ORUTerry Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I'm under no illusions here, but remain ever hopeful. I think Clarke has said that he will wait until next Spring to make decision. How might that (if at all) affect some of the major programs that are looking at him? Will they leave scholarships open into the Spring? I know a lot of programs are going after this kid.... big name programs. (I've heard Marquette really wants him and is pressing hard.) It will come down to how important it is to stay near home or try his talents out on the 'big stage'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djenkins13 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 He wants to stay close to home. Might help if Heath gets the ax at Ark.. One of his best friends on his AAU team is Willie Warren and is a lean towards Ark. or KU. The coaches are really working on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I just heard from a source that Rotnei Clarke scored 15 points in the first quarter of the Verdigris playoff game. And Richard Roberts is sitting behind the Verdigris bench cheering Clarke on ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyO Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I just heard from a source that Rotnei Clarke scored 15 points in the first quarter of the Verdigris playoff game. And Richard Roberts is sitting behind the Verdigris bench cheering Clarke on ..... I love Richard Roberts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Rotnei has 30 points at half time!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orumom Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 I just got a call from someone at the game. They saw our coaches there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasgrip Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 They saw our coaches there too. No rest for the weary!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 What other school is going to send the president of their university to cheer you on during your high school state tournament?!?!?!?! Rotnei, this is just an example of the type of amazing commitment and support that you can expect as a student athlete at ORU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I heard on the radio (OKC Sports Animal) that Clarke scored 60 (!) points against Vian. They neglected to say whether Verdigris won the playoff game or not.... I suspect that he - er, they - did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Eli Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Rotnei's myspace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... D=99575509 He hasn't checked it since last August but I thought it was neat how many times he made Christian references on his page...seems like a quality guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 The nice thing about all the publicity that surrounds ORU's trip to the NCAA Tournament is that it should open more doors for our coaches. Not to say that it will close the deal, but it will at least give us a chance to talk with players. Rotnei Clarke is a great example. Who knows what the young man will choose... but at least he is considering us - and maybe more than that. I wonder what other players we are talking to for the 2008 signing period. I have determined (from the internet) that we might be (who really knows?) recruiting the following players: Rotnei Clarke - 6'0" combo guard from Verdigris HS Dominque Gaines (remember him?) - 6'2" shooting guard from NEO Junior College Mark Rutledge - 6'3" shooting guard from Edison HS (Tulsa) Brandon Provost - 6'3" shooting guard from Seven Lakes HS (Houston) Brian Talley - 5'9" point guard from Duncanville HS (TX) - 3 star player; this is the team that beat Kyron Stokes' team - Mansfield Summit - last week and is the #1 team in Texas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Minyard Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Rotnei's myspace page: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... D=99575509 He hasn't checked it since last August but I thought it was neat how many times he made Christian references on his page...seems like a quality guy. Do not contact him through this page. There were stories in the past that players became ineligible for recruiting for some schools when their fans contacted them. Not that he even checks it or uses his page anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Do not contact him through this page. There were stories in the past that players became ineligible for recruiting for some schools when their fans contacted them. Not that he even checks it or uses his page anymore. I'll be sure not to contact him through his MySpace page. But are you implying that maybe I shouldn't have sent him the box of Swisher Sweets, the case of Red Bull, and the year's subscription to Maxim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OKC Eagle Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Verdigris 90, Vian 68 (Final). This game was in Choctaw which is just east of OKC, so the coaches being there shows extra effort. The other local teams in the hunt (OU, Ark., TU) are all playing in tournaments right now and would not be able to be there. I guess Scott went to see Rotnei this afternoon and then probably went to see his brother coach OSU at the Ford Center tonight (OSU won too). Verdigris plays Milwood in the semis Friday night at 7:30 at the OKC State Fair Arena. The finals will be Saturday night at 5:45 at the same place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManiacAlum Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Verdigris plays Milwood in the semis Friday night at 7:30 at the OKC State Fair Arena. The finals will be Saturday night at 5:45 at the same place. Geez, 60 points??!! In a high school game? I need to check this kid out either Friday or Saturday. There's been a lot of discussion about Rotnei on call-in radio shows in OKC. The stories I'm hearing about this guy are reaching a Pistol Pete-like status. And of course, the OU and OSU faithful have their own opinions on where Rotnei will end