It’s been nearly a month since the men’s college basketball portal opened for business, and Penn State finally hauled in its first transfer of the offseason on Tuesday. Former Cincinnati guard Josh Reed, a former three-star recruit who played the past three seasons with the Bearcats, will play his final year of eligibility with the Nittany Lions, he announced on Instagram.
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Reed averaged 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game this past year, starting in nine of Cincinnati’s final 10 games. That stretch included a career-high 19 points against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship. Reed is a career 39% shooter from the field, and shot 33% from 3-point range over his three years with the Bearcats.
Penn State, with eight players departing from last season’s roster, is only expected to add more pieces around Reed before the transfer portal closes next Tuesday. Reed could be asked to step into a prominent role for the Nittany Lions, who are set to return just two starters in center Yanic Konan Niederhauser and guard Freddie Dilione V.
Niederhauser declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility and announced he’d return to Penn State if the draft route ultimately doesn’t play out in his favor. Whether Niederhauser returns for another season or not, Mike Rhoades is desperately in need of at least three more transfers. His current roster tally sits at nine.
If nothing else, Reed is set to provide some much-needed experience to a program with just one other senior on roster — Niederhauser. Dilione, Kachi Nzeh and Eli Rice are each set to enter their junior years while Dominick Stewart is the lone player remaining from the Nittany Lions’ 2024 recruiting class, which included three others, all of whom have transferred.
Reed should help mentor a three-legged incoming freshmen class that includes four-star point guard Kayden Mingo, the highest-rated recruit in program history. Mason Blackwood, a forward, and 7-foot center Justin Houser round out the crew set to join the team in June.
