Transfer Portal Season Begins for Penn State Basketball
Transfer portal season has arrived for Penn State basketball, as three players (two current, one former) entered when the NCAA Transfer Portal re-opened Monday. Guard Kanye Clary, dismissed from the team in February, entered along with forward Favour Aire and guard Bragi Gudmundsson.
Clary's departure was expected after coach Mike Rhoades announced in February that the 5-11 sophomore no longer was with the team. Clary, the team's leading scorer at the time, did not travel with the Nittany Lions for a game at Nebraska, and Rhoades announced the decision two days later.
Clary had been Penn State's top offensive threat through the season's first three months. He jumped out quickly, averaging 19.5 points through the first six games with a season-high 28 against Butler in late November. Clary was averaging 18.8 per game, with 10 outings of 20 or more points, when he sustained an injury against Minnesota on Jan. 27. Clary missed the next two games, both of which Penn State won on the road, and returned (but did not start) against Iowa on Feb. 8.
Over his final three games, during which the Lions went 1-2, Clary did not start, saw his minutes reduce drastically and took far fewer shots. Clary scored a combined 16 points in three games against Iowa, Northwestern and Michigan State. He was a combined 5-for-13 from the field in those games. Clary had taken 13 or more shots in 13 games prior to his injury. Without Clary at Nebraska, Penn State scored a season-low 49 points in a 19-point loss.
"Every decision I make is based on the culture of our program," Rhoades said. "How we dress, what we put up on the walls, everything, every decision. There’s easier ones and there’s really, really difficult ones. That’s my job. But every decision is made on moving the program forward. But sometimes those decisions are delicate and hard, but they’ve got to be made, too."
Aire, a 6-11 forward, played in 12 games, totaling seven points and 12 rebounds. He transferred to Penn State after spending the 2022-23 season at Miami (Fla.).
Gudmundsson, a 6-5 guard, scored six points in seven games. He joined Penn State's roster from Iceland, where he played in the country's top professional league.
Rhoades and Penn State also will be players in the portal this offseason, likely looking to bring size to a roster that finished 13th in the Big Ten in rebounding. The Nittany Lions went 16-17 (9-11 in the Big Ten) in their first season under Rhoades.
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