Penn State basketball welcomes veteran forward transfer
Penn State basketball has officially added a new player to the roster for the 2025-26 season. On Saturday, the school officially announced the addition of Saša Ciani, who previously played college basketball with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and Xavier.
Ciani is coming off his sophomore season with UIC, where he played in 27 games and started 21 games. In that playing time, Ciani averaged 9.9 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. He ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference with his rebounds per game. As a freshman, Ciani played in 31 games for Xavier, including five starts.
Prior to beginning his college basketball career, Ciani played in the ABA League in Slovenia. The Slovenia native averaged 11.1 points per game and played in the U-20 European Championships in 2022. He also appeared on the Slovenian National Team in an exhibition in the 2023 FIBA World Cup European qualifiers, where he was a teammate of Luka Dončić.
'We're excited to get Saša on campus and welcome him to our Penn State basketball family," head coach Mike Rhoades said ina. released statement. "He is a veteran that will give us front court experience, size and versatility. We're looking forward to the leadership, intense play and toughness that he will bring to our program.'
Ciania will have two seasons of eligibility remaining upon his arrival in Happy Valley.
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