Tag: Penn State men’s basketball recruiting

Penn State lands highest-rated basketball recruit in program history

Penn State basketball starts next week, but this may be the biggest win of the season already.

The start of Penn State’s men’s basketball season tips off next week, but head coach Mike Rhoades has already scored perhaps his biggest win of the year. On Friday, Penn State received a verbal commitment from [autotag]Kayden Mingo[/autotag], one of the nation’s top-50 basketball recruits in the Class of 2025. Mingo is the highest-ranked player to ever commit to Penn State in program history, making this one of the biggest recruiting victories for Rhoades since taking over the head coaching job in State College.

Mingo is a combination center and guard from Glen Head, New York. Mingo is a consensus four-star recruit according to the recruiting outlets, and he is rated as the second-overall player in New York according to 247Sports and On3. He is a consensus top-10 center-guard combo as well.

Mingo is ranked as the no. 43 player overall in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports. Prior to the commitment of Mingo, the highest-ranked recruit for Penn State using the same player rankings mechanic was Tony Carr in the Class of 2016 (no. 84 overall). The third highest rated recruit for Penn State will be a future teammate of Mingo, Miles Goodman. Goodman was a four-star center in Penn State’s Class of 2024 and is entering his freshman season with the Nittany Lions.

The addition of Mingo’s commitment has skyrocketed Penn State’s basketball recruiting class all the way up to no. 12 in the nation, which is good for the third-best in the Big Ten at the time of this writing. Penn State currently ranks one spot higher than Kentucky, five spots ahead of Alabama, and nine spots ahead of Michigan State. Time will tell just how long Penn State can hold on to this rare high basketball recruiting ranking, but Rhoades is clearly putting in the work to transform Penn State from a program capable of making an appearance in the NCAA basketball tournament once a decade to realistically expecting annual trips to the Big Dance being the expectation rather than the exception.

Penn State basketball gets first commit in Class of 2025 fromJustin Houser

Penn State basketball joins the recruiting blitz with its first commit in the Class of 2025.

It has been a bit of a crazy week for Penn State football on the recruiting trail with a total of six new commitments in a roller coaster of a few days. But now Penn State’s men’s basketball program is getting in the commitment fun with the first commitment of the Class of 2025 now officially on the board.

Justin Houser, a 6′-11″ center from Malvern, Pa., announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on his social media account on Wednesday evening. His commitment to Penn State comes following an unofficial visit to Penn State’s campus on the same day. Houser visited Temple last week as well.

Houser committed to Penn State over offers from Temple and Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia as well as Bryant, Delaware, Lafayette, and NJIT. Hosuer does not have a recruiting ranking from 247Sports or Rivals but does carry a three-star rating from On3. On3 ranks Houser as the 12th-best player overall in Pennsylvania and as the 33rd-best center in the nation in the Class of 2025.

Houser is the first recruit in the Class of 2025 for Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades. Penn State pulled ina  top-25 recruiting class in the Class of 2024 and is hoping to do so again in the next recruiting cycle. Here’s hoping Rhoades and the basketball program go on a recruiting run like James Franklin and the football program have been on lately!

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Penn State basketball getting visit from Maryland’s Gatorade Player of the Year

Penn State basketball is preparing for a major official visit from one of the top players in Maryland.

All eyes are on Penn State’s football program with official visits kicking off this weekend, but there is plenty of action taking place for other programs.

The basketball team got some huge news when their star [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] announced that he was returning to the team for the upcoming season. That will not only allow them to compete this year, but it also gives head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] another chance to establish his culture and build momentum.

One thing that Rhoades and his staff did well during his tenure at VCU was being able to land high-end recruits to a mid-major program.

He’s currently trying to do that for the Nittany Lions, something that they should be able to do when giving prospects the chance to compete in a Power 4 conference.

The good news keeps flowing for Penn State on the hardcourt as one of their top targets in the 2025 class has revealed he will be visiting Happy Valley in August.