up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU Eli Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Rotnei Clarke - 6'0" combo guard from Verdigris HS Dominque Gaines (remember him?) - 6'2" shooting guard from NEO Junior College Mark Rutledge - 6'3" shooting guard from Edison HS (Tulsa) Brandon Provost - 6'3" shooting guard from Seven Lakes HS (Houston) Brian Talley - 5'9" point guard from Duncanville HS (TX) - 3 star player; this is the team that beat Kyron Stokes' team - Mansfield Summit - last week and is the #1 team in Texas. WHERE'S THE BEEF??? Give me a big man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Eli, Terry said that these are just propable guards that we are going after or have allready signed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Tulsa World All-Metro Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Clarke repeats honor Tulsa World Link By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer 3/24/2007 Verdigris scorer is again named All-Metro Player of the Year A few days before setting the state basketball tournament scoring record, Rotnei Clarke's status for the Class 3A quarterfinals was in doubt. "He was real sick," Verdigris coach Kelly Clarke said. "He had horrible allergies. We didn't know if he was going to be able to play." But as it turned out, not even allergies could stop Rotnei Clarke, who scored 60 in the win against Vian, breaking the record set by Frontier's Reggie Weckstein in 2004 by nine points. "I couldn't breathe during that game because my nose was so clogged up," Clarke said. "I wasn't feeling good at all. "After the game when some guy told me I had beat the record, I said, 'Wow.' I never thought about the record. I was just focused on us winning the game." Clarke, a junior guard, is the Tulsa World's All-Metro Boys Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Union's Derrek Lewis and Edison's Will Creekmore were the runners-up. Clarke is also is one of three finalists for the All-State Player of the Year award. After averaging 34.9 points per game last year, he improved to 37.6 this season. During the playoffs, he averaged 46.2 points over six games. He also nearly doubled his rebounding average from last year to 9.3. During one stretch he made 41 consecutive free throws and was at 88.3 percent for the season. Clarke's 60-point salvo was preceded by a 57-point performance against Adair in the area final. That eclipsed his previous career high of 55 set against Wewoka in December 2005. The addition this season of 6-foot-7 center Adam Hollon helped Clarke. "After running a couple plays for him, teams would stop focusing on me," Clarke said. "I have great teammates who don't care who gets the credit." During the previous two seasons, Clarke played well during the playoffs, but did not raise his fame to the extent he did this year. "Late in the season I changed my routine," he said about his shooting practice. "I changed it to where I was doing game-type stuff instead of just standing here and shooting. I think that really helped me." One of Clarke's top games came in a matchup against McDonald's All-American and player of the year finalist Blake Griffin in early December. Clarke scored 38 to outduel Griffin and 2A champion Oklahoma Christian School 53-38. "He's a great shooter and can handle the ball real well," Griffin said. For those wondering about Verdigris' schedule, the Cardinals played four of Oklahoma's seven state champions. Clarke had 31 points in a 63-60 loss to 6A champion Midwest City, which has the other player of the year finalist, Xavier Alexander. Kelly Clarke is impressed by his nephew's ability to not be distracted by the increasing attention he is receiving from fans, media and recruiters. At the state tournament, among the major colleges who had coaches there to watch Clarke were Oklahoma, Oral Roberts, Kansas, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and Arizona State. Tulsa already has offered Clarke, who attended several Hurricane games this season. "He's a trouper," Kelly Clarke said. "He keeps it all in such good perspective and takes it all in stride." Rotnei Clarke was approached by autograph seekers while he attended his sister Cassie's state tournament game, a few hours after scoring 60. "The autographs are kind of fun right now," Rotnei Clarke said. "I'm not going to let it go to my head. I want to set a good example for younger kids. I kind of look at this as a blessing from God. "He gave me the talent and he's kind of shining through me right now. I give God the glory. I think I reached a lot of people with my testimony this year." Rotnei Clarke's favorite NBA players to watch are Steve Nash and Dwyane Wade. "I've been told that I am sort of like Steve Nash," Rotnei Clarke said. "He's really fun to watch. He's got everything. He sees the court well and can score. D-Wade is also a good role model. "I've also been compared to Mark Price. I never got to see him play, but it's an honor to be compared to him." Twenty-five years ago, Price, another 6-foot long-range bomber, tied the state tournament scoring record before going on to a standout career at Georgia Tech and in the NBA. Rotnei Clarke has 2,534 career points. The all-time Oklahoma record is 3,619 by Ty Harman, who completed his high school career at Maud in 1989. Next year, if the Cardinals play a full schedule of 29 games, including a trip to the state title game, Clarke could set the record if he duplicates this season's average. Barry Lewis 581-8393 barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com Rotnei Clarke Verdigris . Jr. Was the leading scorer in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association for the second consecutive season. Has led the Cardinals to state semifinals three times. Two-time Tulsa World All-Metro Player of the Year. Averaged 9.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists. An All-Metro first-team selection as a freshman. Recruited by many major colleges. Coach Kelly Clarke: ?He was unbelievable.? By BARRY LEWIS World Sports Writer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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