Penn State basketball will begin their 2023-24 season on Monday against Delaware State to officially welcome in the [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] era in Happy Valley.
After the Nittany Lions made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 last year, it was crushing when head coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame.
Penn State was able to land a very solid replacement in Rhoades, who had built a powerhouse while at VCU.
He needed to attack the transfer portal hard to not only ensure there was talent on the roster, but to make sure there were enough players to field a team.
Rhoades was able to do that and then some, adding promising players who range in how many years of eligibility they have left.
So, what should Penn State basketball fans watch for this season in the first year of the new era?
The first thing should be the pick-and-roll centric offensive system, paired with movement and cutting.
This is the system he’s used at VCU when they averaged just shy of 71 points per game. The half-court centric offense will look much different than what the Nittany Lions did last season when they were a Top-50 team in pace.
Rhoades uses the pick-and-roll to create two-on-one situations that present mismatches for guards and big men alike.
The second thing is the size that Penn State has on the roster this year.
For the first time in a long time, the Nittany Lions actually look like a Big Ten roster. They have three players listed at 6’10” or above and have legitimate size and length at the wing.
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This is a completely different looking set of athletes than what Penn State has had in the past, causing them to be badly outrebounded in conference play. Those issues shouldn’t be as glaring with this roster.
The third thing to watch is the aggressive style of play that Rhoades wants to implement in State College.
When he was hired, the new head coach said he wants to create a “bold, different, and aggressive” program.
Much of that comes from his defensive style that pressures opposing ball handlers and forces turnovers. His team at VCU averaged 8.9 steals per game and scored in transition after getting those turnovers.
Whether these things can be accomplished during the first year of the Rhoades era is to be determined, but this is how he wants to build the program.
Watching to see how this team progresses will be a major factor in how quickly he can get this program off the ground under his leadership.