Consensus four-star recruit [autotag]Cam Ward[/autotag] is ranked as the 38th-best player in the country by ESPN coming off him winning Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland.

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound prospect spoke with Jamie Shaw of On3 about his recruitment after taking two official visits to Florida State and Notre Dame. It’s no surprised that those two are the leaders in the clubhouse, but Penn State is going to get a real look as Ward thinks what Rhoades and his staff are doing will translate well going forward (subscription required).

He’s playing AAU basketball for Team Durant on Nike’s EYBL Circuit this summer and will look to narrow down his list after everything finishes up.

How this relationship progresses will be seen, but it’s huge positive that someone of Ward’s magnitude has the Nittany Lions on his radar and will take a trip to campus.

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Penn State could get football and basketball player with No. 1 2026 tight end

Could Penn State land a coveted two-sport athlete in 2026?

Penn State is transitioning into the official visit portion of their calendar as they need a strong close to secure one of the best classes in the 2025 cycle.

Because of that, the majority of attention will be on the top targets still on [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his coaching staff’s board as they currently sit with just 13 commits.

There are plenty of positions that need to be filled in this class, but that’s not stopping them from putting attention and resources into the 2026 recruiting class.

One player who is already a standout is [autotag]Kendre Harrison[/autotag].

The no. 1 rated tight end in his cycle is a 6-foot-7, 245-pounder from North Carolina who is a five-star in 247Sports’ composite rankings. Listed as the sixth-best player in the class, his recruitment has already gone national.

There is one interesting thing that comes with the recruitment of Harrison, however.

He wants to play football and basketball in college.

The coveted recruit told Anna Adams of 247Sports that he plans on playing at least one year of college basketball but will use his scholarship towards the football numbers as that will take precedent over everything else (subscription required).

As a North Carolina native, he’s taken tons of visits to that campus and has been in communication with both their football and basketball programs. Harrison has also spoken with former Tar Heel great, Julius Peppers, about the decision to play both sports at the collegiate level.

According to the tight end recruit, it doesn’t matter if the basketball program of the college he commits to is good or not as he just wants to make sure he laces up sneakers on the hardcourt at some point.

Penn State jumped onto his radar after he was impressed with their White Out.

Harrison also has a connection to the Nittany Lions as his brother’s friend is cousins with former tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It’s unknown if head basketball coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] has been in contact with the multisport star yet, but this would certainly be an opportunity for Rhoades and Franklin to work together and get something done.

This will certainly be an interesting recruitment process as there are more things to navigate beyond the football aspect of things.

Penn State basketball recruit in attendance for win against Michigan

Penn State basketball had a key recruit in the stands in Philly to watch the big win over Michigan.

Penn State basketball got a much needed victory in Philadelphia this past Sunday against Michigan.

This was their second trip to The Palestra in as many seasons, but this time, they came away with a 79-72 win in front of a sold-out crowd.

It didn’t seem like that was in the cards early on as they entered halftime with a 10 point deficit. But, they exploded in the second half, scoring 52 points, to leave The Cathedral of College Basketball with a victory, pushing their season record to 8-7 and 2-2 in conference play.

[autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] had his best game since joining Penn State, finishing with his Big Ten career high 25 points and adding four assists and three steals.

While this is certainly a moral booster for the players currently in the program, it also could give the Nittany Lions momentum for one of their top class of 2025 recruits, [autotag]Matt Gilhool[/autotag], who was in attendance.

The 6’10” forward is listed as the 94th player in the country and No. 4 in Pennsylvania according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

He spoke with Dushawn London of 247Sports about his recruitment and where he stands with Penn State (subscription required).

Gilhool said he’s a fan of how the Nittany Lions play and how they envision his role as a versatile big man with the team. He’s been in contact with the coaching staff but was looking forward to seeing them in person again when he attended their game at The Palestra in an unofficial fashion.

