Clarke impressed with Gonzaga

Four-star prospect Rotnei Clarke took his first official visit this past weekend and was quite impressed with Gonzaga. The 6-foot, 175-pound combo guard from Claremore (Okla.) Verdigris High School has another visit scheduled for Midnight Madness as well.

"It went really well," said Clarke about his visit to Gonzaga. "It was a great experience. I got to hang around with the players and ate at nice restaurants and stayed at a nice hotel. The facilities and the campus were impressive as well."

Even more impressive to Clarke is the history of successful guards in the Gonzaga program.

"They have gotten a lot of guys just like me to the next level," he said. "Guys like Dan Dickau are in the NBA now, and that's what I really like about Gonzaga."

Gonzaga certainly made a big splash with Clarke on his visit, but there is plenty of competition out there for the sharp shooting guard.

"Gonzaga is definitely a legitimate contender," commented Clarke. "I'm also planning to visit Kentucky on the weekend of Midnight Madness, and I might schedule visits with Arkansas, Tulsa and Oklahoma in between to go ahead and get them out of the way. Oral Roberts is also a contender, but I'm over there enough that I don't need to visit."

Clarke is the No. 83 ranked prospect in the Rivals150.

Rotnei Clarke scouting report:

Clarke is nothing short of being a phenomenal shooter. He has extremely deep range and can hit the long ball on the move. A very cerebral player, he knows how to use screens and on defense he makes up for his shortcomings athletically. More than just a shooter, Clarke handles the ball well and can score off floaters when driving to his right.