Report: Penn State offers head coaching job to VCU's Mike Rhoades

Penn State has offered its head basketball coach opening to VCU coach Mike Rhoades, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. The annual salary in the offer to Rhoades is reported to be worth more than $3 million.

The move makes sense as Rhoades is a native of Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania and will now have the opportunity to return to his home state. He played college basketball for Lebanon Valley in Annville, Pennsylvania, where he was the 1995 Division III Player of the Year and has his jersey retired.

If he accepts the offer, Rhoades would replace Micah Shrewsberry, who left after just two seasons to take the head coaching job at Notre Dame.

“Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft wasn’t expecting Micah Shrewsberry to leave the program after a second season in which he delivered an NCAA Tournament bid to the Nittany Lions,” Blue-White Illustrated’s Nate Bauer said. “But, given the task of a late start, identifying Mike Rhoades as a top target makes sense. He’s a Pennsylvania guy with extensive experience as a head coach at a traditionally successful basketball program. That will be invaluable as he looks to quickly pick up the pieces of a program gutted by Shrewsberry’s departure and a roster depleted by exhausted eligibility. He’s going to have a big job to do if he accepts.”

Rhoades has spent the past six seasons with the Rams, leading them to a 129-61 record in that span. They have never had a losing record under his direction and earned three NCAA Tournament bids, including this past season. VCU finished 27-8 in 2022-23 for its best record yet under Rhoades. He led them to both the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles this past season before losing to Saint Mary’s in the first round of March Madness.

Rhoades also spent three seasons as the head coach of Rice beginning in 2014-15. The Owls finished 12-20 in each of his first two years before going 23-12 in his third and final season. Rhoades got his head coaching start at Division III Randolph-Macon in 1999. He went 197–76 in 10 seasons, reaching four NCAA Division III Tournaments and two Sweet Sixteens.

The Nittany Lions are coming off of a 23-14 season that saw them finish as runner-up in the Big Ten Tournament and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. However, Penn State loses its top three scorers from last season in Jalen Pickett, Seth Lundy and Andrew Funk, so Mike Rhoades would certainly have his work cut out for him.

They also say goodbye to Myles Dread, whose 153 games are the most in school history. That in mind, Penn State basketball will look much different in 2023-24.