He better hope so.
Penn State head basketball coach Mike Rhoades has been in the game for a long time. While the Nittany Lions didn't have the season that they were looking for a year ago, I don't really think all of that was Rhoades' fault.
Ultimately, Penn State needed to be a lot better on both ends of the floor, and he needs to be criticized for that, but we also have to recognize the lack of funds Penn State has given him over the past couple of seasons.
Even this year, it doesn't seem like anything has really changed in the money department, at least not in the sense of Penn State spending with some of the other top teams in the Big Ten.
Money is one thing, and to me, it's the biggest factor in college sports nowadays.
If a coach like Rhoades isn't given enough money to build the roster he wants, nobody should expect Penn State to be that great. However, other factors contributed to why the Nittany Lions were as bad as they were a year ago, and Rhoades had a lot to say about that.
“I thought in my 30 years, [last season’s team] was the weakest, softest team we've coached,” Rhoades said inside the practice gym at the Bryce Jordan Center, per Will Horstman. “That ain't happening anymore, so it's all about physicality, playing through physicality, and being big, strong and tough.”
“The best part of my job is being in the gym and having fun,” Rhoades said. “I'm always like this. It's been cool with these guys because there's a lot of teaching, because we got all these new guys, but that's why you get into it.”
Being soft and weak is never a recipe for success, especially in a conference like the Big Ten in basketball.
There's a strong argument that the Big Ten is the best basketball conference in the country, at least at the top. Penn State is a long way from competing with some of those programs, but there's no reason the Nittany Lions can't at least be a decent team in the Big Ten.
I'm not saying Penn State needs to be like Michigan and some of the other top programs in the conference, but if it can play hard and do what's needed on both ends of the field, it could make some noise.
