Latest news with #Niederhauser
Los Angeles Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Clippers rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser showing growth in Summer League
LAS VEGAS — Yanic Konan Niederhauser received the pass near the half-court line from a Clippers teammate who had just stolen the basketball. The 6-foot-11 center maneuvered down the court, his long strides allowing him to use just two dribbles before he took flight outside the circle and threw down a thunderous dunk over helpless Lakers defender Cole Swider. The crowd inside Thomas & Mack Center went into a frenzy, including Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who leaped out of his courtside seat, pumped his fists and yelled. At that moment Monday night, Niederhauser displayed his agility, speed and ballhandling skills. It was another step taken in his progress while playing in the NBA Summer League on the campus of UNLV. The Clippers had used the 30th and last pick in the first round of the NBA draft to select Niederhauser out of Penn State because they saw potential. That exciting, and in many ways unexpected, play was an encouraging sign for the Clippers. 'I didn't see Mr. Ballmer because I was in the moment,' Niederhauser, laughing, said late Monday night. 'That's the guard skills I was talking about and I had a couple of fast breaks these last few days and I passed the ball away. Now I said, 'Naw, man. I can go up by myself.' I told myself I was going to dunk it and I did.' In his first three games in the NBA Summer League, Niederhauser has shown different skills. It was his defense and rebounding in the first game, against the Houston Rockets in which he blocked four shots and collected 10 rebounds. Though he missed all four of his shots and scored just one point, Niederhauser found other ways to contribute. It was a little bit of everything in his second game, against the Milwaukee Bucks in which he had two points, three rebounds, two steals and one block. It was his offense in the third game against the Lakers in which he scored 10 points, grabbed two rebounds and had two steals. 'He just sticks with it,' Clippers assistant and Summer League coach Jeremy Castleberry said. 'No matter if it's going good or bad, he sticks with it. He's trying his best to do everything we ask him to do. And just like I said after the last game, he continues to get better. From the last game [against the Bucks] to this game [against the Lakers], he was a little bit better than he was last game. He's getting the dunks, catching the basketball, finishing it, being a rim-protector, consistently running the floor. Like, you can see the progress.' Niederhauser was born in Bern, Switzerland, a town of about 135,000 an hour from Zurich. Even so, at 15, the Clippers' international scouts became aware of Niederhauser when he played on the under-16 Switzerland national team. At that time, he was a 6-1 guard. Niederhauser had a growth spurt at 17 that pushed him into playing center position. He said he was 6-5 when he broke his knee and was forced to sit out for a year. 'I was like out for a whole year and once I came back, after a whole year of sitting out and I get back on the court, now I'm 6-11,' he said. 'Yeah, in one year, I had to change my whole game from being like a forward/guard to being a center. So, yeah, I had guard skills. That's why sometimes I be dribbling the ball.' Niederhauser laughed, agreeing those guard skills helped him make that electric dunk against the Lakers. His size, weight (242 pounds) and youth (22) are all part of the package the Clippers like. 'We think there's plenty of upside,' Clippers general manager Trent Redden said. 'You know, the famous draft word, obviously. But for a guy that's his age, he's still learning and growing into his frame that he hasn't really had his whole life. We just haven't had a guy that size at that position in a backup role that's young that we can feed into and give to our developmental staff.' As a kid growing up in Switzerland, Niederhauser learned to speak four languages — Swiss, German, French and English. His parents, Dominique and Nadege Niederhauser, made sure their son was well-versed. 'Since I was a baby, I was speaking all those languages,' Niederhauser said. 'My mom, she speaks French. She's from the Ivory Coast and that's where I learned French, and my dad speaks mostly German and so that's how I learned my German.' Now that Niederhauser is with the Clippers, he'll have tutors to teach how the NBA game is played. He will be able to learn from centers Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez. Lopez is 37 and a 17-year veteran who signed with the Clippers this summer. He mentioned how he played with great players like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now it's up to him to pass on knowledge to Niederhauser like others passed on to him. 'I'm absolutely ready to get on the court, help him out and help him adjust and become a great player in this league,' Lopez said. Niederhauser is soaking it all in while in Las Vegas, from the games to the practices to the conversations he's had with Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. 'He's been giving me advice. I can just tell that he has a lot of knowledge,' Niederhauser said. 'I'm loving this. I'm in a great situation with experienced players to learn from. I'm just taking time to learn and get my experience. Everything is new to me so I'm just trying my best to soak everything in and just get better every day.'
