UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's basketball team gets an early start to the 2023-24 season Friday night when the Nittany Lions travel to Robert Morris for a charity exhibition game in benefit of Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and tickets for the exhibition game are $10 with all proceeds benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.
FOLLOW ALONG
- TICKETS: Tickets - $10 – Proceeds benefit Coaches vs. Cancer
- VIDEO: ESPN+
- LIVE STATS: Live Stats
- GAME NOTES: Penn State
OPENING TIPS
- Penn State and Robert Morris team up for a charity exhibition game Friday at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pa. to kick off the 2023-24 season.
- Proceeds from the exhibition game between the Nittany Lions and Colonials will support the American Cancer Society as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative.
- The Nittany Lions enter their first season under Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Head Coach Mike Rhoades in 2023-24. Rhoades came to Penn State following a six-year stint as the head coach at VCU in which he guided the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a 129-60 overall record and 72-32 Atlantic 10 Conference record.
- In 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Rhoades, a Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania native, has produced a 373-189 record, a winning percentage of .664, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and nine national postseason appearances.
- Penn State is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw the Nittany Lions finish 23-14 overall and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- The Nittany Lions officially open the 2023-24 season with a four-game homestand that begins inside the Bryce Jordan Center on Nov. 6 vs. Delaware State.
COACHES VS. CANCER
- For over 30 years, the Coaches vs. Cancer program, in collaboration with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), has united coaches and fans nationwide to help the American Cancer Society defeat a common enemy – cancer. Through fundraising and initiatives, the Coaches vs. Cancer program has supported the American Cancer Society in its efforts to save lives from cancer.
- Penn State men's basketball's longstanding relationship with Coaches vs. Cancer has raised more than $3.7 million net to date and CvC-Penn State is among nation's most successful fundraising chapters. Individuals can get involved with the Coaches vs. Cancer of Penn State chapter by becoming a sponsor or volunteering.
A CAUSE CLOSE TO THE HEART
- Penn State and Robert Morris will come together to support a cause that is close to both programs' hearts in support of Coaches vs. Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
- Penn State will be playing in support of mindfulness coach Alex Peavey and the Peavey Project. A trusted friend and ally of Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Head Coach Mike Rhoades and the Penn State coaching staff, Peavey has endured a five-year battle with two stage-four cancers. Peavey has been given days, weeks and months to live throughout his battle, but has continued to persevere and fight. The non-profit Peavey Project seeks to amplify the lessons and legacy of Alex Peavey and positively impact the trajectory of our community by teaching mindfulness and mental performance skills. Rhoades has partnered with the Peavey Project for a number of years to teach his teams the importance of mindfulness as a pillar of holistic student-athlete welfare.
- Robert Morris will be playing in support of Colonials' Director of Basketball Operations Matthew Sweet who was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in March 2023. Sweet has completed four rounds of chemo and immunotherapy as well as one round of chemotherapy and radiation. Sweet will continue immunotherapy treatments over the next year.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
- The Colonials are coming off a 2022-23 season that saw Robert Morris go 16-17 overall and 10-10 in Horizon League play.
- RMU enters its 14th season under head coach Andrew Toole who owns a 216-210 record.
- Guards Josh Corbin (10.5 ppg), Jackson Last (5.8 ppg) and Stephaun Walker (6.8 ppg) return as starters for the Colonials in 2023-24. RMU lost its leading two scorers from last year's campaign in Kahliel Spear (15.5 ppg) and Enoch Cheeks (15.4 ppg).
- In all, the Colonials welcome back 39.4 percent (902-of-2,287) of their scoring, 45.9 percent (526-of-1,145) of their rebounding and 32.4 percent (148-of-457) of their assists.
AGAINST THE COLONIALS
- While Friday's exhibition game won't count towards either team's official record, the Nittany Lions and Colonials will meet for the first time since 2009.
- Penn State makes its first-ever trip to Robert Morris' UPMC Arena. The three regular-season meetings between the two programs all took place in Happy Valley.
- The Nittany Lions and Colonials most recently met on Nov. 16, 2009 inside the Bryce Jordan Center when Penn State defeated Robert Morris, 80-61.
