1. Rotnei Clarke was born on July 20,1989 and is an American professional basketball player for Scafati Basket of the Italian Serie A2 Basket.
81 Facts About Rotnei Clarke
1. 2.
Rotnei Clarke played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and Butler University before beginning his professional career in Australia with the Wollongong Hawks.
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Rotnei Clarke went on to play in Belgium and Germany before returning to the Hawks in 2016.
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Rotnei Clarke captured the state scoring record, finishing with more than 3,700 career points.
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Rotnei Clarke was highly recruited out of high school, attracting more than 50 college scholarship offers.
6.
Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was fired at the end of the season and Rotnei Clarke elected to leave the team.
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Rotnei Clarke led the Bulldogs in scoring and was named to the All-Atlantic 10 first team.
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Rotnei Clarke was named after Oklahoma Sooners running back Rotnei Anderson.
9.
From a very young age, Rotnei Clarke was exposed to sport.
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Wherever they went, they made sure Rotnei Clarke had access to the school's gymnasium.
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Rotnei Clarke was named to the Tulsa World All-Metro first team.
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Rotnei Clarke ended the year leading the state in scoring at 34.2 points per game.
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Rotnei 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.
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When he scored a career-high 65 points at Berryhill, Rotnei Clarke was removed part way through the fourth quarter as his coaches feared for his safety.
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Rotnei Clarke was subjected to physical defense from a linebacker, had trouble breathing at times due to allergies, and scored 60 points.
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Rotnei Clarke was again named Player of the Year by Tulsa World.
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Rotnei Clarke scored 34, but Pawnee won the game behind 28 points from Page.
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Rotnei Clarke scored 25 and led Verdigris to the school's first Class 3A state championship.
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Rotnei Clarke ended the season averaging 40.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 3.4 steals per game.
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Rotnei Clarke shared Tulsa World Player of the Year honors with Page, who broke the state's single-season scoring record.
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Rotnei Clarke ended his high school career with 3,758 points, beating out Page's 3,709 for the most in Oklahoma high school history.
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Rotnei Clarke scored more than 40 points 34 times, more than 50 points seven times, and more than 60 twice.
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Rotnei Clarke maintained a 4.0 grade point average and was a member of Verdigris' student council and honor society.
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Rotnei Clarke's work ethic was an inspiration to younger players, and he was happy to help them work on their games.
25.
Rotnei Clarke's bedroom was filled with more than 2,500 recruiting letters.
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Rotnei Clarke turned down offers from Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, among others, in order to sign with Arkansas in November 2008.
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Rotnei Clarke liked the school's fans, staff, and facilities, and the fact that he would be able to contribute from day one.
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Rotnei Clarke averaged 31.5 minutes and 12.2 points per game.
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Rotnei Clarke hit at least three three-pointers 17 times, and scored in double figures 22 times.
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Rotnei Clarke finished the year with 100 made three-pointers, second all-time by an Arkansas player, and averaged 15.1 points per game.
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Rotnei Clarke ranked ninth in the country in both three-point shooting percentage and three-pointers made per game.
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Rotnei Clarke was named to the SEC Community Service Team and the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District VII team.
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Rotnei Clarke led Arkansas in scoring nine times, and scored in double figures 23 times.
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Rotnei Clarke used the redshirt year to work on his game, practicing against Butler's Ronald Nored, who was considered one of the top defenders in the country.
35.
NCAA regulations kept Rotnei Clarke from traveling with the team for road games, so he practiced alone in Hinkle Fieldhouse, refusing to leave until he had made 500 shots on the night.
36.
Rotnei Clarke had never been without basketball for more than two weeks before, and had trouble dealing with the situation.
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Rotnei Clarke was selected to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference second team, but Butler started the season unranked.
38.
On January 12,2013, during a game against Dayton, Rotnei Clarke stole the ball from Matt Derenbecker and was going up for a fast-break layup when he was fouled hard from behind by Derenbecker.
39.
Rotnei Clarke lost his balance and crashed headfirst into the basket support.
