UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men’s basketball team will travel to Dayton on Sunday, Oct. 19 for a charity exhibition game in support of adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention.
The charity exhibition game, in partnership with CareSource, will tip off at 2 p.m. All net proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Jay's Light, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, and mental health initiatives for University of Dayton students. Further events and programming leading up to the game will be announced in the fall.
Dayton Coach Anthony Grant and his wife Chris strive to "bring purpose to the pain" from their family's tragedy by helping mothers, fathers, teens, and young adults find the resources to help. Their daughter, Jay, died in 2022 at the age of 20 as a result of mental illness.
“We are excited to partner with the University of Dayton, Coach Grant and CareSource to support such an important cause,” said Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Head Coach Mike Rhoades. “Raising awareness, generating conversation and increasing access to mental health services across our country is of the utmost importance. I am honored to share the floor once again with Coach Grant who I have the greatest respect for. Coach Grant’s willingness to share his family’s story to turn their pain into purpose and help others is inspirational and we are appreciative to be a part of this event.”
Penn State is set to make its first appearance at the UD Arena since the 1997-98 season when the Nittany Lions and Flyers played in the NIT.
Jay's Light, honors Jayda Grant and will be used to champion adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention. The fund will support local community organizations and initiatives that align with the mission of supporting adolescent and young adult mental health.
Click here to learn more about and support the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
Penn State will enter its third season under Rhoades in 2025-26. Rhoades has laid a strong foundation during his first two seasons, and welcomes back a core group of returnees and the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history for the 2025-26 season. Rhoades orchestrated the highest-scoring offense in Penn State history in 2024-25 as the Nittany Lions set a single-season program record with 79.1 points per game during his second season at the helm.