Rotnei Clarke
Rotnei Scott Clarke is an American professional basketball player for Scafati Basket of the Italian Serie A2 Basket. He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and Butler University before beginning his professional career in Australia with the Wollongong Hawks. In his rookie season, he was named the NBL's Most Valuable Player. He went on to play in Belgium and Germany before returning to the Hawks in 2016. He can play both point guard and shooting guard, and is known for his three-point shooting ability.
During high school, Clarke's sharp shooting and chase for the Oklahoma high-school scoring record attracted large crowds. During his senior year, he led Verdigris High School to the school's first state title. He captured the state scoring record, finishing with more than 3,700 career points. Clarke was highly recruited out of high school, attracting more than 50 college scholarship offers. He selected the Arkansas Razorbacks, joining the team for the 2008–09 season.
During a game in 2009, Clarke made 13 three-pointers and scored 51 points, setting SEC and team records respectively. During the 2010–11 season, he led Arkansas in scoring and made the All-SEC second team. Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was fired at the end of the season and Clarke elected to leave the team. After sitting out a year, he joined the Butler Bulldogs for the 2012–13 season. He led the Bulldogs in scoring and was named to the All-Atlantic 10 first team.
Early life
Clarke was born to Conley and Christine Clarke. He was named after Oklahoma Sooners running back Rotnei Anderson. " was fast, and I wanted him to have a fast name," Clarke's father explained, “but we just called him ‘Baby’ til he was old enough to run.” Clarke is one-sixteenth Cherokee, a descendant of people who walked the Trail of Tears, and distantly related to actor Will Rogers and athlete Jim Thorpe.From a very young age, Clarke was exposed to sport. By the fourth grade, he and his father were shooting together on an almost daily basis. Clarke's parents, who were both sports coaches, moved frequently as he was growing up. Wherever they went, they made sure Clarke had access to the school's gymnasium. By the time he entered seventh grade, he was attempting 500 shots a night. Before eighth grade, the family moved to Denison, Texas, where Clarke's uncle Kelly had landed a head basketball coaching job and had brought along Conley as an assistant coach. Within a year, Clarke had worn out the school's shooting machine.
High school career
Freshman year
Before high school, Clarke's family returned to Oklahoma when Kelly and Conley Clarke took over coaching at Verdigris High School. Located northeast of Tulsa, Verdigris is a small town consisting of fewer than 4,000 people. Arriving in town a week before classes began, it was doubtful that Clarke would contribute much to a senior-laden team that had made the previous year's state tournament, losing in first round to the eventual champion. He ended up averaging 20 points per game, shooting 47% on three-pointers, while the Verdigris Cardinals finished 24–4. Verdigris recorded its first ever state-playoff win, before losing in the Class 3A semi-finals. Clarke was named to the Tulsa World All-Metro first team. Over the summer, he played for Team Texas where he was asked to play up an age group during a tournament. A 31-point performance against The Family of Detroit brought Clarke to the attention of college recruiters across the country.Sophomore year
Boosted by several players moving into the area, Verdigris started the 2005–06 season ranked No. 2 in their class. In the first two games of a three-game tournament early in the season, Clarke scored 41 and 44 points. In the championship game, he was held to one three-pointer in the first half, before hitting 9-of-10 in the second half, including a game-tying shot at the buzzer. In overtime, he scored all ten of the Cardinals' points, bringing his game total to 55. Although the Verdigris gym holds 2,700, fans had to show up several hours before games to get a seat. So many people wanted to see Clarke play that highway officials added Verdigris to a highway exit sign on the Will Rogers Turnpike. He ended the year leading the state in scoring at 34.2 points per game. In the area final, Clarke hit the game winner as Verdigris defeated previously unbeaten Adair. In the state tournament, the Cardinals again reached the semi-final game. Clarke was named Metro Player of the Year by Tulsa World, becoming the first sophomore since 1980 to earn the honor, and was the only Oklahoman named to MaxPreps' national honorable mention list.Junior year
