The page has officially been turned by Penn State with the hiring of head basketball coach Mike Rhoades. The former VCU head coach comes home to Pennsylvania to take over a program coming off a successful season but in need of some major offseason housekeeping to keep hopes high for more wins in 2023.
The hiring by Penn State is widely being considered a solid hire by Penn State, and the optimism for the future of the program is still flowing after so many changes with the program since its run in the NCAA tournament came to an end.
Here are some of the best reactions seen on Twitter following Penn State’s hiring of Mike Rhoades.
The official announcement
Welcome to Happy Valley, @CoachRhoades🦁
A proven winner and a Pennsylvania native, we are thrilled to officially announce Mike Rhoades as the next Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Men's Basketball Head Coach → https://t.co/3RCbWQfzvD#WeAre pic.twitter.com/EyxBCCskYR
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) March 29, 2023
Shortly after the Board of Trustees voted to approve his contract, Mike Rhoades was officially announced as the next head coach of the men’s basketball program.
A great first addition to the coaching staff
Penn State fans are concerned about a Mike Rhoades led team offense.
Don't be.
The addition of Joe Crispin to the staff changes everything.
Get ready for a high-flying, fast-paced type of offense.
— Zach Seyko (@zach_seyko) March 29, 2023
Penn State may have lost a player favorite assistant coach to another coaching opportunity when Adam Fisher left to become the next head coach at Temple, but Penn State will be welcoming home another former Nittany Lion to be on the coaching staff, according to early reports. Joe Crispin, who ahs been the head coach of Division 3 Rowan, is supposedly coming home to Happy Valley.
Joe Crispin has had some coaching success as well
I would expect Penn State great Joe Crispin to join Mike Rhoades’ staff at his alma mater. Crispin just finished his seventh season as head coach at Div. III Rowan University in New Jersey, advancing to the Sweet 16 in his third NCAA Tournament appearance with the program.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) March 29, 2023
Crispin is heading to Penn State fresh off a trip to the Sweet 16 in the Division men’s basketball tournament. His work at Rowan has prepared him for this kind of opportunity and it could keep him on track for a future head coaching job at the Division 1 level if things continue to go well.
What nationally relevant coaches had to say about the hiring
Penn State released quotes on Mike Rhoades from Jay Wright, Shaka Smart & more pic.twitter.com/8wexMjU0MT
— Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) March 29, 2023
Penn State shared some quotes about Mike Rhoades from some prominent names in college basketball. Among them were Rhoades’ former boss and current Marquette head coach Shaka Smart and two-time national championship head coach Jay Wright.
Get ready for a Mike Rhoades reunion tour
Sources: As part of Mike Rhoades' buyout with VCU, Penn State will be required to begin a future home-and-home series with the Rams.
This has been a common practice when VCU has lost its head coaches to power conference programs.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 30, 2023
College basketball non-conference schedules tend to be thrown together on relatively short notice compared to college football, but we can probably start planning on a future home-and-home series with VCU. As part of the buyout terms, Penn State reportedly agreed to organize a future home-and-home series with VCU. VCU did the same with Texas when it lost Shaka Smart to the Longhorns.
But first, a possible matchup with VCU could happen this season
The best possible timeline is that Mike Rhoades gets a handful of his current VCU players to transfer to Penn State in time for Penn State – comprised of VCU players – to take on VCU. pic.twitter.com/UbLWrsWQkz
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) March 29, 2023
Before any plans for a future home-and-home series are finalized, there is a possibility Penn State could face Rhoades’ old team as early as this November. Penn State and VCU are each in the reported lineup for the ESPN Invitational, which is typically held around Thanksgiving in Orlando.
VCU has a trend going...
VCU losing basketball coaches to historically strong football schools – a tale as old as time.
Mike Rhoades ➡️ Penn State
Will Wade ➡️ LSU
Shaka Smart ➡️ Texas
Anthony Grant ➡️ Alabama
Jeff Capel ➡️ Oklahoma— Trilly Donovan (@trillydonovan) March 29, 2023
Are you a nationally prominent football powerhouse? Then VCU has just the right head coach for your men’s basketball program waiting in the wings. Take a look at the schools more known for football plucking away a VCU head coach to take charge of the basketball program.
The resemblance is uncanny
would like to point out that mike rhoades looks like tim robinson’s older brother pic.twitter.com/mzCG7zD5lG
— Bill DiFilippo (@billdifilippo) March 29, 2023
You know, now that you metion it…. this is now something I cannot unsee.
A warm welcome from the football stadium
new Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades (@CoachRhoades) gets his Happy Valley welcome on the Beaver Stadium video board (via @MarkXBrennan) pic.twitter.com/M3UjmpIpuN
— Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) March 29, 2023
What coaching hire is complete without a message appearing on the big screen at Beaver Stadium? Penn State plastered its welcome message to its new basketball coach on the biggest screen in town for all to see.
This seems... familiar...
Penn State’s basketball coach left for more money & to head back to his home state. He made the NCAA tournament, yet now the program he left is reeling. Players & recruits he left are in a tough position. It angered a lot of the fan base.
Oh, I’m talking about Mike Rhoades.
— NCNittany (@NittanyNC) March 29, 2023
If you read the above tweet without knowing any better, you would be fair to believe it was referring to Micah Shrewsberry. Shrewsberry left Penn State for Notre Dame coming off a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It is believed Shrewsberry is being paid much more by Notre Dame and Penn State’s roster has since been decimated by departures and players entering the transfer portal.
Does this all sound familiar? It should. But VCU is going through the same thing too.
It all comes full circle for Mike Rhoades.
Mike Rhoades saw Myles Dread hit that game winner against his VCU team and was like “Wow this team’s really got something.”
— Erik (@Erikstotle) March 30, 2023
Mike Rhoades saw up close and personal how dangerous Penn State could potentially be. It was Myles Dread who sent Rhoades and VCU home with a loss early in the 2020 season with a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer before potentially heading to overtime.
In case you need a refresher on this moment…
ICYMI: Myles Dread's (@mylesd12_) 3rd career game-winner was No. 7️⃣ on @SportsCenter's Top 10 plays! pic.twitter.com/kGaTT9zj9y
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) December 3, 2020
