The perception around Penn State’s basketball team is as ugly as it can be, and a recent poll only showed how difficult the job is viewed within coaching circles across the conference. While that’s the case, it really shouldn’t be given all of the talent around Pennsylvania in terms of high school basketball.
Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City, and prep schools in the Northeast should all be paths for the Nittany Lions to improve.
However, in a survey by On3, head coaches and assistants from around the Big Ten were asked to rank conference basketball jobs from best to worst. The results showed a fair picture for Penn State, which landed at the bottom of the league in overall appeal. Can we disagree? Probably not.
Sydney Ciano of FanSided broke down the rankings and the broader implications surrounding the perception of the role in Happy Valley.
“On3 conducted a poll, asking veteran head coaches and assistants in each NCAA basketball conference to rank the jobs from best to worst,” Ciano wrote. “Each conference had their separate rankings. To no one's surprise, the Nittany Lions sunk embarrassingly to the bottom... Even with young talent on the roster and a good attitude, the Nittany Lions are fighting an ever-losing battle and the season can't seem to end soon enough.”
While Penn State has invested in player development and being young, as we’ve heard from Mike Rhoades 10,000 times, it is still viewed as a job no one wants due to financial backing. Frankly, outside of money nowadays, there’s no reason a college basketball team should be bad. If Penn State put together a $30 million roster, it’d be one of the best teams in the country.
Ciano was fair in her assessment and added that the perception isn’t only about the current roster or coaching staff, but rather the history of the program, which isn’t much to write home about.
“Though the poll doesn't represent how well the current team is doing, Penn State's 2025-26 season represents the inconsistencies, lack of resources, and struggle to find talent that makes the job in Happy Valley least desirable,” she wrote.