Re: Rotnei Clarke

[Ting]

Guys,

Chris Babb would be a nice catch for ORU, maybe not at the KU level right now.

He and Rotnei seem to play well together, but their team will not make it far in the tourneys due to no big guys.

DJ,

Did Steptoe get any playing time? He's 6'7 or 6'8 but seems to be more a small forward type of player?

[djenkins13]

Steptoe was not there. They have Jim Jeffcoat's son on there and he is a load!

The post guys on that team are not going to get the ball much!!

Met Crutchfield and he is a very nice guy and a hard worker. Seems to be doing a very good job and they are in on a few guys that would be great to get.

First time out there and had a blast and didn't lose that much! Sure was a lot to see and places to go. Saw a lot of basketball and the craziest pool scene ever at the Hard Rock on Sun!!

August will see some changes for the fall and it should be interesting year coming up. Think the league will be stronger overall and the schedule is pretty tough again. Nonconference will be really be tough!

[Dr. Cornelius]

August will see some changes for the fall and it should be interesting year coming up...

??? That sounds like a possible negative to me. Last minute roster changes? We don't have any open spots so is somebody already out the door or being recruited over? Of course with all the names and conjecture that has already been floated this summer we could have 2 or 3 squads!

[dchief42]

Ive played against Rotnei his whole HS career, I graduated from Berryhill this year and played against him his Freshman year, which he started, all the way to his Junior year, Verdigris were are rivals and it was always a good game....anything you want to know about his game, I might be able to answer

[ORUTerry]

djenkins13 - If (I know it's a big "if") we should sign Rotnei Clarke, what impact would that have on the players we are pursuing? Are we after any big men? Also, is there a chance that one of the 'big name' opponents could be a Southeastern Conference member?

[ORU Eli]

djenkins13 - If (I know it's a big "if") we should sign Rotnei Clarke, what impact would that have on the players we are pursuing? Are we after any big men? Also, is there a chance that one of the 'big name' opponents could be a Southeastern Conference member?

good thought...I didn't think about LSU...

[Sterns78]

dchief42, nice avatar with a picture of the team with Smitty. When/where was that taken?

[Mike Minyard]

dchief42, nice avatar with a picture of the team with Smitty. When/where was that taken?

Haha, that was our mayor at the time.

[vcboy2000]

Haha, that was our mayor at the time.

LOL!!! That is a classic post, Mark and Mike! One of the best all time! 

[dchief42]

yea, I dont know what year that was, but it has Jonathan Bluitt on there, so probly a couple years ago maybe 3???

[MadAdder]

Must've been December (or maybe November?) 2005 - that's when they busted out the Gold uni's against TU.

[djenkins13]

Terry,

They are in the hunt for Clarke; still think it comes down to OU,ORU, Kentucky. I really don't think Kansas is in there anymore. It will be interesting in the end.

Looked at a lot of kids this past weekend and they are in on a few different guys. Also in on a couple of juco big guys that would be huge gets for them as far as level of talent.

Getting a high profile guy like Clarke would really help them; but they need to just keep winning and that always helps!

When the dust settles for next year i still think Jarvis will be the biggest surprise for the team and what he will bring to the table for them.

[ORUTerry]

Link

Explanation: Last week, Rotnei Clarke -- the nationally ranked basketball recruit from Verdigris High School -- revealed his list of 10 possible college destinations.

TU, Oral Roberts and Oklahoma are on his list. Oklahoma State is not among the 53 Division I programs to have expressed interest in Clarke, a 37.6-point scorer at the point guard position. OSU does have a commitment from Pawnee's Keiton Page, also a high-scoring guard.

Several readers have e-mailed a question: Why isn't OSU recruiting Clarke?

"Oklahoma State came in and looked at Rotnei one time," explained Conley Clarke, Rotnei's father. "Rotnei had a great workout, but OSU never came back. No calls and not one letter. OSU just didn't recruit him."

On Thursday, Rotnei Clarke's Team Texas AAU squad lost to a New York team in the finals of the Main Event tournament in Las Vegas. Watching from the bleachers were OSU head coach Sean Sutton and assistants James Dickey and Mike Hatch.

At least one OSU coach was present for each of Clarke's seven games in the tournament. Does that mean the Cowboys have reconsidered and will recruit Clarke?

[Guest Blevins]

Haisten is the master at twisting the facts to fit his story. Do you think that maybe OSU's coaches were at all those games looking at OTHER players? Hmmm? Maybe?

[ORUIsbig]

Several readers have e-mailed a question: Why isn't OSU recruiting Clarke?

"Oklahoma State came in and looked at Rotnei one time," explained Conley Clarke, Rotnei's father. "Rotnei had a great workout, but OSU never came back. No calls and not one letter. OSU just didn't recruit him."

At least one OSU coach was present for each of Clarke's seven games in the tournament. Does that mean the Cowboys have reconsidered and will recruit Clarke?

Well, bill.

Ever considered that maybe the "coaches" at OSU might know something that maybe one of the "coaches" at ORU knows a little about OSU chances at landing him??? um???  Maybe OSU has an insider who may know someone in another program that Clarke is considering, who may know that recruiting Clarke might just be a waste of time because he MAY have already made up his mind?  Or would that be too obvious?

[djenkins13]

There is a big kid on Team Texas that is a junior that is a top 25 player next year and that is the reason for the OSU staff being there just to answer the question on that end.

They must have played really well on Wed to get to the finals; they do have very good guards although Miller the little guard that committed to Kent. did not look that impressive. Doubt he will end up there. Billie G is ruthless when it comes to that.

By the way never get in an arguement with one of the Kent. fans it will never end. Geez!!

For the TU fans that are comparing Clarke to Lloyd from Memorial that went to UCLA it is not even close to the same player. Clarke can get his own shot and is much quicker and a better ball handler. Just in case you were wondering.

[ORU Eli]

I think it's funny what instant assumptions you can make from Clarke's father going to ORU and it's not that Rotnei will automatically end up there. The instant assumption you make, noted earlier in this thread by someone else, is that he WON'T be going to TU with the rivalry and all and even though he put TU in the top ten to make them feel good, I'm definitely happy that I just really can't see him ending up there with his Dad on the other side of town. With his Dad at ORU, it just doesn't make sense to go to TU. I can't see there being that more much significant difference in exposure for NBA purposes, you have a school at ORU that matches up with your values, and though perhaps debated in some circles, you have a more talented team at ORU anyway.

[ORUTerry]

By the way never get in an argument with one of the Kent. fans it will never end. Geez!!

What kind of argument are you having with them? What is the venue - message board or in person? I have found the Kentucky fans to be very outspoken and a bit arrogant. They are passionate and would never admit that ORU could out-recruit the Wildcats - and maybe we can't. Fans of very successful schools can be very demanding. I had an 'interesting' conversation with a Kentucky fan (who I did not know) at a bank event several years ago. I am shocked that Tubby stayed there as long as he did. Rotnei should be very careful.