Penn State basketball welcomes final offseason addition to campus
Even before Penn State basketball could begin the process of melding its new pieces into the program, head coach Mike Rhoades was excited. At the helm of his new program for eight weeks, the veteran leader explained to BWI earlier this month his eagerness to begin the work of practices with everyone finally together.
“I can’t wait, that I know a certain amount of time every day, I’m in the weight room with these guys, I’m on the court with these guys, I can spend time with them, I can break bread with them,” Rhoades said. “I could hang out with them this summer late at night and get to really know them. I’m so excited about that.”
This week, Rhoades and his staff can embark on that journey in its totality.
Bragi Guðmundsson, a 6-foot-5 guard in Penn State’s Class of 2023, arrives to the program from his native Iceland. He completes the picture for the Nittany Lions’ roster ahead of the 2023-24 campaign this summer, as he is now on campus.
“We are extremely happy to have Bragi join our Penn State family,” Rhoades said upon Guðmundsson’s signing late last month. “He comes from a great basketball family and fits our style of play and need.”
Rhoades continued.
“He will be one of our younger players, but his vast international experience will help him in his transition at Penn State. He is a dynamic guard who can really shoot it. We can’t wait to get him on campus and get to work.”
Penn State begins offseason workouts
For the rest of the Nittany Lion roster, that work already started in earnest last week with the beginning of formal summer workouts.
Rhoades and his staff inherited just Kanye Clary, Jameel Brown, and Demetrius Lilley from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Over the course of two months, then, they welcomed another 10 new faces, of which Guðmundsson is a part.
Those players included VCU transfers Ace Baldwin and Nick Kern. Their additions were followed by those of Zach Hicks and Puff Johnson. Georgetown’s Qudus Wahab and Leo O’Boyle came next, with RayQuawndis Mitchell and Favour Aire also hopping aboard. Guðmundsson marked the only Class of 2023 recruit to join, with UNC transfer D’Marco Dunn rounding out the roster in June.
Where things stand for Penn State (13 of 13 scholarships filled)
PG Ace Baldwin, Kanye Clary, Bragi Gudmundsson
CG Jameel Brown, RayQuawndis Mitchell, D’Marco Dunn
SF Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, Puff Johnson, Leo O’Boyle
Penn State scholarship breakdown by class
Bonus year (3): Qudus Wahab, Leo O’Boyle, RayQuawndis Mitchell
Fourth year (2): Ace Baldwin, Puff Johnson
Third year (2): Nick Kern, Zach Hicks, D’Marco Dunn
Second year (4): Kanye Clary, Jameel Brown, Demetrius Lilley, Favour Aire
First year (1): Bragi Gudmundsson
Class of 2024 commitments (1): Jahvin Carter