As of now, the only place he’s taken an official visit to is Syracuse, but he’s not narrowing his focus onto any one school or group of schools in particular at this moment.

He told London his recruitment is very open right now and is listening to every school who is interested in him before ultimately cutting his list down in the spring or early summer.

That timeline is a rough estimate, but he said he’d like to give a commitment in the fall during his senior year.

Gilhool would be a great addition for Penn State, adding size and versatility, while landing a Top-100 player in the country and one of the best in the state.

This recruitment process will be one to continue monitoring.

Penn State basketball secures commitment from four-star center Miles Goodman

The Mike Rhoades era begins! Penn State basketball adds a four-star commitment on same day new basketball season begins.

As Penn State was about to tip off a brand new season under new head coach Mike Rhoades, Rhoades and the Nittany Lions received some terrific news for its future. [autotag]Miles Goodman[/autotag], a four-star center from Castaic, California, announced his commitment to Penn State basketball’s Class of 2024, its third commitment in the current recruiting cycle.

Goodman’s commitment to Penn State was shared by Southern California Academy, where Goodman plays currently, via Instagram. Goodman made an official visit to Penn State on Sept. 22, which followed visits to TCU and an offer from Texas Tech.

Goodman is rated as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024 according to the 247Sports composite rankings. The same cumulative rankings have Goodman listed as the nation’s 17th-best center, 13th-best player in the state of California, and the 109th-top player overall in the recruiting class. Needless to say, this is a major pickup for Rhoades and the Nittany Lions.

Goodman is the third player in Penn State’s Class of 2024. He joins his Southern California Academy teammate [autotag]Dominick Stewart[/autotag], who committed to the Nittany Lions in September. Penn State also has a commitment from shooting guard [autotag]Jahvin Carter[/autotag] from Tenenssee.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzUn83JNIWi/

Penn State’s Class of 2024 currently ranks 45th in the nation according to the most recent update to the 247Sports composite class rankings.

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Penn State basketball scores first Class of 2024 commit

Penn State basketball got its first commitment for the Class of 2024 on Monday night.

Penn State men’s basketball head coach Mike Rhoades has his first building block in the Class of 2024. Penn State received a verbal commitment from guard Jahvin Carter on Monday night, giving the Nittany Lions its first commitment in the current recruiting cycle.

Carter, from Alcoa, Tennessee, does not have a recruiting rating on 247Sports. He commited to Penn State over offers from Georgia Tech and Middle Tennessee State. Penn State extended its offer to Carter just a couple of weeks ago, and the Nittany Lions quickly rose to the top of the list for the out-of-state recruit.

Carter measures 6′-2″ and 175 pounds heading into his senior season of high school basketball. He is coming off a junior season with an average of 27 points per game and he was a key part of a state championship run for Alcoa. So there is definitely something encouraging with this commitment for Penn State.

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Penn State hoops offers elite 2025 PA prospect

Penn State basketball extends new scholarship offer to 2025 in-state target

Recruiting season for Penn State under new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] is officially underway. Coming into his tenure at Penn State, Rhoades and his staff built a reputation that they were elite recruiters at VCU.

Penn State basketball fans know all too well that the overall quality of player that has been in the program has not been up to Big Ten standards if they truly wanted to compete at the national level. It was one of the main reasons why the NCAA Tournament took over a decade to extinguish despite double digit conference teams getting invited.

Under previous head coach Micah Shrewsberry, he had back to back recruiting years that were the best in program history.

Rhoades will look to eclipse that in his first full year of recruiting for the Nittany Lions.

While sights are set on the 2024 class at the moment, basketball recruitment is something that constantly is taking place. Therefore, there was no time wasted in extending a scholarship offer to 2025 4-star forward Alier Maluk.

Maluk is a 6’10” prospect from Pittsburgh, PA.

He is currently ranked as the number 21 overall player in the country and the number two player in Pennsylvania according to On3’s industry rankings.

