Mississippi State Basketball Makes First Portal Splash With Former Big Ten Scorer
Mississippi State basketball picked up its first transfer portal addition of the offseason with a big-time scorer.
The offseason is fully in swing for Mississippi State basketball following last week's NCAA Tournament exit, and the roster for next season is already beginning to take shape.
Earlier this week, former JUCO-transfers Trey Fort and Jaquan Scott entered their names in the transfer portal while wing Shawn Jones announced his intentions to return to Mississippi State on Instagram.
Today, Chris Jans landed his first big addition to the roster through the portal, picking up former Penn State guard Kanye Clary.
JUST IN: Mississippi State lands guard Kanye Clary out of the transfer portal to begin portal class.
— Maroon and White Daily (@MWD_On3) March 29, 2024
MORE: https://t.co/SxUPj2xI1f pic.twitter.com/GofABjZ8gJ
Kanye Clary comes to Mississippi State after leading the Nittany Lions in scoring during the 2023-2024 season, averaging 16.7 points per game in 23 games played. The 5'11 point guard shot 46% from the floor and led Penn State in three-point shooting at 38%, though he did not take a high volume of threes.
Clary suffered an injury midway through the season, causing him to miss three games. He then returned for three games, coming off the bench. On February 19, Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades announced that Clary had been dismissed from the team, stating that it was a "coach's decision" and providing no further context.
Despite a sour ending to his time in State College, Kanye Clary is a major addition for Mississippi State basketball going into next season. Simply put, the Bulldogs are in desperate need of more scoring options to play alongside Josh Hubbard, particularly in their backcourt.
Clary adds that and can excel in a "slasher" type role for State. It will be interesting to see though how he compliments Hubbard. Both are smaller players, which does make playing defense tougher if both are on the floor together. And both are ball-dominant players who will look to take the majority of shots.
But assuming that dynamic can be sorted out, the combination of Hubbard and Clary could be frightening enough offensively that sacrificing some defense would be worth it.
Chris Jans and Mississippi State basketball will continue to be a factor in the transfer portal in the coming weeks as they look to finalize their roster for next season.