Darius Clemons is a retired American basketball player. He is known for his standout college career at

Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola University may refer to: Democratic Republic of the Congo *Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo Spain * Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where he was named Midwestern City Conference Player of the Year in 1981. He remains the school's all-time leader in assists. Clemons, a 6'3" point guard from Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago, won an Illinois state title in 1975 and was named a

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers nationwide in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a read ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

as senior in 1978. He chose Loyola over higher-profile programs in part due to the promise of immediate playing time. Clemons was a four-year starter for the Ramblers. He broke out as a sophomore in 1979–80, averaging 15.6

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player or team per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of poi ...

. He followed that with a better junior campaign, as he averaged 21.9 points and 7.8

assists per game In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads directly to a score by field goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the basket. An assist is also credited when a basket is awarded due ...

and was named Midwestern City Conference co-Player of the Year with

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

's Rubin Jackson. The following season, Clemons' scoring dropped to 12.9 points per game as freshman

Alfredrick Hughes Alfredrick Hughes (born July 19, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round (14th pick overall) in the 1985 NBA draft. He played college basketball for the Loyola Rambl ...

became the primary perimeter scoring option and

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Wayne Sappleton emerged as a scorer. Clemons did see an uptick in his passing numbers as he averaged 9.9 assists per game. At the close of his college career, Clemons had scored 1,610 points and dished out 703 assists – still a school record. In his peak season of 1980–81, Clemons became the first player in Midwestern City Conference (now the Horizon League) history to lead the conference in scoring, assists and steals. He was the only player to achieve this until

Norris Cole Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Osos de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). A 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-b ...

did it in the 2010–11 season. Clemons was drafted in the fourth round of the

1982 NBA draft The 1982 NBA draft took place on June 29, 1982, at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The #1 selection from this year's draft, James Worthy, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers despite them being one of the ...

by the

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

, but never played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. He played 5 games for the Reno Bighorns of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

in 1982–83, averaging 2 points and 1 assist per game before being released.1983–84 ''CBA Official Guide & Register'', page 116 He then left basketball and returned to Chicago.

References

External links

College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemons, Darius Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Loyola Ramblers men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Reno Bighorns (CBA) players San Diego Clippers draft picks