Although Penn State’s 2024–25 season ended in a dismal 16–15 loss, one former Nittany Lion has made important school history.
The first Penn State men’s basketball player chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft was 7-foot big man Yanic Konan Niederhasuer, who transferred from Northern Illinois this past season. On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers selected him with the 30th overall choice, the last pick in the stanza.
Along with the rest of the Penn State coaching staff, including head coach Mike Rhoades and frontcourt coach Brent Scott, Niederhasuer attended the draft on Wednesday night.
Guard Jalen Pickett, who was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 32 selection in the second round of the 2023 NBA, was Penn State’s highest-drafted player in the modern era.
According to the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm, Yanic Konan Niederhauser was chosen 30th overall by the @LAClippers!Watch on ESPN and ABC.tweet.com/PyKTi6G1JL
In 29 games, Niederhauser averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks, making him a revelation for Penn State in an otherwise poor season. In his only season in Happy Valley, he was named an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten.
After a stellar performance at the G League Elite Camp this spring, the Swiss native exploded in NBA Draft circles and was invited to the official draft combine to continue his incredible run.
Niederhauser quickly rose from obscurity at NIU to a first-round NBA pick because of his ability to create plays around the rim on both sides of the ball and his potential to develop an outside shot.
At the end of the season, Niederhauser declared his intention to try his luck in the NBA Draft, but he also stated that he would return to Penn State if things didn’t work out. His quick ascent made it difficult to deny him a chance at first-round credentials.
With Slovenian rookie Tibor Mirtic, Croation freshman Ivan Juric, and Pennsylvania freshman Justin Houser, Penn State will have a whole new frontcourt for the 2025–26 campaign.
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