Penn State hoops picks up transfer portal pledge
Last spring, new Penn State basketball coach Mike Rhoades and his staff spent 59 days filling out its depleted roster. Scouring the transfer portal, and even going overseas, the Nittany Lions eventually built a team for the 2023-24 season with 10 new additions.
The same was not necessary this time around.
Announcing his decision on Wednesday in the wake of an official visit to Penn State earlier this week, combo guard Freddie Dilione has committed to the program. The rising sophomore spent his first season at Tennessee before entering the transfer portal earlier this month. The Nittany Lions landed him over heavy interest from N.C. State and Louisville.
Last season, Dilione saw action in 18 games. He averaged 1.7 points and 0.8 assists over 5.2 minutes per game. He suffered a partially torn left plantar fascia in November that kept him out of action for three weeks.
Dilione is a former On3 four-star prospect. He was ranked No. 44 nationally in the Class of 2023 and the No. 3-ranked shooting guard. Originally from Fayetteville, N.C., he committed to the Volunteers. Then, he took a redshirt for the back half of the 2022-23 campaign.
Penn State fills transfer portal needs
Contrast against last year’s cycle, the commitment of Dilione represents a targeted and efficient pursuit to fill its four vacant scholarships this offseason. He became the fourth transfer commitment of the cycle, joining Xavier’s Kachi Nzeh, Northern Illinois big man Yanic Konan Niederhouser, and Nebraska wing Eli Rice.
All four players are underclassmen with at least two seasons of eligibility remaining. They join a four-man Class of 2024 that will start with the program as true freshmen this summer. Combined, it brings to fruition a push that Rhoades has made plain through his time as Penn State’s head coach, working to meld immediate roster needs with longterm development he believes critical to the program.
With one year in, finishing 16-17 on the year with a 9-11 mark in the Big Ten, Rhoades and his staff can now show their vision to prospective players.
“You understand the school, you understand the brand even more being here every day. You understand the level we’re at and the interest we could you pique in others,” said Rhoades this season. “The one neat thing right now is, people are watching us play and we have this really cool style of play. And we’re not just talking about a cool style of play. People are seeing happen in the Big Ten. And we get a lot of great feedback that it’s a fun way to play.
“Everybody knows how I’m about player development. The player you are when we recruit you is one thing. The player want you to be a year from now, two years from now, look out. And I think a lot of families and recruits and coaches and trainers are seeing that and it’s piquing their interest.”
New Penn State commitment highlights
Where things stand for Penn State (13 of 13 scholarships projected filled)
Guards Ace Baldwin, Jahvin Carter, D’Marco Dunn, Dominick Stewart, Freddie Dilione
Wings Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, Hudson Ward, Eli Rice
Bigs Miles Goodman, Kachi Nzeh, Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Penn State scholarship breakdown by class
Bonus year (2): Ace Baldwin, Puff Johnson
Fourth year (3): Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, D’Marco Dunn
Third year (1): Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Second year (3): Kachi Nzeh, Eli Rice, Freddie Dilione
First year (4): Jahvin Carter, Miles Goodman, Dominick Stewart, Hudson Ward
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