Mississippi State basketball has faired decently well so far this season when it comes to injuries, as they haven't seen multiple players miss extended time to this point. But there has been one notable injury to the roster that's lasted several weeks.
Penn State transfer point guard Kanye Clary hasn't seen the court since Mississippi State's November 29 loss to Butler seven games into the season. He suffered a lower leg injury in early December and since been out indefinitely.
Now after 13 games without him available, we have an answer as to his status going forward.
Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Kanye Clary out for the season with injury
During his Tuesday night "Dawg Talk" radio show, Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans confirmed what many had been speculating. Kanye Clary is officially out for the rest of the year.
From Chris Jans at Dawg Talk regarding Kanye Clary: From the radio show
— Paul Jones (@PaulJonesOn3) January 29, 2025
I want to provide an update on Kanye. He’s missed a significant amount of time due to injury, and his injury will not allow Kanye to return to the court this season.
Kanye Clary was seen as one of Mississippi State's biggest transfer portal additions over the offseason. The former Penn State guard averaged 16.7 points per game on 46% shooting for the Nittany Lions during the 2023-2024 season. A player who primarily did his damage inside the arc, Clary could ideally have served as a compliment to Josh Hubbard in the backcourt.
He was also a more natural point guard, which the State roster otherwise lacked. In seven games this season, Clary made four starts, averaging 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. His best performance came against Georgia State when he had 11 points on a perfect night shooting and totaled six assists.
Despite modest numbers, Clary's presence on the court clearly benefited Josh Hubbard, who was at his best during those early games. Without Clary, it's largely been on Hubbard to orchestrate the offense, and despite doing a good job of handling the ball, his scoring and efficiency has slipped playing the point.
Hubbard is at his best when someone else is setting things up for him, and while both Cam Matthews and Riley Kugel has shown they can handle that role, they too are best suited elsewhere. Unfortunately for State, they don't have any other realistic option other than to primarily play Hubbard at point guard, mix up those duties on occasion, and make it work as best as they can. On the positive side, they've still shown the can win under those circumstances.