Tag: Kanye Clary

With loss of Kanye Clary, Penn State must lean even more on Ace Baldwin Jr. in 2024

Penn State basketball could really use Ace Baldwin Jr. back on the court in 2024-25.

Penn State had a disappointing first season under coach Mike Rhoades in 2023, finishing ninth in the Big Ten and 16-17 overall. Despite bringing in a robust transfer class that included two of his former VCU players [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and Nick Kern, the team never fully gelled together.

It didn’t help that sophomore guard and leading scorer [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] was dismissed from the team by Rhoades in mid-February. With his transfer to Mississippi State ending his time in Happy Valley, it will fall to returning players to pick up the scoring slack left behind.

Penn State returns five of their top seven scorers from last season, but only one who averaged double digits. Ace Baldwin Jr. was the focal point of Penn State’s defense, earning him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He also served as their primary playmaker and secondary scorer, averaging 14.2 points and 6.0 assists. In 2024, they may need him to take on even more.

Rhoades has dipped into the transfer portal again with the addition of Xavier big man Kachi Nzeh, but he is unlikely to make a huge impact offensively.

There are serious questions about whether Baldwin Jr. can handle much more as a scorer, especially with his already poor shooting splits. Similar questions surround the other top returning scorers, however, with just forward Puff Johnson and guard Nick Kern shooting above 40% from the field this season.

Rhoades will need multiple players to step up their shot-making ability in 2024 to take pressure off of Baldwin Jr., but the bulk of the responsibility still falls on him. 2024 will be his final college season, and I know he has his eyes set on making a return to the NCAA tournament. To do so, he must become a more efficient and consistent offensive threat.

I think he has the talent to make it happen, but he may need to sacrifice some of his energy on defense to do it. Will the trade-off be worth it? That’s what he and coach Rhoades will need to determine this offseason. Maybe one or more of their complementary scorers take a huge leap, but there’s no guarantee of that happening. I know I will be looking forward to seeing how they fair in 2024.

Former Penn State guard Kanye Clary announces transfer to Mississippi State

Former Penn State guard Kanye Clary has made up his mind out of the transfer portal.

One of the first players to jump into the NCAA transfer portal from Penn State’s roster has announced his next stop. [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], who was dismissed from the program late in the year, announced on Friday he will be transferring to Mississippi State of the SEC. Clary announced his transfer commitment on his Instagram account.

Clary averaged 16.7 points per game with 2.8 assists per game this season. He started in 20 of 23 games played, with the only three games off the bench coming after an injury sidelined him. Clary was removed from the roster in mid-February by head coach Mike Rhoades for what was said to be a coach’s decision without much further explanation.

Clary will join a program coming off an appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this season, although the Bulldogs lost to Michigan State in the first round of the tournament.

Clary is the first, and as of now the only, Penn State player to have a new school officially picked out of the transfer portal. Four other players from Penn State’s roster remain in the transfer portal at the moment; Jameel Brown, Demetrius Lilley, Favour Aire, and Bragi Gudmundsson.

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Mississippi State adds commitment from Penn State transfer Kanye Clary

The Mississippi State Bulldogs landed a commitment in the transfer portal from Penn State guard Kanye Clary.

Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs picked up a big commitment via the transfer portal, as former Penn State guard Kanye Clary has committed to the program.

Clary, who was at Penn State the past two seasons, is coming off a breakout 2023-24 campaign in which he started 20-of-23 games, and averaged 16.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1 SPG for the Nittany Lions. The guard also shot an impressive 37.7% from three, as well as 46.2% from the field and 81.1% from the free throw line.

Prior to this past season, Clary appeared in 32 games off Penn State’s bench as a freshman, averaging 10.4 MPG. Over that season, Clary averaged 3.7 PPG on 43.4% shooting from the field, as well as 70% from the free throw line.

Clary is the first transfer commitment for Mississippi State this offseason, and is likely to play a significant role in 2024-25 for a Bulldogs team that could easily return to the NCAA Tournament.

