Re: Rotnei Clarke

[Old Titan]

It can't have hurt ORU or TU's chances in landing RC if he was at the Arkansas-Kentucky football game Saturday (as part of his official visit) and heard those Hog fans booing their own team as it left the field at halftime. 

Memo to ANY Golden Eagle recruits:  the only people that ORU fans boo are Mid-Con/Summit League referees.

[ManiacVP]

And Ron Hunter

[OKC Eagle]

And Homer Drew, but we can't do that anymore.

[ORUJason]

Most seem to think TU has the lead, nobody thinks Gonzaga is in the picture but none of us live inside the kids head.

I don't know who the "most" are that think TU is in the lead for Rotnei Clarke.  You can look at the Gonzaga message board and find a few people who think the John Stockton personal tutoring angle is going to put them over the top.  It is certainly incorrect to say that "nobody" thinks Gonzaga is in the picture.  Why would he take the trip to WA if they aren't in the picture?

Why would Rotnei want to go to TU over Kentucky?  Maybe because Kentucky has too many guards for Rotnei to leapfrog and because Kentucky is too far away.  But both of those reasons apply to ORU as well as TU. 

At ORU Rotnei would start immediately, and it is very possible that the offense would be designed around him, because Caleb is gone, and there doesn't appear to be another marquee player of Caleb/Rotnei's caliber on ORU's team right now.  Instead, there are a lot of talented team players that could complement Rotnei very well.  Bill Self tailoring the offense to suit Tim Gill comes to mind when I think of Rotnei's opportunities at ORU.

So if it really is between ORU and TU, assuming the Willie Warren thing is souring Rotnei on OU, then what advantage does TU have over ORU?  Has TU been to the NCAAs over the last few years?  No, but ORU has gone 2 years in a row.  So if you were to argue that a Conference USA team (besides Memphis) has a better chance to make the big dance than ORU in the Mid-Con, I would disagree.  I don't see another team besides Memphis that is going to be in position to get an at-large bid over the next couple years.  Who would it be?  Central Florida?  Houston?  Tulsa?  This isn't the Conference-USA from 5 years ago with Cincinnatti, Louisville, etc. (See C-USA team records from last year listed below)

Would you argue that Wojcik and company are a better coaching staff than Sutton and Company?  I don't think that is a winning argument.  Wojcik is decent, but he's no Bill Self.  I don't know if he still gets in the player's faces like he used to, but I wouldn't want to play for a coach with that type of approach.  During his first year, he really let some of his player's have it during games.  He may have toned it down now that he finally ended up with a winning record, but I would assume that if he is generally like that in games, then the practices would be the same way or worse.

And while TU fans can pretend that Rotnei's dad being on the ORU staff doesn't play into Rotnei's decision, that doesn't make it true.  Over the last 6-9 months, Mr. Clarke has been developing a trusting relationship with the ORU coaching staff, and that means a lot.  There is risk and uncertainty in any decision that Rotnei makes, but that trust that comes from Mr. Clarke working with the coaches on a daily basis would give any parent a comfort level that probably could not be found with another coaching staff.

Also, as has been discussed before, if receiving his education in a religious environment that fits well with his belief system is important to Rotnei, then ORU will have a big advantage over TU or any other school.  Yes there are opportunites for religious growth everywhere, but that doesn't change the unique Christian emphasis and atmosphere that ORU provides.  TU has the Baptist Student Association and a theological department, just like many other campuses, (and a mosque), but it is apples and oranges vs. the religious emphasis that permeates the ORU experience.

In the end, it will be Rotnei's decision, and I believe that when he knows for sure where he is supposed to go, he will announce it.  But asserting that TU is in the lead doesn't make logical sense to me.

One thing is for sure...  Whenever Rotnei does make his decision, there are going to be a lot of disappointed people around this area, because there are going to be several losers, and only one winner.  If Rotnei ends up choosing either ORU or TU, it will make the Mayor's Cup series even more emotionally charged than in the past, if that is possible.

Team       Conf. All

              W L  W L

Memphis  16 0 33 4

UCF        11 5 22 9

Houston  10 6 18 15

So. Miss   9 7 20 11

Tulsa       9 7 20 11

Tulane     9 7 17 13

Rice        8 8 16 16

UAB        7 9 15 16

Marshall   7 9 13 19

UTEP      6 10 14 17

SMU       3 13 14 17

E Carolina 1 15 6 24

[ORUTerry]

The dynamics on this recruiting situation is facinating to me. I'm not sure what to make of all the indications, rumors, hints, reading of tea-leaves, etc. Does anyone except Rotnei (and his family) really know what is going on and what he intends to do? Maybe so, but there seems to be a strong case to be made for all kinds of scenarios. Everyone seems to have 'inside' information - which is pointing in several different directions. Rotnei is going to disappoint a lot of fans of opposing schools when he makes his decision.

[djenkins13]

A couple of things on schedule. Conference USA is a lot better conference than the Summit but ORU does its best to schedule very tough non conference to toughen the kids up. This year's schedule is just brutal for the team but should be a benefit in the long run; not sure how Tulsa's compare to it.

I truly do not believe he will go out of state due to family. I think it is down to ORU and Tulsa.  I don't think he wants to play with Warren at OU and i think that is Warren's lean at this time.

Lot of positives for both sides and i don't think he can go wrong either way.

