5 things to know about new head coach Mike Rhoades

Penn State has made Mike Rhoades the next head coach of the basketball program. Here are five things to know about Coach Rhoades

It seems like Athletic Director [autotag]Pat Kraft[/autotag] has made his first big hire in his Penn State tenure. After the departure of [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] to Notre Dame, all eyes were on Kraft to see how he would approach finding a replacement.

[autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] will be named the next head coach of the Penn State basketball program, leaving VCU after six seasons.

After an amazing March that was highlighted by a Big Ten Championship appearance and first round victory in the NCAA Tournament, it was clear there is a basketball fanbase at Penn State. These fans have been clamoring for the school to take basketball more seriously and put resources into the program.

Kraft said that he is willing to prioritize the basketball program. Those words were going to be tested after the Shrewsberry seemingly left for greener pastures in South Bend.

On the surface, it looks like Kraft delivered on his statement. Hiring Rhoades away from a strong mid-major program shows a commitment to getting top talent. It’s reported that Rhoades will be paid more than $3 million per year, double what his salary was at VCU.

With the new head coach set in stone, here are five things to know about Mike Rhoades.

Twitter reacts to Penn State’s reported contract offer to Mike Rhoades

College basketball world reacts to latest Penn State coaching search reports

It seems as though Penn State’s search for a new men’s basketball coach is coming to a close. Multiple reports on Tuesday evening suggested the school has made an offer to VCU head coach Mike Rhoades, suggesting he will indeed be the next head coach of the Nittany Lions. While there may have been plenty of calls for assistant Adam Fisher to get a serious look at being the next head coach, it is hard to argue that Penn State hasn’t made a good coaching hire on this stop on the coaching carousel.

Rhoades has taken VCU to the NCAA tournament three times in five years since being named the head coach of the Rams, succeeding Will Wade and returning to where he was once an assistant coach under Shaka Smart. Some might suggest Penn State comes out of this coaching change with an upgrade over Micah Shrewsberry, who left to become the head coach at Notre Dame, just based on his success as a head coach coming into the job.

Here is what Twitter had to say about the potential coaching hire in State College.

March Madness 2023: Best bets (VCU!) in the West Region

Kansas isn’t the only good bet in this region.

The West Region of the men’s NCAA tournament bracket is incredibly strong on each opposite end.

Between 1-seed Kansas and 2-seed UCLA, it’ll be hard to resist going chalk up to the regional final.

But while the other teams in this region may be a step below the top seeds, they’re mostly all in the same relative ballpark as each other. I sorted through the madness to find some good bets throughout the region.

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