Kanye Clary officially enters transfer portal

After being removed from the roster in February, former Penn State guard Kanye Clary is now in the transfer portal.

The end of the 2023-24 college basketball season came to a premature ending for guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag]. While leading Penn State in points per game average well into the season, Clary was removed from the roster for undisclosed reasons by head coach Mike Rhoades. Now, Clary is officially one step closer to finding a new program to call home.

Clary entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, the first day the portal opened for college basketball players. Clary will have two years of eligibility to use wherever he lands next after a solid sophomore season with the Nittany Lions.

Clary averaged 16.7 points per game with 2.8 assists per game this season. He started in 20 of 23 games played, with the only three games off the bench coming after an injury sidelined him.

Where Clary goes next remains to be seen, although Notre Dame may be a potential landing spot for him. Clary was recruited by Notre Dame head coach and former Penn State head coach Micha Shrewsberry.

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Best photos from the Penn State 2023-24 men’s basketball season

Let’s take a look back at some of the best photos we gathered from throughout the men’s basketball season.

Penn State came into the 2023-24 season with a new head coach and a reworked roster, but the goal remained the same; to make it back to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. That goal ultimately was unfulfilled as Penn State went through a challenging year without much luck on the road or on a neutral court, and the first season under new head coach Mike Rhoades has come to a close.

But the season was not without its bright spots and moments worth cherishing and remembering moving into the offseason. It was unexpected Penn State would have much success this year given the circumstances, but the work is already being done to build a program that will be more competitive in the years to come with more frequent trips to the NCAA postseason hopefully on the horizon. But before we look ahead, let’s take a few moments to look back.

Here is a look back at some of the best photos we gathered from this past men’s basketball season.

Kanye Clary removed from Penn State men’s basketball roster

Penn State’s leading scorer Kanye Clary no longer part of the program

The up and down season for the Penn State men’s basketball programs after news was released that their leading scorer, [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], was no longer part of the team after comments from head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] on Monday.

“Kanye’s no longer with the team. Coach’s decision. We’re going to just keep moving forward with and focus on the guys we got, the task at hand,” Rhoades said at the Bryce Jordan Center.

This shocking turn of events comes after the sophomore guard didn’t make the trip to Nebraska on Saturday where the Nittany Lions lost 68-49. He is now no longer on their online roster after Rhoades’ comments.

Clary was one of the biggest surprises in the Big Ten this year, becoming one of the conference’s top scorers before an injury caused him to miss two games. He returned in a bench role for the next three games.

During his absence, Penn State won games over Rutgers and Indiana on the road. They also beat Iowa at home when Clary returned from injury but lost against Northwestern and Michigan State.

This announcement comes at a strange time in the season.

The Nittany Lions only have five more games remaining before the Big Ten tournament begins and will need a Cinderella type of run to get back into March Madness.

At the time of his dismissal, Clary was averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

“Next man up. Let’s continue to build this the right way, work really hard, keep putting it together,” Rhoades said.

Whether this is a direct shot at the sophomore guard is unknown, but it’s peculiar messaging after someone as talented at Clary was dismissed.

He was a holdover from Micah Shrewsberry’s first Penn State recruiting class after he decided to stay in Happy Valley upon the hiring of Rhoades. It seemed like things were working out early as he improved just about every aspect of his game from year one to year two.

Now, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag] will be the feature guard with [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] and [autotag]Jameel Brown[/autotag] getting more playing time in the backcourt.

How this impacts the team will be seen, but it’s a shocking announcement at this point in the year.

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Penn State at Nebraska men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Saturday

Penn State travels to face one of the country’s best home teams worst while to trying to shake off its two game skid.

The Penn State men’s basketball team fell victim to another close loss on Wednesday, as Michigan State left State College with just its second road victory. The Nittany Lions will aim to snap its two-game skid when they end in Lincoln on Saturday to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

It was a tough loss against the Spartans for several reasons, but perhaps none bigger than shooting 12/23 from the 3-point line and still coming away with a loss. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] each scored 15 points to lead Penn State.

