Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M frame has to put on quality weight. With his length, Goodman has broad shoul- ders, which should take well to a college strength and conditioning program. On the court, Goodman has good hands and he has touch. While he is still raw and fig- uring out his own game, Goodman is ca- pable of stepping out and knocking down a shot with range as his feet are set. While he will need to continue strengthening his core and base, he does show a post-move going over his left shoulder." ■ THREE STARS 1. Kanye Clary | G | So. Sharing the backcourt with senior Ace Baldwin Jr., a much-heralded trans- fer point guard from Virginia Commonwealth, Clary delivered a November full of highlights. Beginning with 22 points in the opener against Delaware State and continuing through a 28-point effort in a loss to Butler at the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Fla., Clary averaged a team-high 19.5 points in the first six games on an efficient 45-of-87 shooting performance from the floor. A first-half injury forced him to the sideline against VCU to cap the tournament, but his fast start this year has been an encouraging sign for the Nittany Lions. 2. Qudus Wahab | F | Gr. Transforming from an offense-first player through his first four years of college ball into an all-around performer at Penn State has been a process for Wahab. Still, the early returns have been hopeful for the 6-foot-11 big man. He had a season-high 18 points in 32 minutes against Bucknell, con- necting on 7 of 8 shots from the floor. He also had double-digit rebound- ing efforts against Delaware State, Lehigh and Morehead State. The task now is to meld the two into a more complete performance. 3. Ace Baldwin Jr. | G | Sr. Baldwin has experienced some growing pains in his brief time at Penn State. Both a prolific scorer and last year's Defensive Player of the Year in the Atlantic 10, he has needed to share the backcourt with another on-ball lead guard in Clary, and the results have been mixed at times. But his intensity on the floor hasn't created any doubt about the effort he's bringing to the Nittany Lions. Through his first eight games, he was averag- ing 14.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. The highlight was a 27-point performance in the Lions' 86-74 loss to VCU, a game in which he played all 40 minutes. KEY MOMENT Penn State repeatedly clawed back from the cusp of double-digit deficits in the second half of its 89-77 loss to Texas A&M to open the ESPN Events Invitational. The issue? Those short bursts were repeatedly countered by three-point plays. Aggies forward Henry Coleman III was the primary instigator of the and-ones, notching 3 in just four minutes midway through the second half. Second-chance points off Texas A&M offensive rebounds were equally dispiriting; the Nittany Lions allowed 4 such rebounds down the stretch. By allowing good stops to turn into buckets, Penn State's de- fense was exposed as glaringly vulnerable. BEST HIGHLIGHT After Penn State jumped out to a quick lead against Lehigh thanks to early contributions from Clary and junior guard D'Marco Dunn, the Moun- tain Hawks made it a game and stayed close through the rest of the first half. PSU allowed nine points off turnovers and needed a response. Turn- ing to a full-court press with about 10 minutes to play in the game, the Nittany Lions got it. Ahead by just two points, 54-52, Penn State got a steal and layup from junior guard Nick Kern Jr., and Clary immediately followed with a steal and layup of his own. Those buckets sparked an 11-2 run over the next two minutes, and PSU won, 74-65. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State is in trouble this season. It entered December in a rut after going winless at the ESPN Events Invitational, and then it followed up its disappointing performance in Florida with a 76-67 loss to Bucknell, a game in which it was back on its home court and was favored by 21.5 points. First-year coach Mike Rhoades brought together a collection of players that showed more offensive acumen than initially anticipated, but now the Nittany Lions have their work cut out for them with the Big Ten sched- ule starting and a trip coming to New York to face a Georgia Tech squad that just beat Duke. Penn State also has home games in December against Rider and Le Moyne, but in the aftermath of its sobering loss to the Bison, a winning nonconference record can't be assumed. — Nate Bauer PENN STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL SUPERLATIVES NOV. 6-DEC. 2 Senior point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. was averaging 14.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists through Penn State's first eight games. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS