UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's basketball head coach Mike Rhoades announced the addition of Tennessee transfer guard Freddie Dilione V (pronounced dill-ee-ON) to the Nittany Lion program Thursday. Dilione, a former top-50 recruit, joins Penn State with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Freddie Dilione V – 6-5 Guard – 195 lbs. – Fayetteville, N.C. – Word of God Christian Academy/Tennessee
Dilione spent a year and a half with the Vols, enrolling early in January 2023 and redshirting the remainder of the 2022-23 season before playing his redshirt freshman season in 2023-24.
Dilione played in 18 games for a Tennessee team that reached the Elite Eight during his redshirt freshman campaign in 2023-24, including appearances in three of the Vols' four NCAA Tournament games. The guard tallied seven points, three rebounds and three assists in his collegiate debut against Tennessee Tech on Nov. 6, and finished with five points against both Alabama (Jan. 20) and Georgia Southern (Dec. 12).
Dilione was a top-50 prospect out of high school at Word of God Christian Academy. He was rated the No. 41 overall prospect in the Class of 2023, reaching as high as No. 24, by 247Sports and also was the top-rated prospect in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports composite. Dilione was named to the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year watch list and was one of 50 nationwide standouts named to the watch list for the 2022-23 USA TODAY Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.
Dilione averaged 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game during his breakout 2021-22 season at Word of God Christian Academy. He broke the Overtime Elite league single-game scoring record with a 36-point performance against the OSL Falcons and was a standout on the Adidas 3SSB circuit in the summer of 2022 as a member of Team Loaded. Prior to competing at Word of God Christian Academy, he played three years at Fayetteville (N.C.) Trinity Christian, where he averaged 18.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Rhoades on Dilione: "Our relationship with Freddie and his family goes back several years and we're beyond excited to have him join us at Penn State. Freddie is a very talented and versatile guard who will thrive in our up-tempo style of play. He will be a great addition to our Penn State basketball family both on and off the court."
