UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - Sophomore guard Kanye Clary surveyed the court looking for options and found fellow sophomore guard Jameel Brown open beyond the arc. Brown sized up his defender and buried his sixth 3-pointer of the night to cement a dominant performance from the sophomore duo.
Clary and Brown are two of three returning scholarship players from the Penn State men's basketball roster a season ago and surpassed career-highs with 22 and 20 points, respectively. The duo did so in differing fashions as Clary's craftiness around the basket and Brown's fluid form led to a 6-for-8 night from 3-point range for the latter.
Brown scored 12 points in 14 games his freshman season and watched energetically from the bench as his teammates secured Penn State's first NCAA Tournament berth in 12 years. Brown paid his dues and spent the offseason developing his defense which, in turn, cultivated a consistent role on the offensive end.
"Put all your attention on your defense," Rhoades said to Brown during the offseason. "You don't have to make a shot to stay in the game, you have to play really good defense. When I got here I told him that, I said I already know you can play on the offensive end but you have to be able to guard the ball, you have to get through ball screens and if you do that you'll help us because you're a weapon."
Becoming a multi-dimensional player and elevating his game on the defensive game became a mentality of "what I have to do to get on the court." Playing a complete game allowed Brown to live up to his "weapon" billing in the first half of Penn State's season opener Monday night after three consecutive 3-pointers showed Happy Valley what the sharpshooter is capable of.
Brown has elevated his game under Rhoades' tutelage and from the veteran leadership of other strong shooters like Leo O'Boyle and Zach Hicks, who posted 12 points on four 3-pointers. The lessons Brown learned during his freshman season fed into a fresh mentality encouraged by Rhoades.
Rhoades shared how "we want guys to know they have the green light" and that mantra was on full display with Brown taking 3-pointers with confidence and precision. The former Pennsylvania Mr. Basketball nominee described the performance as a "tone setter" for the rest of the season.
"Just coming off last year, not getting a lot of playing time, I just came in here with a kind of new and different mindset and just coming in and staying consistent," Brown said. "It's definitely a big confidence booster for sure."
Clary gave clarity to his abilities back on Feb. 11 against Maryland when the 5-foot-11 guard scored a freshman season-high 17 points against the talented Terps defense. Clary's 22-point performance Monday night against Delaware State showed an evolution of his game, along with his dynamic playmaking and shot making.
Penn State's backcourt is solidified by Clary and senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr., whom Rhoades described as a "two-headed snake." Clary slithered through the Hornets defense all night with distinct changes of speed that allowed him to shoot 7-for-11 from the field.
Rhoades regarded Clary as "dynamic with the ball" which was evident in the Virginia Beach, Va. native's ability to get to the free throw line where he generated seven of his 22 points. Rhoades has instilled a keen sense of confidence in his young guard and those messages are allowing Clary to seize his opportunities.
"Just the way Coach Rhoades allows me to play, he just gives me a lot of freedom and just tells me to go be me, tells me to push pace," Clary said. "Just my teammates allowing me to have space on the floor, it's a lot of great shooters around me so I was just getting to my spots and the ball just happened to go in tonight."
