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Thursday, November 1, 2007
Top Card
Eastern Oklahoma, OK
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Rotnei Clarke’s recruiting journey has come down to a hand full of schools, but more importantly for him it’s coming to an end. From fishing in Arkansas, a haunted house in Tulsa or the blue hills of Kentucky it all comes down to this. And only Rotnei knows where he’s going.
Today’s top high school athletes all have one thing in common, the recruiting process. It’s a process that can become tedious and a real burden on those who get caught up in the whirlwind that’s recruiting. However, many of these athletes have a very enjoyable experience, one they will remember for a lifetime.
One of the athletes that’s endured and enjoyed this process is Verdigris’s own Rotnei Clarke. For a few years now the Clarke family has heard the stories and opened a ton of mail from universities across the country. Some of those schools were very serious and some were, just checking in and wishing Rotnei good luck on his season. But the list had to be narrowed down and decisions had to be made on which schools he would take official visits to. That list was made and the recruiting journey became a little more real for everyone.
“I started getting looked at during the start of my sophomore year. I never thought I would be getting all of these big colleges looking at me like I have, it surprised me and I was shocked, but it was a really good feeling,” said Rotnei. In that sophomore year everyone in the media and fans across the state started hearing rumors of s kid named Rodney from Verdigris who can play basketball. Well they soon realized his name was Rotnei and not only could he play basketball, but he could play with some of the best kids in the country. His AAU team started to quickly rise in the ranking s and before they knew it the words Rotnei and division I athlete were muttered in the same sentence. “Playing AAU and the summer circuit was some of the most exciting things I’ve been able to do in basketball. Just having all of those colleges coaches watch you was real exciting. Nerve racking sometimes, but exciting,” said Rotnei.
Getting on a plane and traveling to a major NCAA college basketball program is what this experience is all about. For Rotnei it was a chance to meet coaches, hang out with a host and get a feel of the campus and players he’ll call teammates for the next four years. “On the officials it’s really fun because they treat you real nice and take care of everything. You get to hang out with a host and he takes you to meet the guys and the other players. It’s a great experience to meet the coaching staffs and see where you fit in.” For Rotnei hanging out with the host and seeing campus life up close was the best experience. “Moses E Hamby was a great host at ORU. He worked the NightMare house at GUTS and we went there with the whole team. I went to Arkansas and Mike Sanchez and Nate Rackshaw, they hosted me and we went fishing. So it was fun to get to know those guys and know that they would be your teammates,” said Rotnei.
One of the biggest surprises for Rotnei during his visits was the college lifestyle and seeing how people lived. “The college life was a big surprise. You’re away from your parents, you’re on your own and you have no curfew unless the team has one, you’re by yourself and that’s a weird thing for me because I’ve always been around my family,” said Rotnei.
Other universities that have continued to recruit Rotnei are Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma.
Arkansas and Oral Roberts University have all made his short list and his decision is expected in mid-November. As everyone sits and waits for his decision, Rotnei is in the gym getting ready for his senior season with Verdigris. “I want to sign in early November so I don’t have to deal with all the pressure during my season,” Rotnei continued, “At the same time I don’t need to rush it. I’m trying to go where God wants me to be and I think he has a plan for me. I’m not going to rush, I’m going to be patient, but that the list is cut down to three of four it’s not as much pressure because you don’t have as many guys calling you now.”
With those pressures out of the way Rotnei and the Verdigris Cardinals can prepare for a run at a state championship. Being the states leading scorer is nice, but Rotnei wants to bring a title to Verdigris High School. “Hopefully this year we win a state championship. We’ve had a chance the last three years, but we have some guys back and hopefully we’ll do it,” said Rotnei. This team has never made it past the semi-final round, but Rotnei fells if they do they have a chance, “I think if we can get to the finals you’ll see another side of this team.”
Rotnei isn’t the first kid to go through this process, nor will he be the last. But he offered this piece of advise to the next generation of players behind him, “try to have fun with it and take it as a blessing from God. This only happens once in a lifetime so don’t let it stress you out, enjoy it.”
When he makes his decision no doubt it’ll be headline news, but more importantly for him it’ll be the start of a new journey. One that could see this small town basketball player make his way to the big show by doing it with class and style on and off the basketball court.
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