Penn State Basketball: The Nittany Lions Add Temple Transfer Zach Hicks
This afternoon, it was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that Temple transfer Zach Hicks has committed to the Penn State basketball team. Hicks chose Penn State over Georgetown, UTEP, and a potential return to Temple.
NEWS: Temple transfer Zach Hicks tells me that he has committed to Penn State.https://t.co/2q9yXsqjVv
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 20, 2023
Hicks just finished his sophomore season at Temple where he averaged 9.6 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 36% from beyond the 3-point line.
He is a 6’7 forward from Camden, New Jersey, and becomes the 3rd transfer portal addition since head coach Mike Rhoades arrived in Happy Valley. The other two are Ace Baldwin Jr and Nick Kern both of who have followed Rhoades from VCU.
Hicks is a guy that can light it up from downtown, he nailed 6 3-pointers early last season when he scored a season-high 20 points. The other thing you will notice on film is that he’s an extremely gifted defender as well. He blocked 20 shots last season, at 6’7 he can do it all.
With the three transfer portal commits, Kanye Clary, and Jameel Brown who both have announced they will return to the Penn State basketball team for the 2023-2024 season, coach Rhoades’s roster is starting to take shape.
One of the more difficult tasks for the Penn State basketball team this upcoming season will be developing a deep bench. Right now, they are tasked with trying to put together a starting lineup but they are off to a great start.
There is still time to recruit more players in the transfer portal and recruit at the high school level as well. One thing that is evident early in the Mike Rhoades era that he is will to put the work in to assemble his team.
As the weeks go on, we hope to see a few more transfers land at Penn State. It will be a lot of fun watching this team grow and develop together as we head into the next season.