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
G League Elite Camp: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, 4 others invited to draft combine
G League Elite Camp: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, 4 others invited to draft combine Penn State junior Yanic Konan Niederhauser is among five players from the 2025 NBA G League Elite Camp who were reportedly invited to the draft combine in Chicago, Illinois. Niederhauser emerged as the top performer from the annual scouting event at the Wintrust Arena, averaging 15.5 points, six rebounds and 1.5 blocks in two scrimmage games. He shot 82.3% from the field (14-of-17) and finished a plus-15 in 44 total minutes. Joining the Swiss forward advancing to the combine are Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako, Missouri guard Tamar Bates, Gonzaga guard Ryan Nembhard and Australian forward Lachlan Olbrich from the Illawarra Hawks, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The five players selected, voted on by teams, will join the 75 prospects announced on May 2 as combine participants. The event will tip off on Monday, with the players competing in 5-on-5 games, strength and agility testing, shooting drills and other exercises. The combine this year marks the second time prospects will be required to participate in drills and medical testing, as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement. Prospects can be ruled ineligible to be drafted if they skip certain portions without sufficient reasoning. The field of players includes several who are testing the predraft process and could return to college next season. They will be able to gain feedback from teams about their respective draft stocks ahead of the early entry withdrawal deadline on May 28. The 2025 NBA draft will occur June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Penn State's Yanic Konan Niederhauser declares for NBA, keeps door open for return
Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades will have quite a bit of work to do in reworking the roster for the 2025-26 season. Alresady with a handful of transfers to replace, Penn State may be in need of a new big man after Yanic Konan Niederhauser declared himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft. "After careful consideration, I've decided to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft," Niederhauser announced on his Instagram account. Advertisement Despite declaring for the NBA draft, Niederhauser also confirmed he will stay at Penn State as a Plan B in the event he takes his name out of the NBA draft pool. "In the meantime, I will maintain my college eligibility. In case I decide to withdraw from the draft, I will return to Penn State for my senior year," Niederhauser said. By declaring for the NBA draft, Niederhauser can participate in the NBA scouting combine for further evaluation of his draft prospects. Fortunately, Niederhauser can see that evaluation to make a better decision on whether or not the draft should come calling or if another year in Happy Valley will serve him well. Niederhauser averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season for Penn State. He would certainly be leaving behind some massive shoes to fill on the Penn State roster if the NBA ultimately does come calling. Advertisement Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads. This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Has Yanic Konan Niederhauser played his last game for Penn State?
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Penn State's Yanic Konan Niederhauser declares for NBA, keeps door open for return
Penn State's Yanic Konan Niederhauser declares for NBA, keeps door open for return Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades will have quite a bit of work to do in reworking the roster for the 2025-26 season. Alresady with a handful of transfers to replace, Penn State may be in need of a new big man after Yanic Konan Niederhauser declared himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft. "After careful consideration, I've decided to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft," Niederhauser announced on his Instagram account. Despite declaring for the NBA draft, Niederhauser also confirmed he will stay at Penn State as a Plan B in the event he takes his name out of the NBA draft pool. "In the meantime, I will maintain my college eligibility. In case I decide to withdraw from the draft, I will return to Penn State for my senior year," Niederhauser said. By declaring for the NBA draft, Niederhauser can participate in the NBA scouting combine for further evaluation of his draft prospects. Fortunately, Niederhauser can see that evaluation to make a better decision on whether or not the draft should come calling or if another year in Happy Valley will serve him well. Niederhauser averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season for Penn State. He would certainly be leaving behind some massive shoes to fill on the Penn State roster if the NBA ultimately does come calling. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.
Reuters
16-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Mekhi Mason helps Washington edge Penn State
February 15 - Mekhi Mason scored 20 points, making a season-high six 3-pointers, as Washington rallied for a 75-73 victory against Penn State in a Big Ten game Saturday afternoon in State College, Pa. DJ Davis and Franck Kepnang each scored 14 points, with Kepnang adding five blocked shots and four steals, for the Huskies (13-12, 4-10 Big Ten). Zoom Diallo scored 12. Great Osobor, Washington's leading scorer, was limited to six points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field, but had a double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Ace Baldwin Jr. led Penn State with 20 points, but his off-balance 3-point attempt with one second remaining bounced off the rim. Freddie Dilione V scored 15 points, D'Marco Dunn had 12 and Zach Hicks and Yanic Konan Niederhauser each tallied 10 for the Nittany Lions (13-13, 3-12), who suffered their seventh straight defeat to remain in last place in the 18-team conference. Niederhauser grabbed 11 rebounds. There were 17 lead changes, with 15 of those coming in the second half. Trailing 38-34, The Huskies opened the half with a 3-pointer by Mason and a three-point play by Diallo to take their first lead since the opening minutes. Washington took its largest lead at 64-60 on a three-point play by Davis with 7:06 left. The Nittany Lions responded with a 6-0 run to regain the lead and it went back and forth the rest of the way. Mason's 3-pointer with 3:52 left gave the Huskies the lead for good at 70-68. Kepnang raced from behind to block a breakaway dunk attempt by Niederhauser that would've tied the score with 2:28 remaining. Davis made a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left to put the Huskies up 75-71. Penn State took a 38-34 lead into the intermission as Hicks and Baldwin both scored 10 points. The Nittany Lions led by as many as 13 in the first half as Hicks made a four-point play with 7 minutes remaining. The Huskies answered with a 9-0 run -- the first five by Diallo and the last four by Kepnang -- to pull within 31-27. The oft-injured Kepnang came off the bench and matched his season-high with 10 points in the first half.
