By JAMES MADDEN & SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Penn State landed a commitment from Canadian prospect Dionycius Bakare this July, who chose the Nittany Lions over Arizona State, SMU, South Florida and Washington. Bakare is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound wing and spent his AAU season with UPlay Canada of the EYBL circuit.
He averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds across 20 games this summer and describes himself as an “aggressive player.” Bakare focuses mainly on attacking and finishing at the rim. He was one of the most efficient players in the entire EYBL.
The most efficient scorers in the Nike EYBL this summer: pic.twitter.com/3VwSAicZ6r
— Synergy Basketball (@SynergySST) July 24, 2025
“I’m not extremely ball-dominant,” Bakare told ZAGSBLOG. “I like to play within systems, and I try to space the floor as well as I can, try and run, try my best guarding. Being able to guard smaller guards and being able to guard wings as well.”
His best trait?
“I think it’s just my slashing, my ability to get to the rim while running the fast break. Getting dunks, getting my teammates hype and trying to create energy,” Bakare said.
The three-star felt at home early in his recruitment and got a welcoming feeling from head coach Mike Rhoades and his coaching staff.
“I’ve talked to them a bunch,” Bakare said. “One of my teammates at the Phelps School [Justin Houser] committed there, and he was telling me great things about it. Overall, they just seemed very welcoming. They put a huge effort into trying to get me, and I appreciated the effort they put in.”
Bakare’s relationship with Mike Rhoades became strong quickly with both of their personalities complimenting each other.
“He seems like a welcoming, nice coach,” Bakare said. “Through my talks, I feel like he believes in me a lot, and I think our personalities kind of fit each other. I think my play style could work within his system, and he just seems like a great guy.”
Bakare is Penn State’s first commit in the class of 2026. He is rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 165 player nationally. He’s looking forward to improving his game most.
“And playing against elite-level players,” he said. “I’m always trying to level up and it’s exciting to get to play at a school like that.”
The Vancouver native wears size 19 shoes. Bakare’s favorite NBA player is Kawhi Leonard.
“His efficiency, relentlessness and athleticism stands out,” UPlay head coach Dwayne Washington told ZAGSBLOG. “He is a very good shooter off the catch and has a great motor. He is physically tough and can defend three positions.”
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