STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — One day after his hiring at Penn State was made official, new men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades made his first appearance in Happy Valley at an introductory press conference Thursday afternoon.
Rhoades, 50, is taking over the program following the departure of Micah Shrewsberry, who took the head coaching job at Notre Dame after leading the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
He joins Penn State after a successful tenure at Virginia Commonwealth, where he led the Rams to a 129-61 record and three NCAA Tournament appearances in six years at the helm.
This season, VCU won both the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships, made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and went 27-8 overall.
The Rams' 27 wins were the most under Rhoades and the most for VCU since the 2012-13 season.
Before his time at VCU, Rhoades spend three years at Rice, where he went 47-52 but led the Owls to a 23-12 mark in his final season. He also spent 10 years as coach of Division III powerhouse Randolph-Macon, where he compiled a 197-76 record.
Rhoades, who grew up in Mahanoy City in Schuylkill County, played college basketball at Lebanon Valley, where he graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer, along with several other career records. He led the Flying Dutchmen to a NCAA Division III championship in 1994.
Penn State has reportedly signed Rhoades to a seven-year contract worth a $25.9 million, along with other bonuses and a buyout clause.