SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — Peter and Ann Tombros Endowed Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike Rhoades will deliver the commencement address at Penn State Schuylkill’s Saturday ceremony at 10 a.m. on May 9, in the campus gymnasium.
The Saturday ceremony is one of two commencements planned for the weekend. An additional ceremony will be held Friday, May 8 to celebrate graduates in the nursing and radiological sciences programs.
Rhoades recently wrapped up his third season leading the Penn State men’s basketball program in 2025-26. He was named the 15th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023, by Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft.
“Coach Rhoades exemplifies leadership, resilience and a deep commitment to student success,” said Interim Chancellor Cory Scherer. “His ability to inspire excellence on and off the court makes him an outstanding choice to address our graduates as they prepare to take the next steps in their journeys.”
A native of Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, Rhoades owns a 417-241 career record over 22 seasons as a collegiate head coach, a .634 winning percentage, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and nine national postseason appearances.
During the 2024-25 season, Rhoades orchestrated the highest-scoring offense in Penn State history as the Nittany Lions averaged a program-record 79.1 points per game. The team recorded two wins over top-15 opponents, including a Big Ten-opening victory over No. 8 Purdue, marking Penn State’s first win over a top-10 Associated Press-ranked team since 2019. Rhoades earned his 400th career win on Dec. 29, 2024.
Rhoades and his staff also recruited and developed Penn State’s first-ever first-round NBA Draft pick, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who was selected 30th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Prior to Penn State, Rhoades served as head coach at VCU from 2017-23, leading the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances and compiling a 129-61 record. He previously guided Rice to a 23-win season and postseason appearance and spent a decade as head coach at Randolph-Macon College, where he led the program to four NCAA Tournament appearances and compiled a 197-76 record.
A former standout player at Lebanon Valley College, Rhoades helped lead the Flying Dutchmen to the 1994 NCAA Division III National Championship and was named the tournament’s Co-Outstanding Player. He later earned national player-of-the-year honors and remains among the most decorated players in program history.
Rhoades holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Lebanon Valley and a master’s degree from VCU’s Center for Sport Leadership. He and his wife, Jodie, have two sons, Logan and Chase, and one daughter, Porter.
Penn State Schuylkill’s commencement ceremonies will recognize graduates from the campus’s associate and bachelor’s degree programs, celebrating their academic achievements and the beginning of their next chapter.