryce Jordan Center to extend their all-time series record to 4-0.

With Delaware State coming off a disappointing season that saw the Hornets go 6-24 overall and 4-10 in Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference play, Penn State can look to implement Rhoades style and get into a rhythm as a team with ten new players. 

VCU transfer and reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr. figures to be the lead man for a Nittany Lions team looking for a star after the departure of Jalen Pickett to the NBA. Baldwin’s experience with Rhoades’ system and fellow VCU transfer Nick Kern Jr. should be extremely beneficial in quickly getting the team up to speed.

Baldwin’s knack on the defensive end is something to watch for tonight. The former Ram was 19th in steals per game (2.23) last season and is one of the premier on-ball defenders in the country. An aggressive and turnover-forcing defense is exactly the type Rhoades wants to run. If the 16 turnovers forced in the exhibition against Robert Morris is any indication, the unit should show off tonight.

Another thing to watch for tonight is whether North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson suits up for the opener. The 6’8 wing from Moon, Pennsylvania, did not play in the exhibition, and Rhoades lists him as “day-to-day.” Johnson, a co-captain along with Baldwin and returning guard Kanye Clary, is expected to be a key contributor whom Rhoades leans on heavily. If Johnson doesn’t play, watch out for the second North Carolina transfer De’Marco Dunn and Temple sharpshooting transfer Zach Hicks.

In a game not expected to be a close one (an 18.5-point favorite on FanDuel), expect Rhoades to rotate his squad frequently and to experiment with different matchups. The defense, the pick-and-roll game, and Ace Baldwin Jr. are my three items to watch as the season gets started tonight. 

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Penn State men’s basketball 2023-24 roster

Here is a look at every player on Penn State men’s basketball roster for the first season under head coach Mike Rhoades.

Penn State will have a new look on the roster for the 2023-24 season. A new head coach and significant roster turnover, including losing two players to the NBA, have led to a roster with a number of transfer players plugging roster holes for the 2023-24 season.

Penn State’s roster includes a total of 10 players who have come from the transfer portal, with a number being added to the roster since the end of last season. That includes star guard Ace Baldwin Jr., one of the top players Rhoades had on his roster at VCU before moving to Penn State. Penn State also added transfers from North Carolina, Lafayette, Miami, and Temple this offseason.

Here is a look at Penn State’s men’s basketball roster for the 2023-24 season.

The new guy in charge: A look into Mike Rhoades’ resume

A look into what Mike Rhoades brings to Penn State in his first season as head coach

After a surprising run through the Big Ten tournament culminating with a narrow two-point defeat to No. 1 seed Purdue and beating Texas A&M for their first NCAA Tournament win since 2001, Micah Shrewsberry was off to South Bend to coach Notre Dame and Penn State basketball, was looking for a new leader. In steps former Rice and VCU head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag], who takes over for Shrewsberry after six seasons with the Rams, leading them to four NCAA Tournament berths and two Atlantic 10 regular season conference championships. With a coaching career spanning 27 seasons, Rhoades brings a wealth of experience to State College.

Rhoades began his head coaching career in 1999 at the ripe age of 25 after getting promoted from assistant at Randolph-Macon, a Division III school in Ashland, Virginia. After ten seasons with the Yellow Jackets, Rhoades got the associate head coaching job at VCU under then-head coach Shaka Smart, where he was a part of the famous Rams team that made it to the 2011 Final Four. A brief three-year stint at Rice ending in 2017 was followed by his getting the nod to lead VCU.

Rhoades, a former player at Lebanon Valley College who is no stranger to winning teams, led the Dutchmen to the 1994 Division III national championship and was a two-time All-American, graduating as the college’s all-time leading scorer.

The Rams under Rhoades were 129-62 (72-32 A-10 record) but could never grab that elusive NCAA Tournament win. As the 15th head coach in Penn State program history, Rhoades will hope to buck that winless trend in the big dance. Following one of the most successful Penn State basketball seasons of recent memory, Rhoades and co. have some expectations from fans to give a repeat performance.

