Penn State hits home run with Mike Rhoades hire

New Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Penn State men's basketball makes home run hire in Mike Rhoades

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 3/29/23

Mike Rhoades is set to become the new head men's basketball coach at Penn State, and he's going to end up being an incredible hire for the Nittany Lions. The need for a big-time replacement was certainly there for Penn State.

Micah Shrewsberry took over the program in 2021 and turned a team that went 11-14 the season before into a 14-17 program in his first season and then a NCAA Tournament-bound 23-14 in 2022. Shrewsberry built Penn State up so quickly that he was a no-brainer hire for Notre Dame, which needed to replace Mike Bray after Bray put up a tremendous 23-season run with the Fighting Irish basketball program.

Schrewsberry's rising star moved to South Bend, but a new rising star is reportedly en route to Happy Valley.

Rhoades and Penn State have agreed to a deal that will make him the head coach. NCAA insider Jon Rothstein first reported the news, and Penn State confirmed the move later in the day.

Sources: VCU's Mike Rhoades has officially accepted the head coaching vacancy at Penn State.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 29, 2023

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Rhoades met with his VCU team to inform them of his decision to move on to Penn State.

Rhoades also tweeted a message to VCU.

pic.twitter.com/8LhLjCUpJW
— Mike Rhoades (@CoachRhoades) March 29, 2023

Again, this is a big-time hire for PSU. Rhoades has been the head coach at VCU for six seasons, and he's been able to carry on the tradition of success created by Will Wade and Shaka Smart before him.

Rhoades went 129-61 at VCU, winning the Atlantic 10 regular-season championship once, the Atlantic 10 conference tournament once and making the NCAA Tournament three times. In 2019-20, he had VCU ranked as high as No. 20 in the AP Poll.

He'll now be tasked with having the same type of success, or more, at Penn State.

More must-reads: