Penn State roster overhaul continues with Tibor Mirtic transfer

The overhaul of Penn State’s men’s basketball roster continued into the final days of the NCAA transfer portal window this spring. On Monday, Slovenian power forward Tibor Mirtic entered his name after spending one season with the Nittany Lions, Blue White Illustrated has confirmed.

Sam Kayser first reported the news on X.

This past season, Mirtic appeared in 15 games for the Nittany Lions, averaging 3.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14 minutes per game. Injuries limited his availability, beginning with a knee issue that sidelined him for six Big Ten games in January. A shoulder injury suffered in practice later ended his season.

Penn State remakes roster for 2026-27

The Nittany Lions have been extremely active in reshaping their roster following a disappointing third season of the Mike Rhoades era with the program. Winning just 12 games against 20 losses, Penn State suffered repeated blowout losses throughout the Big Ten schedule.

“It was a really hard year for me. It was really hard,” Rhoades said following a season-ending loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament. “The world we live in now, you want to give yourself a chance. You want to give your team a chance to be successful. So it’s hard.

“The reality is when you’re really young in Power Four basketball, you’re at a disadvantage. So we need to address that, and we need to get our young guys bigger, better, and badder and stronger.”

In the aftermath of those statements, Penn State has seen the departure of seven players via the transfer portal, including Mirtic. meanwhile, the Nittany Lions announced the retention of Ivan Juric, then built around him with the additions of two other veteran international players, plus transfers of four more players from the college ranks. They all have at least one full season of college experience.

“That’s it. You’ve got to be old. You’ve got to be old because everybody else is,” said Rhoades. “The best teams in our league and the best teams in the country are old and experienced. We’ve got to address some of that.”

Where things stand for Penn State

Guards Jay Rodgers, Reggie Grodin, Roberts Blums, Brant Byers
Wings Roko Prkačin, François Wibaut, Chris Lotito
Bigs Ivan Juric, Sasa Ciani, Timothy Oboh