Penn State Basketball: Lafayette Transfer Leo O’Boyle Commits to PSU

On Tuesday evening, 6’7 forward Leo O’Boyle announced on his social media pages that he will be transferring to play for the Penn State basketball team.

He joins the team with one year of eligibility left. During this past season with Lafayette, O’Boyle averaged a career-high 11.6 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and shot 41% from 3.

Could he fill Andrew Funk’s shoes from this past season? Someone who has been played in 109 career games and is a deadly shooter from beyond the arc. When taking a small-school player from the transfer portal it’s all about risk vs reward. To me, the risk is low with a proven player at the division one level, and the reward if he plays well for the Penn State basketball team is very high.

O’Boyle is from Scranton, Pennsylvania so he has deep roots in the state, and he also played quarterback in high school where he was named to the All-State Second Team. So, he brings that toughness element to the table as well.

This is a player that has scored over 1,000 points in his college career and was a co-captain at Lafayette. I love the intangibles that he brings to the Penn State basketball team. As the Nittany Lions will need skilled players, they will also need guys with leadership qualities on the court, and O’Boyle can bring that.

The Penn State basketball roster is starting to take shape, Mike Rhoades has currently landed several transfer portal additions that include Ace Baldwin, Nick Kern, Puff Johnson, Zach Hicks, Qudus Wahab, and now Leo O’Boyle.

They still do not have a complete roster; however, it’s hard not to be excited based on the direction that the program is headed. Once coach Rhoades has all of his players, the next challenge he will be faced with is helping these players develop chemistry on the court.