Rotnei Clarke

Rotnei Clarke (born July 20, 1989) 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.

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.

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.

Clarke was born to Conley and Christine Clarke.

He was named after Oklahoma Sooners running back Rotnei Anderson.

"(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.

Before high school, Clarke's family returned to Oklahoma when Kelly and Conley Clarke took over coaching at Verdigris High School.

Located 20 mi 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.

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.