Despite the losses piling up and the Big Ten grind not helping a young roster, Mike Rhoades hasn’t stopped believing that Penn State will eventually break through.
That confidence is tough to follow, but Rhoades is trying to sell something that he needs to.
At his weekly press conference on Monday, Rhoades made it clear that frustration hasn’t turned into anything more than that for him and inside the program.
“When you’re dejected, you don’t have any hope,” Rhoades said, per Amanda Vogt. “I’m the complete opposite. I have a lot of hope with these guys, but you have to go through it all. … With these guys I do have a lot of hope, because they’re doing things the right way, they’re acting the right way, they’re working the right way. You just want to see results.”
The Nittany Lions have shown flashes with stretches of decent defense and OK offense, but they simply can’t get wins against a lot of the better teams in the Big Ten, and it’s fair to wonder whether they’ll even win a game.
However, the focus has been on accountability and growth, mainly mentally. Losses can make everything worse but Rhoades is focused on what he can control.
“I think my job is to the mental side of it, is own it, learn from it, move on and be present where you’re at,” Rhoades said.
That mindset has been consistent since he arrived in State College. Rhoades inherited a program that needed help, and while wins ultimately change how we view success, he’s made it clear that it’ll be a bit.
For Penn State fans, patience isn’t easy, especially for a school that should never be bad.
However, if Rhoades and the players on the roster can get this thing right, Penn State will be a lot of fun on the basketball court.
For now, his players haven’t quit and that’s a great sign.
“We’re getting closer and closer [to winning] every game and we know that we just want to work on a couple of things and start getting some wins,” Josh Reed said. “But we’re still close in the locker room, we’re sticking together. We have faith and belief in each other and in the coaches and we know we can turn it around.”