The Pennsylvania native’s previous teams heavily emphasized the defensive side of the ball, which frequently includes full-court pressure no matter the game situation. Forcing turnovers and a high-paced transition offense are two staples coming to the Bryce Jordan Center this winter.

For most Nittany Lions’ and Big Ten fans, Penn State’s new up-tempo, ball-movement-centered offense will be a revelation after two years of Shrewsberry’s slow, calculated style. Rhoades brings with him VCU transfers Ace Baldwin Jr. and Nick Kern Jr., who, despite being in the fast-paced system before, are expecting an even faster one this season.

Buying into a completely different system is easy when Rhoades comes with such a track record of success. The new aggressive, fast-paced scheme was on display last week when the squad forced 16 turnovers for 12 points in a 68-58 exhibition win against Robert Morris.

Mike Rhoades’ first season and 20th season as a head coach tips off on Monday, Nov. 6th, at the Bryce Jordan Center against Delaware State.

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Penn State basketball opens foreign tour with blowout victory in Bahamas

Penn State basketball scores blowout of Bahamas Pirates in foreign tour exhibition.

We may still be a couple of months away from the official start of the [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] era of Penn State basketball, but the new head coach of the Nittany Lions has technically opened his tenure with a blowout victory. Penn State opened a foreign tour in the Bahamas on Tuesday with a 113-65 victory over the Bahamas Pirates in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League.

[autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] was Penn State’s leading scorer with 17 points. [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] added 16 points with three three-pointers made. [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] scored 13 points and had a team-high seven assists with five rebounds. [autotag]Puff Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] also scored in double figures with 13 points each.

“Good first game,” Rhoades said after his team’s balanced performance. “A lot of guys contributed and we played a lot of different rotations and lineups. Great to see we had 26 assists, that means we’re playing the right way.”

Penn State’s defense also forced 33 turnovers by the Pirates. Penn State’s efficient offense had just 13 turnovers in the game.

Penn State’s next and final game in the Bahamas is scheduled for Thursday against the University of Victoria, from Canada. The University of Victoria dropped its first game in the Bahamas against the Big East’s Xavier, 80-68.

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Penn State lands second transfer from VCU

Penn State added another VCU player form the transfer portal as it looks to fill its roster.

It’s been a good month on the rebuilding front for Penn State basketball so far. Coaching changes always bring roster turnover, especially in the transfer era of today. The Nittany Lions were already facing a major overhaul with the number of seniors graduating but were dealt a big blow with their incoming freshman NLI releases and current players hitting the portal.

New coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] is looking to field his roster by hitting the transfer portal.

Prior to landing his former guard at VCU, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag], Penn State only had two players on scholarship entering the 2023-24 season. It seemed like a foregone conclusion Rhoades would be targeting the VCU players who he recruited and had major success within the Atlantic-10 conference.

Besides Baldwin, two other former VCU players have been linked to Penn State with Jalen Deloach visiting State College this weekend. 247Sports released a crystal ball prediction that had Nicholas Kern going to Penn State.

It looks like that prediction has come true, with Kern announcing his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday.

The 6’6″ forward is a former three-star recruit who was a part of VCU’s 2021 recruiting class with Deloach. Kern started in 19 games last year for VCU while averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 62 percent overall. In his last outing, he scored five points and secured two rebounds in VCU’s Round of 64 loss to Saint Mary’s.

Overall, Kern Jr. has appeared in 66 games in two seasons at VCU under Rhoades. Before he played at VCU he was from St. Louis and was a highly sought-after prospect with offers from DePaul, Saint Louis, and TCU as the notable schools looking at him. He was the No. 32 small forward in the 2021 class and the No. 3 recruit in Missouri, according to 247Sports.

In high school out of Missouri, Kern was the player of the year as a senior after leading Vashon to a state championship with 18.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. While he hasn’t been able to provide the same type of production in the college game, he has grown in other areas.

The numbers are not eyepopping, but this is a good get for Rhoades as he starts building up a program to try and compete this upcoming season. Kern is now the second player landed through the transfer portal and it’s clear the team will be up of a majority of transfer players if Rhoades can’t convince players from last year to return.

Penn State had a successful season last year by getting impact players through the portal, so they’ve proven they can compete by fielding a roster that way.

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