Clarke hopes Butler does it
BY BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
8/02/11 at 4:56 AM
In three seasons in the University of Arkansas basketball program, Rotnei Clarke did not experience a postseason victory.
In Southeastern Conference Tournament games, the Razorbacks were 0-3.
That was the extent of Clarke's postseason experience. There were no NCAA Tournament or National Invitation Tournament appearances.
According to CBSSports.com, Clarke now intends to transfer to Butler - a mid-major that appeared in each of the last two national championship games. The 6-foot guard will be redshirted during the 2010-11 season and play as a senior in 2011-12.
"It just felt like the best fit for me," Clarke told CBSSports.com. "It was a tough decision, especially with me being from Oklahoma."
In June, Arkansas released Clarke from his scholarship. A former Verdigris superstar and the leading scorer in state history, Clarke visited Butler coach Brad Stevens and new Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger before making his decision to enroll at Butler, located in Indianapolis.
At Arkansas, Clarke made 91 starts, averaging 14.2 points while connecting on 42 percent of his 3-point attempts and 86 percent of his free throws.
During his three seasons at Fayetteville, the Razorbacks were 46-47 overall and 16-32 in the SEC.
During the last two seasons, Butler had a combined overall mark of 61-16, two Horizon League titles and a 10-2 record in the NCAA Tournament.
Kelly Clarke, Rotnei's uncle and former coach at Verdigris High School, told the Tulsa World in March that Rotnei wanted a transfer from Arkansas because he was frustrated by the Razorbacks' "lack of discipline and lack of structure."
Kelly Clarke, now the girls' coach at Yukon High School, said his nephew was "underutilized" at Arkansas.
Before signing with the Razorbacks, Rotnei Clarke was recruited also by each of the state's Division I programs - Tulsa, Oral Roberts, OU and Oklahoma State.
At Verdigris, he averaged 40.8 points as a senior and led the Cardinals to the 2008 Class 3A championship. His career scoring total of 3,758 points are the most in Oklahoma high school history.
Bill Haisten 918-581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
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