This past Tuesday, Nittany Sports Now was at the Bryce Jordan Center covering Penn State men’s basketball’s local media day. Although there has been a lot of turnover, the Nittany Lions have rebuilt and their roster consists of 13 high-character individuals and high-ceiling players ready to compete under Mike Rhoades. During our interviews, the three Nittany Lions who really stood out were Freddie Dilione V., Josh Reed, and Sasa Ciani. You can see their full interviews below.
Freddie Dilione V – #5 – Redshirt Junior – Guard – 6′-5″ – Fayetteville, NC.
Dilione as a sophomore last year played in all 31 games while making 28 starts. He averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 1.7 APG. Dilione scored in double figures in 17 games, while leading the team in scoring on 2 occasions.
Josh Reed – #10 – Senior – Forward – 6′-8″ – Atlanta, Ga.
Reed is 1 of the 2 portal transfers who will bring age, maturity, and experience to a young Nittany Lion team. Transferring from Cincinnati, Reed averaged 4.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG last year for the Bearcats. He started in 9 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.
Sasa Ciani – #22 – Junior – Forward – 6′-10″ – Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Ciani is 1 of the 2 portal transfers who will give Penn State size and playing experience and he is also 1 of the 4 international players on this year’s squad. Transferring from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), Ciani saw action in 27 games while making 21 starts for the Flames and averaging 9.9 PPG and a team-best 7.6 RPG.
On Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 P.M., Penn State will play the Dayton Flyers in an exhibition game inside the University of Dayton (UD) Arena. The game will be televised on FanDuel Ohio and video streamed on ESPN+, but no worries, Nittany Sports Now will be there live to bring you all the updates and action.
