Penn State fifth-year senior forward Puff Johnson last appeared in a game on January 15, a 90-85 loss to Michigan State that dropped the Nittany Lions to 12-6. Since that loss, Penn State is 1-8, has sunk to last place in the Big Ten, and is unlikely to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. Then, on Monday, with five games remaining on the schedule, head coach Mike Rhoades finally confirmed that Johnson will miss the remainder of the year.
The 6-foot-8 forward was averaging 10.3 points in 23.1 minutes across the first 17 games of the season. The former North Carolina transfer was an efficient offensive piece for Rhodes and a versatile defender. The season had begun unraveling prior to his injury against the Spartans in mid-January, but it’s not surprising that the Nittany Lions fell to new depths in his absence.
The Western Pennsylvania native was set to use his final year of collegiate eligibility in the 2024-45 season and would be unlikely to receive an injury waiver for an additional campaign. While it, unfortunately, ends Johnson’s career, the silver lining to the injury for Penn State is that it has opened minutes for younger players who will hope to lead a bounce-back season in 2025-26, Rhoades’s third year in Happy Valley.
Freshman wing Dominick Stewart had seen increased minutes before he was relegated to just four off the bench in Penn State’s 75-73 loss to Washington on Saturday at the Bryce Jordan Center. However, sophomore Freddie Dilione V played 29 minutes and had his first double-figure scoring output since January 24, finishing with 15 points on 6-11 shooting.
Stewart and Dilione will likely be key contributors next season when four-star guard Kayden Mingo arrives in Happy Valley for his highly anticipated freshman season as a Nittany Lion. Mingo is the highest-rated recruit in program history.