Re: Rotnei Clarke

[vcboy2000]

It seems like in the past ORU and OSU have stayed away from recruiting the same players. It's inevitable that it would happen, especially with a player with the background as Rotnei Clarke. This should be very interesting.

[ORUJason]

Sean Sutton is under some heat at OSU, especially with the Kenny Cooper and Marcus Dove situations.  It is very understandable that OSU supporters would be wondering why OU, TU, and ORU are in on such a high profile Oklahoma high school product, and OSU wouldn't be, when it seems like OSU has some depth issues as it is.

Rotnei said that OSU got involved after the Las Vegas AAU tournament and since then have been in on him pretty heavily.  Bill Haisten kept goading Rotnei with questions about how special it would be to play in Gallagher Iba arena, blah, blah, blah.

There was no mention of OU, but Rotnei did mention that Memphis is in the picture, while Kansas and New Mexico are not.  So it sounds like the official list of schools in contention is:

Gonzaga

Kentucky

Memphis

ORU

OSU

OU

TU

and maybe still Arizona State, although ASU also was not mentioned.

Rotnei said that once he knows for sure in his heart where he is supposed to go, he will announce it, even if he makes that determination before the Kentucky visit.  However, it sounded like he is definitely looking forward to his Gonzaga and Kentucky visits.

He said that the process has moved from being fun to being very stressful, because his decision point is only 9 weeks away.

[tmh8286]

It seems like in the past ORU and OSU have stayed away from recruiting the same players. It's inevitable that it would happen, especially with a player with the background as Rotnei Clarke. This should be very interesting.

No mention of ORU in the interview? 

[vcboy2000]

He said that we are still in it with OSU.

[ORUTerry]

Doc was looking at taping the interview - with the help of his brothers - and posting it on the front page sometime tonight. Hope it worked out okay.

[ORUTerry]

Rotnei is obviously working through a very big decision and trying to get as much input as possible. I can't blame him for visiting various schools to see what they are like and taking in the whole experience. We all (fans, coaches, family members and Rotnei) will be glad when this process is over and we can go back to just talking about (or playing) basketball.

[Bogus Smith]

There's an interesting thread that is on-going regarding Rotnei on Swain's board...

OSU Offers Rotnei Clark

[ORUTerry]

We should know something - or at least have a better idea - when Rotnei visits Kentucky for their Midnight Madness event on October 12th. There will be tremendous pressure on him to give an oral commitment at that event. If he passes, we will know that he at least is considering other schools. Or, he could just be waiting until the November signing period to announce....

[vcboy2000]

With the recent news that OSU is in on Clarke, I will update my prognosis on where I think he might end up out of the schools that he has not ruled out.

Where he could end up and why:

ORU- As long as his dad is on staff I think that keeps us in the running. I've heard some rumors that we (ORU) are out of the picture because ORU and OSU wouldn't recruit against each other. I'm not so sure about that because ORU was still following Clarke around the country when OSU began to recruit Clarke heavily.

OSU- Clarke has publicly stated that he would love to play in GIA. He said that he is very interested in the Cowboys. They are close to home and he would get to play in the Big 12.

OU- Rotnei said that they have been an OU family since he was young. While basketball is not as intense in Norman as it is in Stillwater, it would still be a great environment to play in close to home.

Kentucky- Can he really turn down an offer from one of the most storied basketball programs in the country? We'll see.

Where I can't see him going and why:

TU- As long as his dad is on staff at ORU, I don't see him going there. I do think that they will be on his top 5 that we should hear about next month.

Memphis- Nothing against Memphis, I just think there are too many other options that he would chose first.

Gonzaga- While there is a strong enough appeal for him to take an official visit there, I think distance from home will eliminate them from his choices.

Arkansas- Not too far from home, but everybody knows that the program is in some serious trouble.

[ORUTerry]

It's hard to believe that OSU is really in the picture with Clarke as they appear to have only been recruiting him for about two months. And they have an oral commitment from Keiton Page, a 5'10" guard who is similar to Clarke. I think Sean was getting all kinds of questions from fans about why the Cowboys were not pursuing Rotnei. Maybe he got tired of explaining - or decided they had picked the wrong Oklahoma prep player. We shall see.

If Willie Warren ends up at OU, I'm not sure Rotnei would want to end up there too. In addition, Blake Griffin would also provide competition for playing time/scoring.

Gonzaga is a long way off...