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Rotnei Clarke collapsed to the floor where he remained for several minutes.
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Rotnei Clarke missed Butler's next three games and was not allowed to engage in strenuous activity such as basketball practice.
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The day he received his medical release, Rotnei Clarke was back in Hinkle shooting.
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Rotnei Clarke scored 24 points and dished out a career-high nine assists.
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Rotnei Clarke finished the regular season with a 16.7 point per game average, fourth in the Atlantic 10.
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Rotnei Clarke was first in the conference in made three-pointers per game and free throw percentage.
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Rotnei Clarke's accomplishments landed Clarke on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference first team.
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Rotnei Clarke was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District 4 team and was the only non-Big Ten player selected for the USBWA All-District V team.
48.
Rotnei Clarke collected eight assists and hit ten three-pointers over the three game stretch.
49.
For Rotnei Clarke, it was the first time his team was selected to a postseason tournament.
50.
In Butler's round of 64 NCAA tournament game versus Bucknell, Rotnei Clarke struggled with nerves.
51.
Rotnei Clarke missed a potential game winning three in the final seconds, but made five on the game.
52.
Rotnei Clarke ended the season with 115 made three-pointers, second most ever by a Butler player, and fifth most ever by an Atlantic 10 player.
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Rotnei Clarke made at least one three in all 33 games he played for Butler, and his last 46 college games overall.
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Rotnei Clarke finished his career with 389 made three-pointers, tied for 15th in NCAA history.
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Rotnei Clarke was selected to participate in the postseason all-star game for college seniors, but withdrew due to the shoulder injury he suffered against Marquette.
56.
Rotnei Clarke averaged 10.3 points and 4.3 assists over three games.
57.
Ahead of the 2013 NBA draft, Rotnei Clarke trained at St Vincent Sports Performance and hired Doug Neustadt to be his agent.
58.
Rotnei Clarke had workouts with the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards, but was not expected to be drafted due to his height.
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Rotnei Clarke said he would rather play professionally in Europe than in the NBA Development League, believing that is his most likely route to the NBA.
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Rotnei Clarke finished third in total points scored, fourth in scoring average, equal first for three-pointers and third for free throw percentage.
61.
Rotnei Clarke appeared in all 30 games for the Hawks and averaged 2.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
62.
Rotnei Clarke played in six EuroChallenge games, averaging 15.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
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Rotnei Clarke played in 10 EuroCup games, averaging 11.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
64.
On July 12,2016, Rotnei Clarke signed a two-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks, returning to the club for a second stint.
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Rotnei Clarke joined Pallacanestro Trapani of the Italian second division on July 16,2018.
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Rotnei Clarke averaged 19.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
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Rotnei Clarke began high school as a shooting guard, but worked to expand his game.
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Rotnei Clarke was named "Metro Boys Player of the Year" three times by Tulsa World.
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Rotnei Clarke was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Naismith College Player of the Year.
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Rotnei Clarke is often referred to as a "gym rat" because of his work ethic.
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Rotnei Clarke put me on this Earth to play basketball.
72.
In 2012, when basketball was taken away from him due to surgery, Rotnei Clarke began to doubt his faith.
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Rotnei Clarke has been described as the Tim Tebow of basketball due to his evangelic outreach.
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Rotnei Clarke regularly spoke with teammates and opposing players about his faith.
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Rotnei Clarke left letters on visiting players' lockers explaining what Jesus meant to him.
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At Arkansas, Rotnei Clarke often spoke about his faith at churches and basketball events around Fayetteville.
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Rotnei Clarke is naturally an introvert and does not necessarily like being recognized off the basketball court.
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Rotnei Clarke has a close relationship with his sister Cassie, with whom he exchanges Bible verses via text message before games.
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Rotnei Clarke is good friends with former Butler player Ronald Nored.
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Rotnei Clarke listens to Christian rap regularly and cites Lecrae as a non-athlete that he looks up to.
81.
In June 2014, Rotnei Clarke married Patricia Elliott, and the couple have one daughter, Kyah.