BREAKING: Dismissed Penn State basketball guard enters transfer portal

As expected, former Penn State basketball guard Kanye Clary will enter the transfer portal. The announcement Monday comes after Mike Rhoades dismissed the sophomore from the Nittany Lions program on February 19. Clary was Penn State’s leading scorer before the dismissal, but his role with the team unraveled in early February. 

Kanye Clary to enter transfer portal

Very few pieces from Penn State’s NCAA Tournament run last season carried over into year one of the Mike Rhoades era, but Kanye Clary quickly emerged as the centerpiece of the new-look Nittany Lions team. Clary was the leading scorer for Penn State basketball for much of the season, averaging nearly 17 points per game. He also averaged three assists and three rebounds across 23 games, including 20 starts, for the Nittany Lions this season. 

But things quickly fell apart for the sophomore guard during the stretch run of the season. After being injured against Minnesota on January 27, Kanye Clary missed a pair of road wins versus Rutgers and Indiana. The star guard saw his time drastically cut following his return, scoring 16 total points across three games.

After not traveling with the team to face Nebraska for undisclosed reasons, Clary was dismissed from the Penn State basketball program on February 19. “Kanye is no longer with the team,” Mike Rhoades said following the dismissal. “Coach’s decision. We’re going to keep moving forward on the guys we got, the task at hand. It came to a point where we’re at that I made the decision as the head coach to move on. I’ll leave it at that.”

Now, as expected, Kanye Clary will enter the transfer portal. The move was first reported by Pete Nakos of On3. The transfer portal for men’s basketball opened officially on Monday. 

Penn State guard Kanye Clary has entered the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned.

Averaged 16.7 points per game this season. Will have two years of eligibility remaining. https://t.co/p1I9C48dg2 pic.twitter.com/j9nV3f33ng

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) March 18, 2024

Penn State basketball went 4-3 to close the year following Clary’s ouster from the program. The transfer portal for men’s basketball opened officially on March 18. 

What’s next for Penn State basketball?

The 2023-24 season officially came to an end for Penn State basketball following a 61-59 loss to Indiana in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 14. The Nittany Lions finished the season 16-17 (9-11 Big Ten). Despite ending the season below .500, year one is widely viewed as a positive one for Mike Rhoades, given the uphill battle he faced after taking over the program last March.

Rhoades and Penn State now await decisions from other key members of this year’s roster, most notable Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin and forward Puff Johnson. Both Nittany Lions said they had yet to reach decisions immediately following the season-ending loss to Indiana.

In addition, there is a wave of optimism around the newcomers to Happy Valley. Mike Rhoades signed the No. 25 overall class in the 2024 cycle, headlined by Miles Goodman, the second-highest-rated recruit in Penn State basketball history. 

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