Penn State Basketball Notebook -- Post Media Day Practice Thoughts

Penn State Basketball officially kicked off practices recently as they prepare for the highly anticipated 2024-25 season. On Wednesday afternoon, the program hosted their annual Media Day event and Happy Valley Insider was on the scene.

With that being said, let's dive right in to some of the highlights from the practice.

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PRACTICE NOTES....

Penn State Basketball seniors, Ace Baldwin Jr, Nick Kern Jr, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, and D’Marco Dunn were all present and leading by example at practice. All five have received high praise from Mike Rhoades as leaders and players. Rhoades even stated how Johnson has put on about 15 pounds over the summer. The five seniors are the only returning players for the Nittany Lions from last season.

This season the Nittany Lions have five freshmen and new players from the transfer portal. Sophomore transfer Kachi Nzeh from Xavier, was not in attendance on Wednesday as he was dealing with an illness.

There are no current injuries to the the team and everyone in attendance was practicing. It is important to not that freshman forward, Miles Goodman was a full participant. Mike Rhoades had noted that Miles Goodman was coming back from an injury but Goodman showed no signs of discomfort at practice.

Transfers Freddie Dilione V, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are players to keep an eye on as they provide valuable assets to the Penn State team. Dilione showed off his range and passing consistently at practice and soul be very valuable for the Nittany Lions. Konan Niederhauser has received a lot of high praise from Rhoades as well as several teammates and showcased a lot of his talents on Wednesday.

From what was witnessed at practice and heard from players this Penn State team has a lot of depth. Depth of shooters, depth at size, depth of athleticism, and depth of defense. Mike Rhoades believes Penn State can make it to the March Madness tournament and from what was showcased at practice it seems like an achievable goal.

Penn State kicks off their season on Monday November 4 at 7:30 PM at home against Binghamton on Big Ten Plus.