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Penn State hoops makes Scott Pera hire official as first GM

nate-mug-10.12.14by: Nate Bauer05/27/25NateBauerBWI
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Penn State has officially hired Scott Pera as its first general manager for men's basketball. (Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports)

Penn State basketball has made formal its first general manager hire in the program’s history. Announced on Tuesday morning, former Rice head coach Scott Pera, a former assistant of Mike Rhoades during his tenure with the Owls, has been named to the job.

Pera, originally from Hershey, Pa., and a graduate of Penn State Harrisburg, has had an extensive career in basketball. His stops began as assistant at Elizabethtown College, followed by stints at Palmyra High School and Annville-Cleona, eventually becoming James Harden’s coach at Artesia HS in Lakewood, Calif.

“I am thrilled to be the new GM of Penn State Basketball,” said Pera via press release. “To have this opportunity at my alma mater with one of my best friends is such a unique and awesome opportunity. I am looking forward to helping Coach Rhoades continue to grow this program as we navigate the constantly changing landscape of college basketball. I hope to assist him and the staff in a variety of ways to help them take Penn State back to the NCAA Tournament.”

Among Pera’s responsibilities will be “organizing and executing recruiting and long-term roster management strategies, developing NIL networks, aiding in fundraising for the program and leading game scheduling efforts,” according to the release.

Scott Pera joins Penn State basketball

Parlaying his time with Harden into a role as director of basketball operations at Arizona State, Pera then elevated into a full assistant role. From there, he became an assistant at Penn before he joined Rhoades in Houston in 2014. Once Rhoades departed to go back to VCU in 2017, Pera became the Owls’ head coach, finishing with a 96-127 overall record that twice led to CBI postseason tournament appearances.

Now on staff with Rhoades again as the Nittany Lions’ new general manager, Pera is expected to help propel the program forward amid the new NIL landscape that continues to produce wide-reaching effects.

“We are really excited to have Scott Pera join our program as General Manager,” said Rhoades. “Scott is well equipped to navigate the new landscape of college basketball and brings a wealth of experience, passion and leadership with him. He directly knows how I want to operate a program and develop our young men moving forward. It is great to bring Scott back home and work with him again. Please welcome Scott and his family to PSU.”

Following a busy offseason of roster movement for Penn State, the Nittany Lions continue to work to build their collection of players ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Where things stand for Penn State (10 spots filled)

Guards Freddie Dilione, Dominick Stewart, Kayden Mingo, Reggie Grodin
Wings Eli Rice, Mason Blackwood, Josh Reed
Bigs Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Justin Hauser, Ivan Juric

Penn State scholarship breakdown by class

Fifth year (0): 
Fourth year (2): Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Josh Reed
Third year (2): Freddie Dilione, Eli Rice
Second year (1): Dominick Stewart
First year (3): Justin Hauser, Mason Blackwood, Kayden Mingo, Ivan Juric, Reggie Grodin

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