Penn State basketball center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has declared for the NBA Draft.
BREAKING: Penn State center Yanic Konan Niederhauser has declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. pic.twitter.com/AwEkp308nv
— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) April 2, 2025
The 7-footer has made this decision while keeping his remaining college eligibility, of which he has one year left.
The good news for Penn State fans is that Niederhauser hasn’t entered the transfer portal and wrote in his statement that, if he pulls himself out of the draft, he’ll play his last college season at Penn State.
Having Niederhauser back in the fold would be a big deal for coach Mike Rhoades and company.
Last season, he led the team in rebounding (6.3 RPG) and was second in scoring (12.9 PPG).
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Because Penn State’s leading scorer from last year, Ace Baldwin Jr., is out of eligibility, Niederhauser would be Penn State’s leading returning scorer should he choose to come back.
Not to mention, it’s kind of hard to find players that are 7-feet tall.
The first team to have this particular 7-footer was Northern Illinois, where he played his first two seasons. In his sophomore season at NIU, Niederhauser became a regular in the lineup, starting 26 games and playing in 27. That season, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, also leading Northern Illinois with 2.1 blocks per game. This performance was enough for Niederhauser to get the attention of  Rhoades, who offered him a scholarship out of the transfer portal, which Niederhauser accepted.
It’s been an eventful past 24 hours for Penn State basketball fans. Early Tuesday afternoon, word got out that Penn State was hiring program legend Talor Battle as an assistant coach. Battle is the all-time leading scorer in Penn State basketball history.
