The guy with steely blue eyes peers at you.

You get this feeling he is on a mission, much like when he was a terrific high school basketball player at Mahanoy Area and an All-American when he matriculated at Lebanon Valley.

The kid, at the time, had a will to win.

He hasn’t changed one iota.

Even as he ascended the big-time world of college basketball, Mike Rhoades loves his roots, loves his family and his community where he grew up — Schuylkill County, specifically Mahanoy City — and now his newly extended family at Penn State.

Rhoades still has that same passion in him he did when he was playing basketball, and that passion has carried over to coaching.

Now entering his second season as the boss of the Penn State men’s program, you could never tell that he is a celebrity. He recently visited the newly-christened Narrow Valley Sportsplex in Nesquehoning, which once housed the Kovatch fire truck dealership. Later, he attended Macaluso’s restaurant where the loyal Nittany Lions fans were greeting their native son, thanks to organizer Nate Halenar.

Halenar explained that the owners of the newest sports venue — Kathy and Ric Reaman and family — wanted to kick things off with an impression. Halenar had the contact to bring in Rhoades through Pat Flannery — a former coach of Mike’s at Lebanon Valley and a standout player in his own right, before he moved to Bucknell University and helped produce some of its greatest wins in the NCAA Division I tournament.

“I’m impressed with the sportsplex,” Rhoades said before dining commenced. “It’s something where kids can develop their skills, whether playing basketball, football or baseball. They did a great job. We never had that type of facility growing up in Mahanoy City.”

He did have St. Canicus’ schoolyard, a place where some of the greatest basketball players honed their skills. It was a true basketball junkyard for aspiring players, mostly Golden Bear wannabes.

“Anything close to home that I can help and be an impact, we’re going to try and do it,” Rhoades said, praising the Reaman family.

Rhoades knows how to adapt to today’s athletes. He can speak their language, and it all comes down to modern approach.

“In life, everything changes. Either you’re going to change with it, or it will pass you by,” said the energetic Rhoades.

“You’ve got to try and understand it, and make the best of it … that’s life. I always say try and be out in front of things. As things are changing, you’ve got to understand it. So you’ve got to make the best of it. You know when you get older you figure things out; when you are younger, you think you can do it all.”

Rhoades can adapt to any situation. He says sports is always changing, and today with the NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) along with the portal, which allows athletes to jump ship on a whim, the Nittany Lion leader has a good feel for today’s evolving players.

“You’ve got to understand things, you get educated and I’ve always been that way,” Rhoades said. “The NIL and the portal, you have to understand it and use it to your benefit. And that’s what we’re going to try and do.”

Rhoades knew what he was in for before he ever took the job. Players were leaving the program, but the tough-nosed coal cracker never backs away from a challenge.

It’s been part of his and his family’s DNA.

His late father, Senator James J. Rhoades, and his mother, Mary Edith (Holland) Rhoades, always presented challenges to their son. Both were educators when starting their careers.

Rhoades made several stops on his way up the ladder. He was at Randolph Macon first as an assistant, before eventually becoming the head coach. He was lured to VCU by then-coach Shaka Smart, before Rice University came courting him. It was no picnic at Rice, as he brought in players he said were borderline D-I, but because of his coaching style the Owls improved under his tutelage.

After Smart left VCU, Rhoades was back in the saddle with the Rams.

But the best was yet to come. Penn State knew of Rhoades and quickly set out to woe him to Happy Valley. It didn’t take long for the Mahanoy City native to gather the administration’s attention. He was extremely prepared ,and his delivery seemed more like he was doing the recruiting/interview.

Rhoades has that way about him. He has street smarts, and that pays dividends in today’s world of big-time athletes.

Rhoades praised Penn State football coach James Franklin, saying he took the time to show him how things work at the University. He said he was going to do anything he can to “help Coach Franklin and the football team.”

“I’ve been a Penn State fan all my life, and there’s no bigger college football fan them me,” he said. “I rooted for Penn State all my life. Now I’ve got the best seat in the house. We’ve got a great sports program at the university; our football team is top shelf, our wrestling team is second to none in the nation. Now I want to make the basketball team a top contender in the Big 10 every year.”

Rhoades has already stared the process. This year’s class is ranked in the top 25 in the country with four freshmen. He’s had four players transfer in from the portal, and he even swayed a 7-1 big man from Switzerland.

Yes, Rhoades is beaming them in from all over the world.

To be sure, when he speaks, it’s in volumes and he makes it fun for his players. His newly transferred players are underclassmen, and he says he had prior relationships with the transfers.

“We knew what the kids were all about,” he said of the portal incomers. “We knew their character, we knew what they were all about. I feel those transfers are going to impact our program (immediately), and the four freshmen are a group that could be the future of our program. We’re excited about that.”

Rhoades calls Penn State a great place for college athletes, calling it the biggest stage in the country.

“I’m through the roof,” he said when asked about his barometer on excitement. “Now we’ve got to get basketball rolling.”

All one has to do as a former coal region product is trust Mike Rhoades and the rest falls into place.