Mike Rhoades Tapped to Lead Penn State Basketball

Penn State officially hired Mahanoy City native Mike Rhoades as its next Men’s Basketball Head Coach.

The announcement, made by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft, highlights Rhoades’ impressive career, boasting a 373-189 record, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, and nine national postseason appearances over 19 seasons.

Rhoades replaces Micah Shrewsberry, who left PSU for the same job at Notre Dame following this year’s NCAA tournament.

“We are excited to welcome Mike Rhoades as our head men’s basketball coach,” Kraft said. “He is a veteran head coach who is a proven winner at multiple levels. Mike has been a tremendous recruiter and talent developer throughout his career. As a Pennsylvania native with a strong family history with our University, Mike understands what it means to be a Penn Stater and how impactful it is to be part of Nittany Nation. Mike has a vision of how to build Penn State Basketball into a championship program.”

Rhoades brings with him a wealth of experience from his six-year tenure at VCU, where he secured three NCAA Tournament appearances, a 129-60 overall record, and a 72-32 Atlantic 10 Conference record. His time at VCU saw the development of two Atlantic 10 Players of the Year and 13 all-conference selections.

In addition to his coaching prowess, Rhoades has an impressive record in recruiting. He signed the Atlantic 10’s top-ranked recruiting class in three of the past four years.

Rhoades led the Rams to both the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships in the 2022-23 season, resulting in their third NCAA Tournament appearance under his guidance. The team’s 27 wins mark the most under Rhoades and the highest for VCU since the 2012-13 season.

Before joining VCU, Rhoades turned around Rice’s basketball program as head coach from 2014-17. He led the Owls to their first 20-win campaign since 2003-04 and their first postseason appearance since 2011-12. Under Rhoades, Rice’s 2016-17 record of 23-12 marked an 11-win improvement over the previous season.

Rhoades’ coaching career began at the age of 23 as an assistant at Randolph-Macon. As head coach, he led the Yellow Jackets to four NCAA Tournament appearances, six Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championships, and earned various accolades, including ODAC Coach of the Year three consecutive seasons.

Rhoades played college basketball at Lebanon Valley College, where he guided the Flying Dutchmen to the 1994 NCAA Division III National Championship. Rhoades was named the tournament’s Co-Outstanding Player and went on to achieve numerous recognitions, including the USA Today Division III National Player of the Year in 1995.