Penn State basketball has named its captains for the 2025-26 season, and a true freshman is one of them.
Today, Penn State announced its four captains.
Kayden Mingo – #4 – Freshman – Guard – 6′-3″ – Farmingdale, NY
This is pretty high praise for a true freshman to come into a Division 1 program and be voted as a captain. But ever since Mingo has arrived on campus, he has constantly been praised for his work ethic, his contagious positive attitude and his overall leadership abilities. Mingo was a consensus top-40 ranked recruit coming out of Long Island Lutheran High School last year and is Penn State’s highest-ranked recruit ever. He was named the 2025 New York Gatorade Player of the Year following his standout senior season and is expected to fill the big shoes left by former standout Ace Baldwin, Jr., who now plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
Josh Reed – #10 – Senior – Forward – 6′-8″ – Atlanta, Ga.
Reed is one of the two transfer portals this year to move to Happy Valley. He will bring age, maturity and experience to a young Penn State squad. Transferring from Cincinnati, Reed averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG last year for the Bearcats. He started nine of the final 10 games of the season and scored a career-high 19 points in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament against Oklahoma State.
Eli Rice – #11 – Sophomore – Guard – 6′-8″ – Gallatin, Tenn.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Rice is 1 of 3 returnees from last year’s team. He transferred from Nebraska last year where he averaged 4.2 PPG and 1.6 RPG while appearing in 17 games for the Cornhuskers. In his season debut for the Nittany Lions last year against Saint Francis (Pa.) in only the third game of the season, Rice suffered a season-ending ankle injury. In the seven minutes he played, Rice pulled down 2 rebounds. This past offseason, Rhoades praised Rice’s mental toughness and his willingness to physically transform his body and to bounce back fully from his injury.
Sasa Ciani – #22 – Junior – Forward – 6′-10″ – Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Ciani is the other portal transfer who will give Penn State size, maturity and playing experience. He is also 1 of the 4 international players on this year’s squad. Transferring from the University of Illinois Chicago, Ciani played in 27 games, making 21 starts and averaging 9.9 PPG and a team-best 7.6 RPG.
The Nittany Lions will have 2 tune ups in October to get ready for the regular season. They will travel to Dayton on Sunday, October 19 to play the Racers in a charity exhibition game and then they will host Shippensburg on Sunday, October 26. The regular season then begins on Monday, November 3 when the Fairfield Stags will pay a visit to the Bryce Jordan Center.
Stay tuned to Nittany Sports Now for all of your Penn State men’s basketball coverage.
