Remember The Name - Chris Clemons

5.16.2018  |  Liam Blutman

Chris Clemons is the best scorer you’ve never heard of.

I first watched one of Clemons’ games at Campbell in the 2016-17 Big South conference tournament. So Campbell comes in as the #7 seed and they were below .500 on the season, Clemons drops 27 and they breeze past a weak Presbyterian team. But that #3 caught my eye, standing at 5’9” he’s fearless when he attacks the basket, super quick as he puts on a stepback jumper and drains it. This kid was a pure scorer and I needed to see more. Campbell is taking on UNC-Asheville the next day who comes in at 23-9 and the 2 seed. You should know by now these elite scorers at small schools take advantage of the spotlight, they are trying to explode onto the scene and make a name for themselves. Maybe some of you vaguely remember when Chris Clemons shot 18-32 from the field, 8-14 from 3, and 7-8 on free throws. 51 points. Pure dominance. Campbell moves on with a 81-79 win all thanks to Mr. Clemons with his killer instinct, aggressive style of play, and his hope of being discovered so one day he gets a chance in the NBA.

Next came a game against the 6 seed, Radford. Clemons dropped 33 adding 9 rebounds and 4 assists en route to a 66-50 blowout win. Then came the conference championship game against 1 seeded Winthrop. It was a 76-59 victory for Winthrop. Campbell looked all out of sorts and wasn’t consistent, Clemons still put up 29 points but shot a poor 9-27. Regardless, Clemons carried Campbell on his back during the conference tourney and was just one game away from the ever so elusive NCAA Tournament which Campbell has appeared in once, back in 1992. That was only Clemons sophomore year, he was prolific as he finished 2nd in the nation in scoring behind Marcus Keene and tied with Mike Daum at 25.1 PPG, he added 4.6 RPG, and 2.6 APG. He shot 44.7% from the field and 35.4% from 3. So I did what any other huge college basketball fan would do… Watch him the following season and hope they made the NCAA Tournament so the whole nation could watch in awe.

His junior campaign started off hot as Campbell had a road game with Penn State. Clemons was able to face one of the best guards in the Big 10 and prove he’s not a fluke. 39 points. Kept Campbell in the game wire to wire but fell short 86-75. But 39 points. On the road at a Big 10 school to open the season. In January in a conference road game at Liberty, Clemons shot 11-16 and 10-14 from 3, scoring 42 points. He and teammate Marcus Burk became the first teammates to both make 10 3s in the same game in NCAA Basketball history. Chris averaged 24.9 PPG, 4.6 RBP, and 3.1 APG. Unfortunately they didn’t make the NCAA Tournament after losing the first game of their conference tournament. He finished 4th in the nation in scoring behind Trae Young, Kendrick Nunn, and Jordan Howard. Now we wait for Chris Clemons’ senior year, we wait to see if he makes the NCAA Tournament and showcases his elite scoring, we wait to see if he can lead the nation in scoring. I’ll say it right now, Chris Clemons will score 27.4 Points Per Game and lead the nation in scoring. I just hope y’all make an attempt to watch him whether it’s a non conference game or a conference tournament game or finally an NCAA Tournament game. He has an array of dribble moves that lead to open jumpers, a nice shot, limitless range, attacks the basket and can get to the line, he’s a smart player and will become a big name in college basketball this season.

Clemons is already the leading scorer in school history with 2,232 points through 3 seasons. He is also testing the NBA Draft Waters but did not hire an agent and did not receive a combine invite which leads me to believe he will return to school for his senior season with extra motivation to prove everybody wrong.


Liam Blutman is a first-year student at Santa Monica College bringing a series of articles and editorials about collegiate athletics and young athletes in professional sports. A natural Bruins/Angels fan and solid sports gamer, look for more content coming soon and follow Liam on twitter. It's a pleasure to have him join our writing team.

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