4 players Mike Rhoades needs to keep at Penn State for his second season

Alongside Baldwin, Kern followed head coach Mike Rhoades over from VCU. He was a pivotal role player during the season, averaging 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds a game. He shot an efficient 54.7% from the field, which ranked 15th amongst Big Ten players. Kern proved that he was a valuable asset to Penn State last season, especially shown when he had eighteen second-half points against #12 ranked Illinois and led the Nittany Lions to a comeback victory at Rec Hall.

He started 23 games for Penn State in the 2023-24 season and was a spark plug for the team. Kern is certainly an aggressive player, which leads him to foul rather often. He was tied for the sixth most fouls amongst Big Ten players, and it is something for Rhoades to fix in his game.

Kern brought the juice and energy to the floor every night and the team fed off it. Every college basketball team needs an energetic player like Kern. He is a valuable asset that Rhoades needs to keep on his team for a fourth consecutive season.