Penn State may have found something special in Roko Prkacin.
In Monday night’s season opener against Canisius, the Croatian forward looked like a player operating on a different level. In just 20:08 on the floor, Prkacin put together a performance that made it easy to understand why he arrived with so much buzz.
The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder from Zagreb did a little bit of everything. He scored efficiently, moved like a guard in space, attacked inside like a true power forward and showed enough skill handling the ball in transition to make the whole package stand out. He also flashed his passing and rebounding ability, all while making it look almost effortless against average Division 1 competition.
Prkacin’s reputation didn’t come out of nowhere. Around 2020 and early 2021, he was regularly talked about as a possible NBA lottery pick or at least a safe first-round selection. Now at Penn State, where he has only one year of NCAA eligibility, he’s giving the Nittany Lions a frontcourt weapon with real polish.
His background only adds to the intrigue. Before joining Penn State, Prkacin played the 2025-26 season with Nanterre 92 in France’s top professional league, Pro A.
There, he averaged 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. With the Croatian senior national team, where he has played since 2021, he posted 7.6 points and four rebounds per game across 26 appearances.
Against Canisius, the numbers jumped off the page. Prkacin finished with 28 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot, going 12-for-14 from the field and 4-for-5 at the free throw line. He did all of that in just 20 minutes.
Penn State’s first real measuring stick comes soon enough. The Nittany Lions head to Philadelphia this weekend to face Pitt at The Palestra on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 8.
Before that trip, Penn State will host Chattanooga on Thursday at 6:00. Chattanooga is led by former PSU standout Danny Earl.
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Among the visitors were 4-star cornerback KeiShjuan Telfair and 247Sports 4-star defensive end Tristan Alexander, one of the top players in Pennsylvanias 2029 class. The game also brought in potential flip targets and other recruits who got a live look at how Penn State performed in a conference setting, the kind of setting that can matter just as much as the final score when rivals are trying to keep pace. [Read more 🡒]