Penn State's Kanye Clary Announces Transfer to Mississippi State

The former Nittany Lions guard, who led the team in scoring, will play for the Bulldogs next season.

Penn State guard Kanye Clary goes up for a basket against Michigan State in Big Ten basketball action at the Bryce Jordan Center. / Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Former Penn State guard Kanye Clary will play in the SEC next season. Clary announced Friday on social media that he has committed to play for Mississippi State. The decision ended a short tour of the NCAA Transfer Portal for Clary, who emerged as Penn State's leading scorer last season before being dismissed from the team.

Clary, a 5-11 guard, played in 23 games for the Nittany Lions, finishing as the team's top scorer (16.7 points per game) and as the No. 2 player in minutes (29.5 per game). He averaged 19.5 points through the first six games, scoring a season-high 28 against Butler in November, and had 10 outings of 20 or more points. Clary also led Penn State in 3-point shooting (37.7 percent). But after sustaining an injury in February, Clary missed two games, both of which Penn State won, and returned against Iowa on Feb. 8.

He did not start in his final three games with the Lions and scored a combined 16 points in them. Clary did not travel with the team to Nebraska in February, and Penn State coach Mike Rhoades announced his decision regarding Clary a few days later.

"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."

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Clary was among three Nittany Lions who returned to play for Rhoades after former coach Micah Shrewsberry left for Notre Dame in 2023. All three, including Demetrius Lilley and Jameel Brown, entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after this season.

Mississippi State went 21-14 this season (8-10 in the SEC) and lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.