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.
