Terrence Clarke.
There has been so much speculation about Kentucky basketball this week that I thought the social media rumors about Terrence Clarke had to be wrong. I was watching the Kentucky volleyball team try to reach the national championship match when I started getting messages asking if the news about Clarke was true or not.
All week I’ve seen/heard speculation about the UK coaching staff before Thursday it seems set that Tony Barbee is leaving to be the head coach at Central Michigan and Joel Justus is leaving to become the top assistant at Arizona State. That should clear the way for the rumored return or Orlando Antigua to UK.
But Clarke dead? No way. He’s 19. Yet within a few hours, the speculation became fact. Clarke had indeed died in an automobile accident in Los Angeles after finishing a workout.
Clarke had opted to leave UK after his freshman year when he played only eight games due to injury in hopes of playing in the NBA. Clarke and former UK teammate BJ Boston, who was at the same workout Thursday, had both signed with an agent earlier this week.
Go back a year. Clarke was a top 10 player in the 2021 recruiting class and a projected lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft before he ever played a game at Kentucky. The 6-7 wing player was expected to be UK’s below and leading scorer. He scored in double figures in four of his first five games before getting hurt the next game against North Carolina. He played against Louisville and then did not play again until limited action in UK’s SEC Tournament loss to Mississippi State.
He averaged 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds,s and 2.0 assists per game.
Many UK fans were frustrated with Clarke and his right leg injury that lingered much longer than coach John Calipari originally said it would. Many UK fans were not even upset he left UK for the NBA. But UK fans were heartbroken — or at least most were — when they found out a 19-year-old young man had lost his life Thursday.
I did not know Clarke. Never saw him in high school or interviewed him. However, his high school coach always talked about his infectious personality and Clarke never stopped supporting his teammates when he was injured. He was always smiling and applauding on the bench when UK played well — something it did not do nearly enough during the 9-16 season.
It was no surprise that coach John Calipari said he was on his way almost immediately to Los Angeles to be with Clarke’s mother. He called Clarke a “beautiful person” and asked UK fans to say a prayer for his family.
“Only got to interview Terrence Clarke once. But what stood out was how genuine, engaging and sweet he was for such a young guy. Thoughts are with his family, after this unspeakable tragedy,” FoxSports Radio’s Aaron Torres posted on Twitter.
Former UK guard Tyrese Maxey, now a rookie with the Philadelphia 76ers, posted this on Twitter: “My heart is extremely heavy right now! HUG YOUR LOVED ONES! Prayers up to my man Terrence Clarke’s Family! MUCH LOVE BRO! #riptclarke.”
Much love indeed to a young man who came to Kentucky to pursue his team, never lost hope despite a disappointing season, and now is gone way too early.
