Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft on Mike Rhoades: ‘I’m more than ever confident in what he can do here.’

On Monday, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft met with media members for the first time since July to discuss varying topics about the school’s programs. One of the questions Kraft received was about the Penn State basketball team, and more specifically, Mike Rhoades.

“I’m proud of him the last two games — Mike’s done a remarkable job,” Kraft said.

“I told him the other day after a tough loss, I went in to talk to him more as a therapist, and I said … look, the expectations that he has built to go to the (NCAA) Tournament every year is a step forward. I don’t know if that was the case all the time for Penn State basketball.”

When Rhoades took the job to be Penn State’s next head coach in 2023, he was bringing with him 19 years of experience. Part of his resume was rebuilding programs from the bottom up and reaching the NCAA Tournament, which he had done seven times before joining the Nittany Lions. And after an overachieving first year – one in which he won the second most Big Ten games by a first-year head coach in PSU history – and a 12-2 start to the 2024-25 season, it looked like Rhoades was on his way to his eighth NCAA Tournament.

Then, injuries and inconsistent play led to a 2-11 stretch from Jan. 2 to Feb. 19, dropping Penn State to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. PSU was now face to face with the possibility of missing the conference tournament, let alone the national one.

The two most recent wins against Nebraska and Minnesota have provided some relief and hope for Penn States Big Ten Tournament chances. Even then, Kraft and Rhoades are bought into the long-term development of this team into a consistent NCAA Tournament competitor.

“And (reporters) have seen him. No one’s more frustrated and bottled up like Mike is right now. And I’m not making excuses, and he wouldn’t either. Like, we got to get better. But I’m not looking for a quick fix. I’m looking to do this the right way.

“… I just tell everybody, just stick with us, sweat with us. But I’m more than ever confident in what he can do here. We’re not looking short term. I want to build this so that it is a consistent tournament (team). … And make no bones about it: the NCAA Tournament is the objective. And he knows that.”

Penn State – currently 17th in the Big Ten standings – is set to take on Indiana on Wednesday, the alma mater of Kraft