Terrence Clarke, an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference, left this world at the age of 19. Clarke was the son of Osmine Clarke and Adrian Briggs and had three siblings, Tatyana Gray, Gavin Clarke, and Madison Adrianne.
High school career
On 14 September 2019, Clarke asserted his dedication to the University of Kentucky over offers from Boston College, Duke, Memphis, Texas Tech, and UCLA. He also declared that he was reclassifying to the class of 2020. Clarke completed his high school study from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
College career
In his college debut, Clarke displayed 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals in an 81–45 win over Morehead State on 25 November 2020. He was restricted to eight games during the season, seven in non-conference play and one in the SEC Tournament, making six starts and averaging 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. On 19 March 2021, he proclaimed that he would give up his remaining college eligibility and pronounce for the 2021 NBA draft.
Clarke’s on-court UK highlights contained a 22-point, three-assist game vs. Georgia Tech in early December. He was the 9 out of 14 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Clarke also gained 15 points and grasped six rebounds vs. Richmond, posted 14 points with three assists vs. Notre Dame, and built his college debut with 12 points, four assists, and three steals in the rout of Morehead State.
Clarke signed with Kentucky out of Boston as one of the top anticipations in the 2020 high school class. A consensus five-star prospect, he was classified as high as No. 8 in the final Rivals rankings.
Shooting career
In the 2020 class, he was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best shooting guards.
Clarke stated in March that he was chasing his dreams of playing professional basketball and had announced for the NBA Draft. Clarke remained a talented prospect with a brilliant future despite missing most of the 2020-21 season with an injury.
In 2020-21, Clarke was restricted to eight games in his lone season with Kentucky due to a right leg injury. He scored six starts and averaged 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
The 6-foot-7 guard achieved in double figures in four of his first five games and was shooting 49.1% before the North Carolina game when he endured his leg injury. Clarke played through the injury vs. UNC and the next game at Louisville before being cast aside for the conference season.
Clarke withstood to provide support and depth for his teammates in the Southeastern Conference Tournament game vs. Mississippi State in spite of missing more than two months of action.
Death
After a workout with teammate Brandon Boston Jr., Clarke passed away on April 22nd, 2021, in Los Angeles, California who was involved in a traffic collision.
Tributes to Terrence Clarke
While paying tributes to Terrence Clarke the Kentucky Men’s Basketball Player, Kentucky head coach John Calipari expressed that he is completely empty and ill tonight.
A young person, one with all of his dreams and hopes ahead of him and who they all loved had just lost his life too quickly. Terrence Clarke was a talented kid, someone who possessed the space with his personality, smile, and joy. People gravitated to him, and to hear they had lost him was just hard for all of them to grasp at the moment. They were all in shock.
Terrence’s teammates and brothers loved him and were utterly devastated. They knew they were them for whatever they needed.
Mitch Barnhart, UK Director of Athletics stated that they are dumbstruck by this unforeseen, upsetting tragedy. Terrence was a young man who was so full of joy and so full of smiles. They hurt and grieved with his family, his friends, and his teammates and coaches, and their prayers were with all of them in that unimaginable loss.
He was on his way to Los Angeles to be with his mother and his brother to assist wherever he could.
That would be a tough period for all those who knew and loved Terrence, and he would ask that everyone should take a moment to say a prayer for Terrence and his family.
May he rest in peace.