Penn State is only 6-8 in Big Ten play and hasn’t had much success on the road this season, only going 2-5. Nebraska has not lost a Big Ten game at home and has only lost once at home all season. The Cornhuskers haven’t played in a week after beating Michigan at home 79-59 on February 10.

Guard Keisei Tominaga paces the Nebraska offense with 14 points per game and averages 2.2 3-pointers per contest so the Penn State 3-point defense that ranks third in the Big Ten will be critical.

Penn State guard [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] was held to just 8 points against Michigan State in his return to the starting lineup, so a back-to-normal offensive night for the sophomore guard would be a massive boost for the Nittany Lions.

The Cornhuskers are one of the toughest teams in the country when playing at home, so Penn State will have to be clicking on all cylinders to come away with the victory.

Here is how to watch Saturday afternoon’s Big Ten action from Lincoln.

Penn State at Nebraska Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
  • Time: Noon ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State basketball drops home game to Michigan State (photos)

Penn State was unable to come from behind against Michigan State at home on Wednesday evening.

Things did not go according to plan for Penn State men’s basketball on Wednesday evening. In a season where Penn State has been far more successful at home, the Nittany Lions dug a big hole in the first half against Michigan State and was unable to pull off a comeback in an 80-72 loss in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Michigan State’s Malik Hall scored a career-high 29 points and Penn State had a rough night shooting the ball. Each time Penn State seemed to have a run in them in the second half, Michigan State had an answer to pull away. [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Hicks[/autotag] each scored 15 points for the Nittany Lions and [autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] added 14 points.

Here are some of the best photos from the game.

Penn State vs. Michigan State men’s basketball: How to watch on TV and live stream on Wednesday

Penn State welcomes in one of the Big Ten’s worst road teams this season while looking to build off a strong showing at home this season.

After a tough 68-63 loss on the road in Evanston, which snapped the Nittany Lions’ three-game win streak, Penn State’s men’s basketball team will head home to take on the Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday evening.

Penn State was blown out by Michigan State 92-61 in early January, but the Spartans have not looked like the top-five preseason team they were before the season began. With surprise losses to Minnesota and Nebraska of late, the struggling Spartans present a good litmus test for the Nittany Lions, who are dominant at home with a 10-3 record.

Last time out against Michigan State, Penn State couldn’t slow down the Spartans, who shot 56% from the field and 47% from the 3-point line. [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag] scored 21 points, but no one else helped him on the offensive end. Still returning from an injury, Clary came off the bench the last two games, but he seems likely to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game.

The Spartans are coming off a home win against ranked Illinois and are looking to make a push into March. Michigan State is only 1-5 on the road, with its only win coming in late January against Maryland, so a great home team against a lackluster road team matches up nicely for the Nittany Lions.

Here is how to watch the Wednesday evening Big Ten basketball contest at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State vs. Michigan State Men’s Basketball

  • Date: Wednesday, Feb. 14
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

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Penn State basketball’s winning streak snapped with tough loss at Northwestern

Nick Kern Jr. and Ace Baldwin Jr. combined for 35 points but it wasn’t enough to upset Northwestern.

Penn State men’s basketball was hoping to keep the good vibes going with a fourth straight win in Big Ten play on Sunday afternoon, but things did not go their way on the road at Northwestern. The 68-63 loss in Evanston dropped Penn State back to .500 with a record of 12-12 and to 6-7 in Big Ten play this season.

Northwestern attacked with a well-balanced scoring attack with five starters scoring in double figures including Boo Buie’s 15 points. Buie also added five rebounds and six assists for the Wildcats.

[autotag]Nick Kern Jr.[/autotag] led Penn State with 18 points and [autotag]Ace Baldwin Jr.[/autotag] added 17 points. [autotag]D’Marco Dunn[/autotag] got another start in place of [autotag]Kanye Clary[/autotag], who once again saw some playing time off the bench while getting back to full strength from an injury. Clary was held scoreless off the bench in 14 minutes and Dunn scored just four points.

Penn State will return home for their next game against Michigan State. The Nittany Lions host the Spartans in the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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