Clinkscales Closes Book on Recruitment

Cliff Clinkscales is a patient player. He knows when to make a move and when to make a pass. He never rushes a shot. But when he does something, it’s usually with a little flair. So when he made his college decision late Tuesday night, he decided to pick a team that he felt needed his skills the most. Read on for details from the class of 2004 floor general.

After shining last weekend in Houston at the Kingwood Classic with the New York Panthers, Clinkscales returned to his part time home at Shores Christian Academy in Ocala, Fla. with a good idea on where he’ll be spending the next four years of his life. He called DePaul head coach Dave Leitao and verbally committed to the Blue Demons.

“They showed the love my way the most,” Clinkscales said. “The came to my games at the Kingwood and I know they really wanted me. They were interested in me before the tournament but when they showed up and watched me there, it made it pretty easy. That really played a big part in my decision.”

The Queens, New York native recently qualified with his test scores and became a hot commodity amongst several schools like Miami (Fla.), St. Johns, Louisville, Maryland, Cincinnati and Indiana. But DePaul’s aggressiveness and opportunity was too good to pass up, Clinkscales said.

“They run as much as they can and they did that without really having a true point guard,” Clinkscales said.

“I mean, they lost to the eventual National Champions, UConn, in the tournament and they’ve got Dorrell Wright and Sammy Mejia and guys like that. I can’t wait to run that offense.”

Clinkscales will officially visit DePaul this weekend and sign the paperwork on Monday, officially sealing the deal. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound point guard is a nice late addition that brings winning experience to the program.

As DePaul enters Big East play next season, Clinkscales time with the Atlanta Celtics and Shores Christian - both successful programs - will help the transition into one of college basketball’s power conferences.