Maluk is a very interesting prospect. Even though he’s 6’10”, he primarily plays on the perimeter because he has a soft jump shot and can use his handles to get into the lane. Listed as 180 pounds right now, he has two more years of high school to get his body ready for the college basketball level.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine currently has his hometown program of Pittsburgh listed as the favorites to land him with a 40.4% chance. West Virginia is second with 35.3% and Penn State comes in fourth with a 1.2% chance.

There is still a ways to go in Maluk’s recruitment process, even with the hometown school working hard to land him.

This will be a fantastic test to see what coach Rhoades can do in Pennsylvania, recruiting and getting commitments from top instate prospects and bringing them into the Penn State basketball program.

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Penn State basketball offers 4-star point guard in 2024 class

Penn State basketball extends offer to top 100 player in Class of 2024

The recruiting cycle for prospects in the class of 2024 is starting to heat up heading into the summer. There are plenty of prospects who have committed to their schools early, but the spring and summer months are where uncommitted players can rise up recruiting boards with strong performances.

[autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] will be looking to make a statement with his first recruiting class when it’s all said and done. The 2024 class will be Rhoades’ first opportunity to start building the program that he wants in State College. He and his staff have started their recruiting process, offering scholarships to players they like across the country.

On Tuesday, a player that was previously off the market became available and Penn State is trying to pounce.

Four-star point guard Dellquan Warren decommitted from Rutgers on Tuesday and opened up his recruitment. On Thursday, Penn State wasted no time offering the Pennsylvania prospect a scholarship.

Warren is originally from Ohio, but plays high school basketball at Keystone Prep in Erie, PA. The decision to re-open his recruitment came in May after being committed to Rutgers since December 2022.

He told On3, “After a lot of long hard conversations with my close and loved ones, I have decided to re-open my recruitment with keeping Rutgers at the top of my list.”

Warren is consensus top 100 player in the class of 2024. On3’s industry rankings have him as the 11th best point guard in the country and the number four prospect in the state of Pennsylvania.

This could be a major commitment for Rhoades and his staff to secure in their first recruiting class. Landing a top 100 player from the state of Pennsylvania is a good start for how they want to be perceived across the country.

There is not timetable on when Warren will commit to his collegiate program, but he’s certainly a player to monitor going forward.

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Penn State hoops offers scholarship to rising 2024 wing

Penn State basketball continues to be handing out offers for its Class of 2024.

With one recruit secured for the class of 2023, new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] and his coaching staff are now firmly moving their attention forward to putting their own stamp on the Penn State basketball program.

With the decommitments coming from the head coaching change, Penn State was looking at zero recruits from the 2023 class. However, they were able to sign an international prospect to secure their lone commitment from the past recruiting cycle.

Now, all eyes are on the class of 2024. This is where Rhoades and his staff will be able to fully use their recruiting expertise to start building the program they want in State College.

Earlier in May, they offered a top 100 prospect in the class of 2024. On May 22nd, they extend another scholarship offer to a rising prospect from Colorado.

Darrion Sutton is a 6’9″ wing who is starting to climb the rankings in the recruiting databases. Currently, 247Sports has him ranked as a three-star recruit and the 34th ranked small forward in the class. On3 and ESPN don’t have any rankings for Sutton currently, but that could change as he’s started to get offers from Division 1 programs across the country.

247Sports’ database currently has him with 27 scholarship offers. Some notable schools on the list include Michigan, Illinois, Rutgers, Missouri and St. John’s.

The majority of his offers have come in the month of May, suggesting that his stock is on the rise after having a dominant spring basketball cycle.

Sutton is a true wing player even with his 6’9″ height. He has the handles to attack the basket from the perimeter and can make plays for others. His defensive prowess and length makes him an ideal target for what Rhoades historically likes from his wing players.

The stock should continue to rise for Sutton and he may play his way into being a consensus four-star recruit by the time his senior season of basketball starts.

He’s certainly an interesting target to keep an eye on as a target of Penn State.

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