Penn State men's basketball starts its season with two exhibition games in under one month and head coach Mike Rhoades is hoping for his new roster look to be a stepping stone in building up the program. Even with a lot of new faces, Rhoades knows who his top players and leaders will be in 2025-26.
The Nittany Lions announced their four team captains of the season on Tuesday. Junior forward Sasa Ciani, freshman guard Kayden Mingo, senior forward Josh Reed, and redshirt sophomore guard Eli Rice will lead Penn State.
Your ’25-26 Captains 🫡🦁#WeAre pic.twitter.com/yx6oQ7dlgS
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) September 23, 2025
Eli Rice, Sasa Ciani, Josh Reed, and Kayden Mingo named captains for Penn State men's basketball 2025-26 season
Rice is the sole captain named who is a returner from 2024-25. The guard transferred into the program for his sophomore season after spending his freshman season at Nebraska. For the Cornhuskers, he played in 17 games and logged 71 points, 27 rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and three steals. He was sidelined in 2024-25, but Rhoades said that Rice's transformation in the offseason to return from injury was significant.
Ciani is one of two transfers named captain for the season. The Slovenia native played at UIC in 2024-25, averaging 9.9 points and 7.6 rebounds across 27 games and 21 starts as a sophomore. He transferred into the Penn State program on June 28.
Reed is the second transfer, coming in from Cincinnati where he spent his last three seasons on the court. The guard recorded 271 points, 201 rebounds, 50 assists, 41 steals, and 17 blocks over his career as a Bearcat. In 2024-25, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game across 33 appearances. Reed also made nine starts as a junior.
Mingo is the highest-ranked player in Penn State program as a four-star recruit and No. 34 overall prospect. He was the No. 4 combo guard from the class of 2025 as well, according to 247Sports. After his high school senior season, Mingo was named the 2025 New York Gatorade Player of the Year. He posted an average of 13.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game in 2024-25.
Penn State opens with two exhibition games. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the Nittany Lions take the road to play Dayton before returning to Happy Valley to face Shippensburg on Oct. 26. On Monday, Nov. 3, the blue and white gear up for its first real match of the season. Tip-off against Fairfield will be in the Bryce Jordan Center and the time will be announced closer to the date.