By his junior year, Clarke was a pop-culture hero to many fans and the target of profane insults from opposing crowds. " just angered me and, in a way, just fueled me and made me want to do better," he recalled. Opponents' defenses grew more physical as they tried to stop Clarke. Verdigris coaches ordered Clarke not to enter the foul lane for fear that he would be clobbered. The team traveled with a nurse who carried bandages, glue, and stitches to treat the frequent blows to the face that Clarke suffered. When he scored a career-high 65 points at Berryhill, Clarke was removed part way through the fourth quarter as his coaches feared for his safety. In a game at Nowata, he received a death threat. When the originators, two local boys, were found, the Clarkes did not press charges but instead asked the perpetrators to apologize at the sheriff's office. In one game, the opposing team had two players simultaneously guard Clarke all game; he still managed to score 31 points. During a playoff game, 2,800 fans showed up to watch Clarke play, 300 more than capacity. He scored 57. In the state playoffs, Verdigris faced Vian, a school with three future Division I football players on their roster. Clarke was subjected to physical defense from a linebacker, had trouble breathing at times due to allergies, and scored 60 points. The performance set a state single-tournament-game record. For the season, Clarke averaged 37.2 points, which increased to 46.2 in the playoffs, and 9.0 rebounds per game. For the third consecutive year, the Cardinals lost in the semi-finals of the state playoffs. Clarke was again named Player of the Year by Tulsa World. During the AAU spring season, he averaged 25 points for Team Texas.Senior year
During Clarke's senior year, fan fever reached new heights as he battled Pawnee's Keiton Page for the state scoring title. When Verdigris met Pawnee in the Tulsa area Tournament of Champions, so many fans were buying tickets that the start of the game was delayed for 30 minutes. Clarke scored 34, but Pawnee won the game behind 28 points from Page. More than 5,000 fans turned out for the area final against Adair on February 29, 2008, as Clarke closed in on the state scoring record of 3,639 points held by Ty Harman, a record that had stood since 1989. "You couldn't get in there sideways," recalled an observer. With 3:14 to go in the fourth quarter, Clarke scored his 3,640th point on a made free throw. Clarke ended the game with 37 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals, as he led Verdigris into the state playoffs with a 70–51 victory. "It's a great feeling and it's truly a blessing," Clarke said after the game. "I'm glad to have it out of the way so we can focus on our main goal — winning a state championship." While fans rejoiced in the record, others criticized Verdigris for running up the score in some games to get Clarke more points. Coach Kelly Clarke acknowledged the criticism saying, "I made a decision that I was going to be the bad guy in this. For three years I took him out . I didn't want to look back in a couple years and think I held him back from accomplishing this."More than 13,000 people attended the 2008 state finals, filling the aisles of the 10,000 seat arena that hosted the event. The crowd is believed to be the largest ever to witness a high school game in Oklahoma. Clarke scored 25 and led Verdigris to the school's first Class 3A state championship. After the game, he signed autographs for 90 minutes. To recognize the accomplishment, the town of Verdigris renamed a street "Rotnei Clarke Road" and his school retired his jersey. Since then, the street sign has often been stolen by fans looking for a souvenir. Clarke ended the season averaging 40.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. He shared Tulsa World Player of the Year honors with Page, who broke the state's single-season scoring record.
Clarke ended his high school career with 3,758 points, beating out Page's 3,709 for the most in Oklahoma high school history. Over the course of this career, he averaged 33.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. He scored more than 40 points 34 times, more than 50 points seven times, and more than 60 twice. He shot 47% on three-pointers, 60% on two-pointers, and 89% on free throws, while leading Verdigris to a 99–15 record. "When I think back on , it was a crazy deal," says Clarke. "It was fun. But at the same time, there was a lot of pressure on every game."
According to Verdigris teachers, Clarke was more than a star athlete; he was a role model. He maintained a 4.0 grade point average and was a member of Verdigris' student council and honor society. His work ethic was an inspiration to younger players, and he was happy to help them work on their games. Clarke's active Christian faith inspired classmates to bring Bibles to games and wear T-shirts with Bible verses. "He made it OK to give glory to God and not be selfish about things," recalled a teacher.