I think Scott and the staff have done all they can do and now it is all up to him and his family to make a decision. I doubt he will wait until Nov to announce. He is a great kid and seems very well grounded and will be a great asset to whichever school he signs with.

[ashVID]

I certainly admire and look forward to the ORU schedule, it certainly dispels the "nobody will play us" stuff. Nobody would play Gonzaga either but they built up their program on the road, which is sometimes what you have to do.

ash  =o)

[Bogus Smith]

It's always good to get a fresh perspective from people that have a background in college athletic administration. 

At least you've seen it from the inside without guessing!  Thanks for the logical speculation, JB & OT (and even some of you others).   

[Cletus]

Good research, OT.  Way to keep everyone on their toes!

Hopefully, ORU and the Summit League may be moving to levels no one has yet seen.

[djenkins13]

I just spoke with Rotnei Clarke's father who told me that Clarke will not be making a visit to Midnight Madness in a few weeks. Instead, it appears the recruitment may be over. "I spoke with Coach Gillispie and we both agreed it would be better for us to part ways." According to Mr. Clarke, Gillispie was interested in getting a decision relatively quick from Clarke and Rotnei was not ready at this point. Thus after a long conversation, both agreed that it was in each other's best interests to part company. Thus Rotnei will not end up at UK and according to Mr. Clarke, in response to my question if the recruitment was now over, he said, "Yes it is." So there you go?..Rotnei, we hardly knew ya?..

Wonder if the Kent. fan is going to send me the sweatshirt he just lost! Doubt it!

[ORUTerry]

So, when will Rotnei announce his decision? I assume he and his family are tiring of the process and Rotnei just wants to concentrate on his senior season.

[vcboy2000]

So there you go?..Rotnei, we hardly knew ya?..

Great scoop, Dj. So does the statement above mean anything about our status in his decision?

[djenkins13]

Still think it comes down to what part of Tulsa does he want to play in.

On the thing i am not sure if Conference USA is on the level of MVC at this time BESIDES Memphis and i am sure ORU would like to be in either conference.

ORU does its best to schedule whoever will play them and will go pretty much anywhere. A lot of schools will not do that.

Probably a better chance of Sutton being at ORU for 5 years than Coach W staying at TU for the same amount of time. Don't know if that will effect Rotnei's thought process.

Should be done pretty soon in any event.

[djenkins13]

Hey guys,

The paragraph above about the conversation with Conley Clarke was copied and pasted from a story on the Kentucky site and was sent over by a person on the Gonzaga site. Sorry if it showed up like i had talked to him; that is not the case. Probably just my lack of computer ability making it look different.

I believe it came from Matt Jones who is a Kentucky guy.

Sorry about that!

[Bogus Smith]

Hey guys,

The paragraph above about the conversation with Conley Clarke was copied and pasted from a story on the Kentucky site and was sent over by a person on the Gonzaga site. Sorry if it showed up like i had talked to him; that is not the case. Probably just my lack of computer ability making it look different.

I believe it came from Matt Jones who is a Kentucky guy.

Sorry about that!

...and all this time we thought you had a pipeline into the Clarke's living room!! 

[OKC Eagle]

Arkansas Democrat Gazette has a blurb about Rotnei's visit to Arkansas last weekend.  No mention of the fans booing the football team.

Clarke, who is rated as one of the nation?s top shooters, is a main target for Pelphrey in the 2008 class.

Arkansas, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Oral Roberts and Kentucky are finalists for Clarke, who plans to sign during the early signing period.

Clarke?s grandmother Sandra Kuntzweiller lives in Fayetteville and would like to see Clarke come to Arkansas.

?I don?t pressure him. He knows how I feel,? Kuntzweiller said. ?I was fortunate enough to get to spend this weekend with him. It was a great experience. We had a great time. I think he especially kind of bonded with the other players and the coaches. He really had a good time.

? I tell him I want him to go where he?s going to be happy. That?s the important thing, but I would still love to have him here, so I could kind of look after him.? Clarke averaged 37. 6 points, 6. 3 assists and 9 rebounds a game last year. Clarke made an official visit to Gonzaga Sept. 14-16, but Kuntzweiller said she thinks Arkansas has an excellent chance. ?I think we?re [Arkansas ] definitely in the top running. I really do,? she said. ?Rotnei is kind of a home boy. He and his mom are very close. I think that?s [Gonzaga ] just a little too far away from home.? Kuntzweiller said Clarke wasn?t sure if he would be making more official visits.

[TrueBlue82]

The "big dogs" of KU and UK are both off of the list??? Wow! 

If RC stays within 150 miles of Tulsa (which I now believe he will), I think ORU has as good a chance as any.  ORU's program is not that far different than OU, TU, UA, but the school IS vastly different... and in this case, it benefits ORU.  ORU would provide an atmosphere that Rotnei could truly flourish in, and his skills on the basketball court would promote a higher calling that he believes in.  All in all, Rotnei could accomplish more of his personal goals at ORU than at any other school.  Frankly, that's why I chose ORU 30 years ago - and why I think Rotnei will too.

[Old Titan]

I haven't the time to re-read all 11 pages of this thread...heck, I might have even missed a couple of posts the first time.  But I don't recall anyone saying the Summit is going to have, or that the Mid-Con regularly had, more bids than C-USA.  Just that there's no way C-USA is gonna have 5-6 post season bids consistently anytime soon...

Exactly.

Thanks, Grip - that's what I call objectivity.