Kentucky is one of the super elite basketball schools.... it would hard to turn them down. But you would always have to wonder about whether the new, McDonald's all-American player would be coming to take your spot - or maybe just minimize your playing time. And you have to deal with the Wildcat fans.

I think he will stay local. He has intimated as much... and that he wants to play/contribute immediately. He has that chance locally with the area schools.

It helps ORU that Clarke could come in and play immediately - and be the man. Rotnei also affirms the vision and mission of the university - and that is a plus for us.

[Bogus Smith]

It could also be that RC wants to experience Kentucky's Midnight Madness for the purposes of just saying that he got to experience it once.  After all, if you're going to make an official visit to Lexington, it's sure not going to be to see a football game!!  Plus in order not to miss any HS basketball practice and games, it makes it tough to do your official visits during basketball season.

Hopefully RC and his Dad will be able to take notes and bring back some ideas to start our own "Midnight Madness" tradition!   

[Bogus Smith]

It helps ORU that Clarke could come in and play immediately - and be the man. Rotnei also affirms the vision and mission of the university - and that is a plus for us.

Agree with what vcb and ORUTerry assess in RC's situation.  In addition, Memphis has two Rivals top-25 guards that they recruited last year (including the top-rated PG in the country) who are freshmen this year.  Rotnei would have to compete for PT and scoring opportunities with a couple of established players for three years.

I think Rotnei has a history of being his own man.  He could have played for a top-tier 6A program (Jenks and Union to name a couple) and chose to play for his uncle again in Verdigris.  Because of his decision, he has made a name for a school and himself in a lower classification in Oklahoma. 

He can do the same thing at ORU by playing for his dad and being an immediate impact on his campus, his team's League and NCAA D-1 basketball with the opportunities to get TV exposure and post-season play and be near his family...all while being on a campus that would embrace his faith instead of tolerate it.

[tmh8286]

"The bottom line is this: Clarke can go to Kansas or Kentucky and play basketball. Or he can attend TU or ORU and be a rock star."  Bill Haisten, Tulsa World, 6/11/07

[ashVID]

We should know something - or at least have a better idea - when Rotnei visits Kentucky for their Midnight Madness event on October 12th. There will be tremendous pressure on him to give an oral commitment at that event. If he passes, we will know that he at least is considering other schools. Or, he could just be waiting until the November signing period to announce....

I agree with this and have said it myself. One thing that people are dismissing WAY too easily is the Gonzaga factor. Long way from Tulsa, yes, but they will have LOTS of TV games and let's be honest here, Gonzaga has turned into THE premier mid-major. It is actually a PERFECT place for a guy like Clarke because he can come in and play right away for a top 25 program. He fits their system to a "T" and with recent examples like Dickau and a mentor like John Stockton, he can have all the confidence in the world that he will succeed.

The northwest is far from a perfect place for a conservative Christian kid but his head is screwed on right and his heart is unquestionable.

I am holding out hope that he will end up at TU or ORU but with these looming visits and his comments that he still has no inkling of where he is going... I am wondering. He is a great and smart kid so, whatever he decides, I am sure will be the right thing.

ash  =o)

[SpaceManSpiff]

Long way from Tulsa, yes, but they will have LOTS of TV games...

Many of those games will be Pacific Time.

2 hours behind Central, and 3 behind Eastern.

So even if the games are on TV - hardly anyone will be watching.

Unless they are playing away of course...

Rotnei might take that into consideration.

[vcboy2000]

I could see Gonzaga being a huge possibility for where Rotnei decides to attend if he wasn't so big on staying close to home. There are just too many other options that would fit him to a "T" that are in or around Oklahoma. He might be taking the visit to Gonzaga to see if he could handle the distance. I agree with Terry that things should begin to clear up a lot after his visit to KU.

[ORUTerry]

He visits Gonzaga this weekend and then Kentucky on October 12th. Not sure if there are any other official visits planned. This is an exciting and tense time for Rotnei and his family as they try to make a decision about his future. There are pros and cons with each of the schools he is considering. I think ORU has more pros than cons though....

[ashVID]

The main things Gonzaga can offer that TU/ORU cant is that they are an established top 25 program, they play a premier schedule and they have had more success getting guys to the next level. He could start from day one at all three but the Zags are honestly already where ORU wants to be and TU wants to get back to. Obviously, TU/ORU offer the chance to play close to home so lets hope that is one of THE factors.

ash  =o)