ALL RHOADES LEAD TO HAPPY VALLEY
- Mike Rhoades was announced as the 15th men's basketball head coach in Penn State history on March 29, 2023.
- Rhoades came to Penn State following a six-year stint as the head coach at VCU in which he guided the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a 129-60 overall record and 72-32 Atlantic 10 Conference record.
- In 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Rhoades, a Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania native, has produced a 373-189 record, a winning percentage of .664, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and nine national postseason appearances.
ALLOW US TO REINTRODUCE OURSELVES
- Mike Rhoades and his Nittany Lion coaching staff signed 10 players in a matter of 59 days upon arrival to Happy Valley this spring to build the 2023-24 Penn State roster.
- Penn State returns just three scholarship players (Jameel Brown, Kanye Clary and Demetrius Lilley) and two walk-ons (Andy Christos and Dan Conlan) from the 2022-23 roster.
- Rhoades and his staff signed nine transfers and one freshman in a span of 59 days from April to June, listed in order from first to last signing below:
- Ace Baldwin Jr. - VCU
- Nick Kern Jr. - VCU
- Zach Hicks - Temple
- Puff Johnson - North Carolina
- Qudus Wahab - Georgetown
- Leo O'Boyle - Lafayette
- RayQuawndis Mitchell - Kansas City
- Bragi Guðmundsson - Freshman
- Favour Aire - Miami (Fla.)
- D'Marco Dunn - North Carolina
ISLAND TIME
- Penn State got a valuable head start on the 2023-24 campaign as the Nittany Lions took a seven-day foreign tour to the Bahamas this August for two exhibition games.
- Penn State opened the foreign tour with a 113-65 win over the Bahamas Pirates on Aug. 8. Nick Kern Jr. led the way for the Nittany Lions with 17 points on an 8-for-9 clip from the field and added seven rebounds. D'Marco Dunn followed with 16 points behind three made 3-pointers. Kanye Clary finished with 13 points, a team-high seven assists and five rebounds. Puff Johnson chipped in 13 points and seven boards, while Jameel Brown also added 13 points. Zach Hicks led the Nittany Lions with 12 rebounds, while Demetrius Lilley and Leo O'Boyle each pulled in eight boards.
- The Nittany Lions then earned a 103-77 victory over University of Victoria (Canada) on Aug. 10. Kanye Clary led five Nittany Lions in double figures with 22 points on a 10-for-13 mark from the field. Clary added five rebounds and five assists in his stellar all-around effort. Zach Hicks followed with 19 points helped by a 5-for-7 showing from 3-point range. Nick Kern Jr. tallied 16 points and six rebounds, while Puff Johnson added 15 points and six boards. Leo O'Boyle rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Ace Baldwin Jr. dished 10 assists while adding a team-best four steals.
GOT AN ACE UP OUR SLEEVE
- Senior point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. has earned well-deserved preseason recognition as a preseason top 20 finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award as well as being ranked as the No. 40 player on The Almanac's list of Top 100 Players entering the 2023-24 season.
- Baldwin Jr. enters his first season at Penn State after transferring from VCU to rejoin Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades. The Baltimore, Md. native put together three standout seasons at VCU as a two-time all-conference pick and the 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
- Baldwin Jr. owns collegiate career marks of 829 points (10.4 ppg), 419 assists (5.2 apg) and 183 steals (2.3 spg). He averaged double-digit points during both his sophomore and junior seasons and led the Rams in assists in all three of his seasons at VCU, while guiding the Rams to a 68-25 record, two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance through his three seasons at VCU.
- Baldwin Jr. is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw him average 12.7 ppg, while ranking 15th nationally in assists per game (5.8) and 19th nationally in steals per game (2.23). The 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Baldwin Jr. was the catalyst for a VCU defense that ranked 15th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency metric last season.
UP NEXT
- The Nittany Lions officially open the 2023-24 campaign on Nov. 6 when Penn State welcomes Delaware State to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff on B1G+.
The 2023-24 Penn State men's basketball season is presented by Highmark Health.