Penn State men's basketball head coach Mike Rhoades landed his first commitment from the class of 2026. Small forward Dionycius "Nyce" Bakare posted to Instagram on Monday night with the news of his announcement.
The Nittany Lions on May 20 extended Bakare an offer on May 20, eventually becoming one of five schools to do so. Washington, Arizona State, USF, and SMU were the four schools Penn State beat out for the unranked recruit. Bakare, at six-feet-five-inches and 170 pounds is a small forward from Malvern, Penn. who plays at the same high school that incoming freshmen Justin Houser played for.
"First of all, and it's a bit understated, but [Bakare] has extremely good defensive feel," Phelps School head coach Trey Morin said to 247Sports in Oct. 2023 when the recruit was first spotted as a potential Penn State prospect. “He covers up mistakes as a young player that people look for in older guys. Along with that, obviously his athleticism jumps off the page. He’s pretty skilled, and has an extremely high offensive IQ. Those are the things that make him a really good player.”
Bakare was a sophomore at the time and Morin continued to praise the young forward for his abilities to make space on the court, get his teammates involved with the play, and overall hardworking mentality. During his sophomore season, the next phase to his development was getting used to the speed.
Bakare is an athletic player, and his vertical allows him make dunks like this pic.twitter.com/2ffbSKISK6
— Will Horstman (@WillHorstman_) July 9, 2025
In Canada, Bakare plays for the EYBL circuit. Over 11 UPlay Canada games, he averaged 14.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in his last season. He also shot 48.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. Bakare's quickness and lack of hesitation will translate well over to the NCAA.
Though Bakare is currently unranked, his latest UPlay Canada season should be reflected in his profile soon. As a young player, he'll fit in well with the Nittany Lions current roster assuming a majority of the players remain in Happy Valley once Bakare comes in.
The Nittany Lions have a whole crew of freshmen for the 2025-26 season ahead. Four-star guard Kayden Mingo is one of the most notable additions to the Penn State roster. Four-star forward Mason Blackwood and three-star forward Houser were the other two to sign with Mingo back in November 2024. Since then, Rhoades signed forward Ivan Juric, guard Reggie Grodin, and guard Melih Tunca. Sasa Ciani and Josh Reed will log their first time on the Penn State court after playing for UIC and Cincinnati, respectively. This will be Reed's final NCAA season, but Ciani will have one more year of eligibility left after 2025-26.