Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M together as well. I'm excited about him." Reflecting on the recruiting process, in which Rhoades and his staff explained their vision to the team's returning play- ers, Clary said he liked what he saw of VCU and could imagine himself excelling in that kind of system at Penn State. "VCU is always a gritty team, scrappy, plays fast, pushes tempo. And I feel like I'm a fast type of guard," he said. "So, I fit in, I think." Last season, Clary's role increased as the season went on. He played sparingly during the nonconference campaign, but in the team's late-season run to the Big Ten Tournament final and the sec- ond round of the NCAA tourney, he was routinely on the court for more than 10 minutes per game. Highlighting his sea- son was a 12-point outburst in a crucial, season-saving win over Illinois on Feb. 14 and an 11-point effort against Northwest- ern in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. "I think last season, I definitely got better as the year went on," Clary said. "I got comfortable, especially in the Big Ten, knowing how I fit in. And I knew what my role was and what type of player I could be. I'm really looking forward to this year." How that plays out is yet to be deter- mined, but Clary is optimistic about the impact he can make on the Nittany Lions this season. In the first game of Penn State's trip to the Bahamas in August for the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, he finished with 13 points and a team-high 7 assists in a 113-65 victory over the Bahamas Pirates. Two nights later, he led the team with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting, while adding 5 assists and 5 rebounds to help PSU outlast the University of Victoria (Canada) 103-77. Clary's performance during the team's foreign tour was yet another indication of the progress he's made since the end of the 2022-23 campaign. "They want to play in space this year. So, just how unpredictable I am [will be beneficial]," Clary said. "I can get to the rim. I've got a good midrange jumper, and my three ball has been improving. I've been getting the reps in. That's how I fit in." Puff Johnson | G/F | Sr. Trying to nail down Johnson on his on-court strengths could be a fruit- less endeavor. The senior transfer from North Carolina doesn't want to talk about points, rebounds, assists or blocks. Instead, he prefers to describe his presence on the hardwood in other terms. Johnson was one of the nation's top prospects in the 2020 recruiting class, checking in at No. 62 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking. He signed with the Tar Heels out of Moon (Pa.) Area High and spent three seasons in Chapel Hill, where he appeared in 68 games. While he's going from a blue-blood program to one that is looking to build its basketball identity, Johnson has ev- ery intention of winning as a Nittany Lion. That is something he's eager to talk about. "Learning how to do what I can to impact winning, I feel like that's what I've really done at a high level," Johnson said. "What I'm going to keep trying to do here is impact winning in a posi- tive way, whether that be diving on the floor, taking a charge, doing anything I need to do just to make sure our team ends up with the higher score at the end of the game. That's my biggest goal. What I try to do every single day I'm on the court, and every single day in practice, is to win." Rhoades has witnessed just that dur- ing Johnson's first few months in the program. Calling the 6-8, 200-pounder "a high-level kid" in terms of how he's conducted himself, Rhoades said John- son's approach to practice over the summer helped Penn State establish a foundation for its construction project. "He gets it," Rhoades said. "He knows what's important on a team. And to have that in your first year, and transfer in, I think will help us. "He plays and practices very, very Swingman Puff Johnson played 18 minutes in the national championship game two seasons ago when he was at North Carolina. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL