Penn State dismisses leading scorer Kanye Clary

Field Level Media|published: Mon 19th February, 14:13 2024

Jan 20, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Kanye Clary (0) controls the ball as Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. credits: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State dismissed sophomore guard and leading scorer Kanye Clary from the team, coach Mike Rhoades announced Monday.

Rhoades did not provide a reason.

"Kanye is no longer with the team. Coach's decision. We're going to keep moving forward on the guys we got, the task at hand," Rhoades told reporters. "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."

The move comes after Clary didn't make the trip for Penn State's game at Nebraska on Saturday. Rhoades said Clary "just didn't make the trip."

The 5-foot-11 Clary was averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 23 games (20 starts) this season. He played in 32 games (zero starts) as a freshman last year, averaging 3.7 points per game.

Clary missed three games with a concussion he sustained on Jan. 27 and was not reinserted to the starting lineup when he returned.

"He was out for a while. And then we're playing different lineups. We're playing some different lineups and that's affecting his time in certain scenarios. That's coach's decisions and moving things around and all that stuff," Rhoades said Feb. 12. "We need him because he's a talented player, but we also need him at his best. Some of the lineups we have are working. And that's what you go with."

Penn State (12-14, 6-9 Big Ten) hosts No. 12 Illinois on Wednesday.

—Field Level Media

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