Video Breakdown: Penn State basketball reforesting roster with more big men
Penn State basketball gained another commitment from the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon with the acquisition of 6-11 center Qudus Wahab. The former Georgetown big man joins the Nittany Lions a day after 6-8 swing guard Puff Johnson from North Carolina agreed to join the Nittany Lions.
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Penn State lands big-man with veteran experience
Firstly, Wahab joins the Nittany Lions at a position with only redshirt freshman Demetrius Lilly. Penn State’s other big, Kebba Njie entered his name into the transfer portal earlier this spring. So having another player at the position is a must, according to Bauer.
“They have to add bodies. They have to add guys who can play. And Kudus is a guy who has shown at different points through his career that he has, you know, quite a lot of quite a bit of ability. It’s just a matter of wrangling it and getting it to last for the duration of a season,” Bauer explains.
Wahab is a former top-150 recruit in the Class of 2019 with great physical tools, much like the other players Penn State has recently added to the roster. Bauer notes that experience is key.
“This is his bonus year of eligibility. The best-case scenario is that Penn State just got a top 150 guy who has been through it a little bit, has made some decisions, and has put himself in some spots that haven’t worked out. But if Penn State, Mike Rhodes and staff can wrangle the best out of him.
This is a guy that, one, the staff is overjoyed to have and, two, Penn State fans should be very pleased. He fills a very specific need that, otherwise, I’m not sure they have answers for,” Bauer says.
As for Njie and fellow portal entery Evan Mahafey, there’s no clear timeline on a decision, but a milestone is coming up on the calendar.
“It makes sense that Penn State’s semester, spring semester, is ending on May 5th. I believe that’s graduation weekend. And so, yeah, you would think that they would have made up their minds by then. But, you know, maybe not.”
Transfer portal additions
Here is the list of portal additions so far for Rhoades and his staff.
- PG Ace Baldwin 6-0, 170
- SF/SG Nick Kern 6-6 190
- SF/PF Puff Johnson 6-8 200
- SF Zach Hicks 6-7 185
- C Qudus Wahab 6-11 230
