Recruiting Report: T.J. Clark (2016)

Nick Kosmider

November 7, 2015 @ 05:00 PM

For a guy who has flown firmly under the radar, T.J. Clark has a way of standing out.During the Prep Hoops Colorado Prime Time Prospects Combine at Gold Crown Fieldhouse in late September, the 5-foot-11 Liberty senior point guard kept turning heads with the way he left the ground. He made two-handed dunks off his vertical leap look like a warm-up. Turns out, high-flying runs in the family. "My dad is really athletic," Clark says. "He won a couple dunk contests back in Nevada when he was younger." Like father, like son. Clark said he dunked a ball for the first time during the summer entering his freshman year of high school -- when he was 5-foot-6. Clark's 38-inch vertical was the third-highest at the combine, but there is more to this guard's game than just soaring to the rim. He averaged 10.4 points, 1.3 assists and a team-high 1.5 steals per game for Liberty last season. Clark has a solid mid-range pull-up game, evidenced by his third-place finish in the elbow-to-elbow shooting test session during the combine. His leaping ability helps him finish strong at the rim, and his perimeter jump shot is also solid. Liberty finished 9-15 last season and lost in overtime in the first round of the playoffs. But the Lancers are senior-heavy this season and, Clark said, communicating and gelling together well. It's a group he is excited to guide this season to what he thinks could be a deep playoff run. "I really want to become more of a leader this season," Clark said. "Calling plays and just being an all-around point guard." To this point Clark's recruiting attention has been limited. He needs to add more weight to a slender frame, but he has the skill set to play at the next level. And the athleticism ... just remember that 5-foot-6 freshman dunking the basketball. Now, Clark is just eager to show he belongs. "I just want to go out there," he said, "and prove that I can compete with the best players in the state."