One of the great joys about our profession, here at Phenom Hoops, is uncovering new and undiscovered talent. When you are as prominent in your region as Phenom Hoops is, this happens quite often, but the feeling it gives never wears off.
Ricky Clemons is one such player, flying drastically under the radar, who should be getting recruited at a much higher level than he currently is. This high school season Clemons finished in his team’s top 2 in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals averaging 20.1 points (48% FG), 5.2 boards, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. His 4A public school also made it to the NCHSAA playoffs.
As with most of the elite prospects in the state, Clemons is an alum of the prestigious North Carolina Top 80 showcase camp. After his performance at the 2017 NC Top 80 we wrote, “Ricky has a great ability to change speeds and go strong to the rack and finish well. He sees the entire floor and sets his teammates up with accurate passes. He has a nice mid-range game with potential to have a smooth three point shot. Defensively, he stands out most on the ball but has great help side defense as well. A born floor leader who makes his teammates better. Tremendous energy on both ends of the floor.”
Clemons has a naturally smooth feel and a high IQ for the game. Nothing with him is ever rushed, as all of his (many) buckets come from within the flow of the offense. He takes advantage of ball movement, his ability to move off the ball and his deft touch from range.
Clemons was a standout at April’s Phenom Challenge, a Live Period event that had over 200 college coaches at it. After watching him closely in that event, Phenom Hoops National Recruiting Analyst Patrick Obrien wrote,“He displayed his stout frame and strong ability to finish at the rim all weekend long, along with his ability to knock down the open jumper. Clemons plays with a tough mindset and has himself wired to attack his defenders and the rim, while being able to finish through contact.”
After the same Phenom Challenge Live event, one of Phenom Hoops’ two NCAA Compliant National Scouts Jamie Shaw spoke toward Clemons’ smooth nature, “Clemons is a natural scorer, including a 42 point outburst in this event. He shoots the ball very well but plays with such a smooth nature to his game. He is firmly on the watch list to have a breakout type summer.”
Heading into the June Team and Elite camp period, Clemons sits on a Catawba offer. Coming out of April’s Phenom Challenge Live Clemons picked up lots of interest from Big South and Southern Conference schools, after seeing him for the first time. Expect that offer list to grow as he plays in front of some of these school’s head coaches. Clemons makes the game easy.