Penn State basketball personnel impressions: Insider Notes II

Penn State basketball has continued to progress through its second week of summer workouts. Per NCAA rules, the Nittany Lions can practice on the court for four hours per week over eight weeks.

And under the direction of new head coach Mike Rhoades, they determined to maximize that time. Melding a group that includes three returning scholarship players from the 2022-23 team with 10 newcomers, time is of the essence.

With that in mind, and early impressions being gathered of the program’s new collection of players, here is our second look at the Nittany Lions as they stand this summer. Our first part, published Thursday, was meant to convey the vibe around the program as workouts started.

Today, we’ll move into personnel. But, given the abundance of insight compiled, I’m splitting the report into two.

First, a look at the returning players from last season and, in essence, the two players who followed Rhoades and his staff from VCU to Penn State. We’ll follow with a closer look at the eight true newcomers out of the transfer portal and the Class of 2023.

The Penn State guys

Kanye Clary

All good things from Kanye Clary in his first months working with Rhoades at Penn State. Particularly as workouts have started back up formally, time spent at home between the end of the spring semester and his return to campus was well-utilized.

One thing to note here is that Rhoades likes ball handling. Like, it’s a major point of emphasis, to the point that while Rhoades has publicly flirted with the idea of playing Ace Baldwin and Clary at the same time, despite seeming position duplication, it’s going to happen this season.

Under Micah Shrewsberry, Clary served as a change of pace for defenses to handle after the plodding, deliberate lulling that Jalen Pickett could unleash for long stretches of the game. Under Rhoades, in many ways, Clary just fits and he can be himself because that style is what Rhoades wants to employ on both ends of the floor.

Jameel Brown

Like Clary, the buzz for Jameel Brown has been positive both on and off the hardwood since the arrival of the new staff. He’s acclimated to the culture and foundation being developed and the fit has been good.

On the court, Brown’s reputation as a shooter hasn’t diminished. But, he’ll have to translate it from practice to games. Shooters shoot, and projecting his efficiencies isn’t productive right now. For Penn State, though, it’s going to be a big piece of what it needs from Brown this season. He’ll need to make shots.

Unfortunately for Brown, he had a minor medical setback over the past few weeks that forced him to the sidelines for nearly two weeks of workouts. Nothing major.

Demetrius Lilley

From the first minutes Rhoades took the podium at his introductory press conference, he delivered a laugh line that Penn State players were going to need to be in the best shape of their lives based on the style he wants to bring to both ends of the floor.

Given some of the challenges Demetrius Lilley has had to deal with in his time at Penn State, missing time to injury and then needing to play catch up to get back in shape last season, the line caught my attention.

Rhoades wasn’t kidding around, though, and the message was conveyed throughout the program heading into the latter part of the spring semester. Well, the buzz this month is that Lilley received the message and acted on it, dropping significant weight between the end of spring classes and his return to campus this month.

Penn State is very, very pleased by the development. For Lilley to contribute this season, he had to shed pounds and be in better shape. He’s gotten off to a great start in that respect.

The VCU-to-Penn State guys

Ace Baldwin

The first note on Ace Baldwin is that this isn’t his team yet, but it will be. I touched on some of the reasons that his impact on the court is magnetic. But, in a development that resonates with both of the VCU transfers, his competitiveness is a big part of what makes Ace the player he is.

And now the Nittany Lions are getting into that portion of their eight weeks together this summer. After going through a heavy lifting period, the first week of workouts was relatively light on the floor. This week has featured more of a transition into competitive elements, which is right up Ace’s alley.

The scout, then, is straightforward. He’s team-first, he can be a shutdown defender. He can score. And in many ways, he can control a game, both with his play as well as his influence on his teammates.

Dude.

Nick Kern

Nick Kern brings no shortage of experience with him to Penn State after playing extensively over the past two seasons. He’s long at 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, and is a force on the defensive end of the floor. That manifests itself through his willingness to guard an opponent’s best player, which he’s done repeatedly for Rhoades to great impact. Like Baldwin, he’s extremely competitive and brings that to the floor.

The offseason thrust for Kern that started last year, and is continuing now, is on the offensive end of the floor. None of his numbers are bad. He shot 62.0 percent from the floor last season. But, he needs to become a more willing offensive participant and a bigger threat to shoot, both in efficiency and frequency.

So far, so good this offseason.