COLLEGE HOOPS: Mahanoy's Rhoades hired as Penn State head coach

Mar. 29—STATE COLLEGE — All Rhoades lead to Happy Valley.

After rumors of Mike Rhoades leaving VCU for Penn State flooded social media the past three days, PSU athletic director Dr. Patrick Kraft made things official Wednesday afternoon by announcing the Mahanoy City native and former Mahanoy Area standout was hired as the Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Men's Basketball Head Coach.

Rhoades, 50, agreed to a seven-year, $25.9 million contract. He will be officially introduced as the Nittany Lions' head coach during a press conference at 2:30 p.m. today at the Bryce Jordan Center that will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.

"We are excited to welcome Mike Rhoades as our head men's basketball coach," Kraft said in the official Penn State release. "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. We are thrilled to welcome Mike, Jodie, Logan, Chase and Porter to Happy Valley!"

Penn State is the latest stop in a college basketball coaching career that has seen the son of late state Sen. James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades compile a 373-189 record (.664 winning percentage) as a head coach at NCAA Division III Randolph-Macon College, Division I Rice University and the past six seasons at VCU.

Rhoades is a 1991 graduate of Mahanoy Area, where he led the Golden Bears to a District 11 Class AA title and the PIAA Class AA Eastern final as a senior in 1991. The Bears defeated Holy Name (70-50), Forest City (73-60) and Loyalsock Township (83-61) to reach the state semifinals before falling to Scotland School 83-79.

Rhoades then went on to play at Lebanon Valley College, where he led the Pat Flannery-coached Dutchmen to the 1994 NCAA Division III national championship with a 66-59, overtime win over NYU and was voted the tournament's Co-MVP. A two-time All-American and three-time Middle Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, Rhoades scored 2,050 career points and was the 1995 USA Today Division III National Player of the Year. His No. 5 jersey is retired by LVC.

His coaching career began as an assistant under long-time head coach Hal Nunnally at Randolph-Macon, and he became the Yellow Jackets' head coach at age 25 in 1999. He went 197-76 (.722) in 10 seasons at the Ashland, Virginia, school, winning six Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships, qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament four times and reaching the Sweet 16 twice.

Rhoades moved to nearby VCU in 2009 as an assistant under Shaka Smart and was promoted to associate head coach two years later. Rhoades played an integral role in the Rams' run to the 2011 Final Four, earning national accolades as one of the nation's top 10 assistant coaches under the age of 40 by ESPN. The Rams were 137-46 during that period, reaching the NCAA Tournament four out of the five years.

"Mike Rhoades is one of the finest college basketball coaches in the country," Smart posted Wednesday on Twitter. Smart is currently the head coach at Marquette. "His combination of character, relationship building, competitive drive and basketball IQ is second to none in our industry. His teams defend at a high level, play with great passion and demonstrate genuine relationships. Most importantly, Mike thrives at helping young men become grown men.

"Penn State just hit an absolute home run!"

Rhoades became an NCAA Division I head coach for the first time in 2014 when he took over a Rice University program that had won just 12 games in the previous two seasons. Rhoades went 12-20, 12-20 and 23-12 in Texas, guiding the Owls to the CBI quarterfinals in his third season. He left Rice to return to VCU in 2017.

This past season, Rhoades guided VCU to a 27-8 overall mark that included the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season and A-10 Tournament crowns and the Rams' third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past six years. A 12-seed, VCU was defeated by No. 5 St. Mary's 63-51 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

An assistant coach at the Richmond, Virginia, school under Smart from 2009-14, Rhoades went 129-61 (.679) in his return to VCU. In addition to the three NCAA Tournament appearances, the Rams also made the NIT in 2022.

Two of Rhoades' former players, Nah'Shon "Bone" Hyland and Vince Williams Jr., were selected in the 2021 and 2022 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets (No. 26 overall) and Memphis Grizzlies (No. 47 overall), respectively.

Rhoades wrote a passionate goodbye to VCU Nation on social media shortly after his hiring:

"My family and I want to thank you for 11 awesome years. It was a dream come true to coach with so many special, talented and passionate players and coaches. My players and coaches will always be part of our family. ... No matter what! Thank you to all the students and the Peppas for showing up and being loud. Study hard, laugh a lot, follow your dreams and make as many friends as you can. It's all about your journey. Enjoy it! Thank you! The Rhoades'"

Rhoades inherits a Penn State program that is coming off a 23-14 campaign that included a trip to the Big Ten Tournament championship game, its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 and its first NCAA Tournament win since 2001. He replaces Micah Shrewsberry, who was hired away by Notre Dame last week.

Rhoades will have to rebuild the Lions' program just about from scratch, as four of Penn State's starters graduated or left for the NBA, two incoming four-star players were released from their letters of intent and two promising freshmen entered the transfer portal.

Rhoades has made one move already, adding former Penn State guard Joe Crispin to his coaching staff. Crispin was the head coach at Rowan since 2016.

"It's with great honor and excitement to be Penn State's Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Men's Basketball Head Coach," Rhoades said in a statement. "I would like to thank Dr. Bendapudi, Pat Kraft and Michael Wade Smith for their faith in me and the opportunity to lead this great program.

"We will be bold, different and aggressive moving our program forward. We will play with great energy and excitement while always being relentless in our pursuit of making this basketball family into something special. I can't wait to get to work."

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter