While some of the nation’s top underclassmen hit the hardwood for the first major AAU tournaments of the season, some of the top unsigned seniors were waiting for news regarding their futures. Florida point guard Cliff Clinkscales finally got the news he wanted: he became academically qualified. Now he’s ready to hit the road for some official visits before the spring signing period ends.

Clinkscales, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound floor general from Shores Christian Academy in Ocala, Fla., found out he passed the standardized tests and with that, he’ll be seeing a number of campuses in the East.

“I’m very excited about everything,” Clinkscales said. “The pressure is off of me now and I’m ready to visit some schools and seeing who is really interested in me.”

The Brooklyn, New York native has his sights set on two schools for official visits: Cincinnati and Maryland. He has already unofficially visited Florida State two times. He gave us his thoughts on the three programs.

“The situation at point guard is pretty good for someone coming in (to Cincinnati),” Clinkscales said. “Plus they have Roy Bright coming in and James White is on the wing. Plus, throw in Jason Maxiell. They’ll really push the ball with those guys. I think I can help them get to the Final Four.”

At Maryland, he also liked the idea of playing for a big time program.

“They are a great team. I like their coaches and their players like John Gilchrist,” Clinkscales said. “He’s a guy that can play off the ball, too. I’m not trying to take away anyone’s spots but it would be a lot of fun battling it out with him everyday. Plus, it’s the ACC. That is such a great conference. There should be no excuses why you shouldn’t play hard if you go to a situation like that. They are very young, too. They have a lot of promise.”

The Seminoles are still in the picture but not as much as they used to be, he says.

“They’ve cooled a little bit but they were the first big school to recruit me and they’ve tried really hard,” Clinkscales said. “I’ve got to be loyal to them and keep them in mind.”

The three schools are high on his list and expects to get the visits lined up in the next couple of weeks. Until then, he’s remaining open to more programs.

“I’ve been saying it could change and I’m open to anything. Right now it is just about getting the word out and get coaches in the know that I qualified,” he said.