Penn State basketball has received its second transfer commitment of the 2023 cycle in VCU’s Nick Kern.
Thank you for every part of this journey!🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/GWwAAQvecW
— Nick Kern (@TheBigTickettt) April 13, 2023
Kern announced his commitment via Twitter late Wednesday night, and will join VCU teammate and reigning A-10 Player of the Year Ace Baldwin, as well as former VCU coach Mike Rhoades, in Happy Valley.
Rhoades took the Penn State job last month, succeeding Micah Shrewsberry, who left for Notre Dame.
Rhoades is taking at least two of his players with him for the ride. Baldwin is the crown jewel of Penn State’s class thus far and could well be the best transfer the school lands this cycle. Kern (6-foot-6) gives Penn State needed size. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season, helping VCU to the A-10 regular-season and tournament championships. VCU got a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell to No. 5 St. Mary’s in the first round. After Rhoades’s departure, Kern was part of what’s likely to be a mass exodus. Kern and Baldwin are part of six players to enter the transfer portal. Both have picked Penn State. The rest haven’t announced their decisions yet. One of them, Jalen DeLoach, has Penn State in his top six along with Florida State, Indiana, Miami, San Diego State and VCU.
Penn State now will have almost enough scholarship players to form a team of scholarship players. Barring something unforeseen, the two will join Kanye Clary and Demetrius Lilley. Five players from last year’s team entered the portal, largely due to Shrewsberry’s departure. The most significant player to enter the portal has been Kebba Njie, who was a regular starter as a true freshman this past season.
