Mike Rhoades’ time as the head coach of Penn State men’s basketball has included a few baptisms by fire.

The Nittany Lions suffered one of the worst losses in program history to Bucknell early in the season. They gave up five losses in a row, Bucknell the fourth of those losses, after starting undefeated, and recently lost by 31 points in East Lansing to Michigan State.

Still, Penn State has survived. It has an 8-7 record paired with a 2-2 Big Ten record. It notched a nice win over Michigan at The Palestra, knocked off a votes-receiving Ohio State team, and gave then-No. 12 Texas A&M a run for its money. Through those fires, and the calmer springs that have come in between, Rhoades said he’s seen a team he can build on.

Most notable from that group is Kanye Clary, a sophomore guard who’s taken on an increased workload under Rhoades. After spending much of last season on the bench with former head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s roster, Clary is now one of Penn State’s best players and likely its most consistent.

Clary’s played the second-most minutes on the team behind Ace Baldwin Jr., he’s dropped the second-most three-point attempts behind Zack Hicks, and his point total is second to none. He’s scored in the double-digits in every game minus Bucknell and VCU, in which few on Penn State played well.

Baldwin and Clary serve as an interesting pair to the current roster. For many, it’s what Penn State looks like now and in the future: Baldwin, the veteran who’s been with Rhoades for several years, matched with Clary, the sophomore playing under the Pennsylvania native for the first time. But for Rhoades, Clary isn’t just part of the future, he’s part of the leadership of the present.

That all bodes well for the future of the program. While Clary may be a great pairing alongside Baldwin this season, he’ll have to be an important piece in future seasons. Alongside Clary, the head coach will build around Hicks, D’Marco Dunn, Nick Kern Jr., and others. As Rhoades tries to create a team culture, those are the players he’ll rely on to do so.

“Every day, I want to talk to Kanye about him reading ball screens and reading defenses because the better he gets at that… it makes our program better, makes our future better,” Rhoades said. “Helping Zack and Nick become better defenders makes our program better, and they see the importance of that, which builds your culture that creates a foundation in your first year.”

Hicks and Kern will have another year at Penn State after Baldwin, a senior, departs. Clary will have another season after that. On the team, which Rhoades said is already collaborative in its leadership, current leaders will return in future seasons.

Along with three incoming recruits, Rhoades will have a strong group to work with. He’s no stranger to building up programs, and the opportunity to do it with Penn State is one he seems genuinely excited about.

“This is my fourth time trying to establish an identity, trying to establish a culture. So everything is intentional,” Rhoades said. “I want our guys to have freedom and be the best version of themselves, but also, through trial and error throughout the year, you want to establish your culture and you have to be intentional with that.”

Rhoades has at least 17 more games to try to be intentional with his culture-building. Those 17 games, all within the Big Ten conference, will be some of the hardest of the season. The upcoming stretch features Northwestern, No. 1 Purdue, and No. 15 Wisconsin.

“[The Big Ten’s] one of the best leagues, if not the best league, in the country,” Rhoades said. “It’s great to go on the road and play at these venues, but let’s go with the purpose of trying to beat them in their buildings. And then, when you’re at home, give your fans something to cheer about.”

The same players that have emerged from the fires that started earlier in the season will have to continue to prove themselves. Baldwin, Clary, and the rest of the roster Rhoades is building off of will have to help Rhoades create an identity for the program. As far as the Big Ten goes, it seems Rhoades and his athletes are already on the same page.

“It’s just basketball. At the end of the day, coach, his staff, they give us a game plan. They go about how we’re going to go out each and every game,” Clary said. “And if we stick to the principles and the data we work on, I feel confident that we can compete with the best.”