Penn State men’s basketball guard Melih Tunca is set to enter the transfer portal after one season with the program, per DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony.

Tunca joined Penn State from Turk Telekom in the Turkish Basketball Super League, the top basketball tier in Turkey. He was one of several international transfers in for Mike Rhoades’ squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Tunca started off the season as a starter, getting 25-30 minutes per game, but his time on the floor dwindled as the year progressed. He scored over 10 points in each of Penn State’s first eight contests. His highest-scoring game as a Nittany Lion was his 20-point performance against La Salle on November 15. He missed Penn State’s season finale against Rutgers with an injury and scored three points in the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten Tournament loss to Northwestern.

The freshman guard averaged 7.8 points, two rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in his time in Happy Valley. He shot 45% from the field and 31% from 3-point range. Tunca is the first Nittany Lion to announce his intentions to enter the transfer portal.

About the Author

Oscar Orellana

Oscar is a third-year broadcast journalism student from Los Angeles. He's probably at the movies. He mostly writes about Penn State football. Email him at oscar@onwardstate.com.

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