PHILADELPHIA |Penn State men's basketball closed out its preseason with a 68-57 exhibition win over Drexel on Monday, but the biggest news from the night didn't come from the court. Head coach Mike Rhoades gave a major update regarding one of his best players on the roster.
Forward Roko Prkain is still "going through the eligibility process," Rhoades said at his postgame press conference. Prkain hasn't been cleared to play yet, which is why he hasn't played in either exhibition games for Penn State.
"We're honoring the process," Rhoades said. "We'll go from there."
Prkain, 23, signed with the Nittany Lions after playing professionally overseas with Nanterre 92 of France's top division of professional basketball. He has played professionally since the 2020-21 season.
Without Prkain on the floor, Penn State didn't play as well as it could have in the interior. If he does become eligible, Prkain would have an important role in the frontcourt and could even be a starter.
Until then, this exhibition result gave insight into what the Nittany Lions will look like for the season-opener against Canisius on Nov. 2.
Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades guides the Nittany Lions in an exhibition game vs. Drexel in Philadelphia. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI
A typical Rhoades team is known to press, but that's not going to happen with this year's squad. The Nittany Lions weren't pressing much against Drexel, and Rhoades doesn't feel he has the depth needed to do so.
"We're totally playing different than I have in the last 10 years," Rhoades said. "I play in different ways in different places. "KYP," right? Know your personnel. I'd be an idiot to try to press with this team for 40 minutes."
With Prkain on the sideline, Rhoades used only 10 players in the win. Further, only six of them played at least 20 minutes, as exhaustion would certainly set in if Rhoades tried to press more.
That said, Rhoades does think some of his players can play press defense. He said forward Franois Wibaut, who had two steals, is a player who can "really guard the ball" and would be "a heck of a presser." Rhoades also mentioned guard Dasonte Bowen as someone who can "pick up the ball" in the press.
But the fact is, there's not enough depth to press for an entire game.
"We got to be a really good quarter-court defense like we were in the second half, and we got to be able to rebound out of that quarter-court defense," Rhoades said. "Certain games, we might be able to find ways to get turnovers and turn people over in the halfcourt. We might not do it in fullcourt, but yeah, we don't have the roster to press."
Penn State Nittany Lions basketball player Josh Reed takes a shot vs. Drexel in an exhibition game in Philadelphia. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI
In both exhibition wins, Penn State started slow despite the victories. The team trailed St. Bonaventure by 15 points and was down 23-17 to Drexel. It's Rhoades' priority to fix that.
"It's 1A on the list," Rhoades said. "I thought we were like that the other day. We can't afford to be passive starting the game, or as guys like to say, get in the flow of the game."
Penn State's offense kept turning the ball over, including six turnovers in the first 8:10 of the game. The Nittany Lions weren't shooting the ball well either, making just one of eight 3-pointers in the first half.
As the game went on, Penn State attempted only four more 3-point shots. Wing Brant Byers and guard Roberts Blums didn't play much down the stretch, which led to a lineup of Bowen, guard Thomas Allard, Wibaut, forward Josh Reed and center Ivan Juri in the second half. Blums only saw the floor late in the game when Wibaut fouled out.
Juri led the scoring with 17 points, followed by Reed at 15 points and Bowen at 12. That's the trio this team turned to when it needed points, and the collective defense paved the way to a win.
"That second half, the way we played defense, if we can carry that on the road and throughout the year, it's going to help us a lot," Rhoades said. "But we got to get off to better starts without a doubt."
Penn State Nittany Lions basketball player Roberts Blums guards Thomas Allard during practice at the Bryce Jordan Center. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI
Allard is making the jump from Division II, but that doesn't seem to be preventing him from having a sizable role with Penn State. He's started in both exhibition games, including a team-high 34 minutes against Drexel.
"He plays a lot of mistake-free [basketball]," Rhoades said. "He missed a couple threes today, but he plays the right way. I think he gives us a calming influence at times. He doesn't do something he can't do. Not everyone's like that, and I think that has helped."
Allard scored just two points after shooting 0-for-4 from 3-point range but was a team-high +15. He also logged four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Last week against St. Bonaventure, Allard went 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He could become the biggest surprise of the season if he keeps playing as he did in these exhibition games.
"He's done a great job of really working and getting stronger this summer, and he's come with a great attitude," Rhoades said. "He plays the right way. He's a high basketball I.Q. guy. That's why you see him on the floor a lot."
Penn State opens the regular season Nov. 2 against Canisius at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on B1G+, the Big Ten's subscription streaming service.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/pennstate as What We Learned From Penn State Basketball's Final Exhibition Win Over Drexel .
