Penn State hires ex-VCU coach Rhoades

Penn State hired former VCU bench boss Mike Rhoades as its next head coach, vice president for intercollegiate athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft announced Wednesday.

The Nittany Lions' previous coach, Micah Shrewsberry, recently left for Notre Dame's vacant head coaching position.

VCU, meanwhile, is targeting Utah State bench boss Ryan Odom to replace Rhoades, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reports.

"We are excited to welcome Mike Rhoades as our head men's basketball coach," Kraft said in a statement. "He is a veteran head coach who is a proven winner at multiple levels. Mike has been a tremendous recruiter and talent developer throughout his career.

"As a Pennsylvania native with a strong family history with our University, Mike understands what it means to be a Penn Stater and how impactful it is to be part of Nittany Nation. Mike has a vision of how to build Penn State Basketball into a championship program."

Rhoades spent the past six seasons at VCU, leading the Rams to a 129-61 record (.679 winning percentage) and three NCAA Tournament appearances in that span.

VCU won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title in 2018-19 and the conference tournament in 2022-23 before losing to Saint Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Under Shrewsberry this season, the Nittany Lions made the tournament as a 10th seed and beat Texas A&M in the first round, marking Penn State's first tournament bid since 2011.