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Penn State

Yanic Konan Niederhauser builds case at G League Elite Camp

nate-mug-10.12.14by: Nate Bauer05/11/25NateBauerBWI
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Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has elected to stay in the 2025 NBA Draft.. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)

Selected to participate in the NBA’s G League Elite Camp in Chicago earlier this week, Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has maximized the opportunity. Multiple reports out of the weekend event have indicated an impressive performance from the Nittany Lion.

One of 45 prospects invited to the camp, Konan Niederhauser has worked through strength and agility tests, posting an eye-popping 37-inch vertical jump, ranking in the 94.3 percentile of all participants and among the very best all-time for centers. Along with his physical traits, officially measuring a tick above 6-foot-11, he also played well in his team’s first of two games.

In an 89-85 loss, Konan Niederhauser posted 17 points in 21 minutes, 59 seconds of action, adding four rebounds and two blocks in the starting role. His team will return to action on Sunday afternoon at 4:20 p.m. from Wintrust Arena.

Coming out of a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, Konan Niederhauser declared for the NBA Draft process in April. In doing so, he kept his eligibility to continue his career at Penn State should he choose to return for a final year of participation in college basketball.

Yanic Konan Niederhauser dedicates to improvement

Throughout his first year at Penn State, Konan Niederhauser has demonstrated a drive to make continuous improvement in his game. According to Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades, that quality has benefitted the third-year player, building to an impressive finish on the 2024-25 season.

“You hope when you bring guys in, freshmen, transfers, whoever, guys come in your program, that they’re hungry. They have hunger to get better. They have urgency to get better. And I just felt really good about when we were recruiting Yanic, that he wants to really get after, work at it,” said Rhoades. “And he really has. He’s very coachable. I think that’s helped.

“He had ability. We all saw that from day one. But I just think he picked the right place that could utilize his skill set, the style of play, a versatile big guy, he was able to show that off. He made a great decision. He has a hunger to get better. And when he’s had good days, he’s built on it. When he’s had a bad day or a bad game, he’s taken it to heart to get better. I think his approach being here, from June 6 of last year, is the reason why he’s turned into a player at this level that he has. And I think he’s hungry to do it at even to a higher level, which is refreshing.”

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