April 11, 2002
Columbia, Mo. - Fresh off the school's exciting run to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, University of Missouri Head Coach Quin Snyder has announced that junior college point guard Ricky Clemons has signed a national letter of intent to attend and play at Mizzou.
Clemons, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound native of Raleigh, N.C., emerged as one of the nation's top point guards as a sophomore this past season with the College of Southern Idaho. He led the team in scoring (18.2 ppg) and assists (7.5 apg) and helped guide Coach Guy Beach's squad to a sterling 26-6 record and 2nd-place finish in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
A 1st-team All-SWAC performer, Clemons ranked 11th in the NJCAA Division I ranks in assists, and 16th in steals (3.2 spg). He shot 44.9% from the floor, 39.5% from 3-pt. range and a solid 81.0% from the free throw line in 32 games.
Clemons was one of the JUCO ranks' most dangerous scorers, as he tallied a school-record 51 points at Utah Valley State on Jan. 5th. He had a single-game high of 17 assists this season (Nov. 29 vs. Seattle). As a freshman at CSI, Clemons played in 33 games, and was a key contributor off the bench on a squad that went 29-4. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.9 assists as a freshman.
Clemons attended prep school at Bonner Academy in Raleigh, where he led the nation in scoring as a senior, at better than 35 points per game.
"I'm very pleased to have such a talented young man join our program," said Snyder. "Ricky is a player who can impact a game in many ways, be it scoring, passing or defensively. He has the makings of a great floor leader who can dictate the flow of a game and create opportunities for himself as well as his teammates," Snyder said.
"I'm also happy to build on our relationship with Coach Beach, who is doing an outstanding job," said Snyder. "The College of Southern Idaho is the winningest junior college program in the country, and Coach Beach is undoubtedly continuing their tradition of high-caliber basketball," he said.
Clemons chose Missouri over North Carolina State, Louisville, South Carolina, and Gonzaga, among others.