Four of the top five scorers in college basketball are from mid-major conferences, meaning they are not playing in any of the Power Five conferences, being the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12. With that being said, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that the average fan, who gets most of their information from the major sports outlets, wouldn't know any of those top five scorers. Although they certainly would know what Lebron or Zion dunk was the best of the night, there has a been a player this year playing at such a high level that every single fan in the country should know his name: Chris Clemons.
Even in terms of mid-majors, Campbell, where senior Chris Clemons is currently playing, has a low profile. They play in the Big South conference with other schools in the southeastern United States such as Gardner-Webb University, Charleston-Southern University, and Radford University. But Clemons has put up insane numbers that would be receiving much more attention if he played in a power five conference. Especially since our man of the hour stands just at 5 foot, 9 inches tall, yet he has averaged 24.7ppg while shooting 44% from the field in college.
We start in Raleigh, North Carolina to give some background on who exactly Chris Clemons is, and how the biggest universities in the country missed Clemons. Playing at Millbrook high school, Clemons grew up idolizing Allen Iverson and his ability to seemingly score at will off the dribble. Even with his incredible shooting prowess which lead him to score 1,287 points, Clemons had only one offer by the time he graduated, and was unranked coming out of high school. Seemingly his low profile, slender frame, and small height scared away the larger schools that would love to have him now.
Clemons' first season at Campell was just a warmup for what was to come. Scoring a measly, for him, 18.5 ppg and grabbing 3.7 rpg, he earned the Big South Freshman of the Year Award while leading the Camels to a 12-18 overall record with a 5-13 record in conference. It certainly wasn't the best start for Campell with Clemons on the team, though the Camels could only improve from this point in Clemons' career.
Until this year, it could be very easily argued that Clemons' sophomore season was his most impressive in his collegiate career. Not only did he average 25.1 ppg, but he also scored 904 points over the course of the season, setting the school record for points in a season. His ridiculous season didn't end at the end of the regular season, either. Clemons and Campbell matched up against UNC-Asheville in the conference tournament, where he would explode for 51 points on 32 shots. That season earned him First Team All Big South honors, though he would not win Player of the Year.
His junior year continued on the success of his sophomore year with Clemons scoring 24.9 ppg on 45% shooting from the floor, and 37% accuracy from the 3 point line. Clemons would pass the 2,000 point mark halfway through the year, eventually becoming Campell's all-time leading scorer on March 14, 2018. Again appearing on the First Team All Big South, Clemons lead the Camels to a 18-16 record and an appearance in the CIT Invitational Tournament. While he did enter the NBA draft process, he didn't hire an agent, and he returned for his final season as a senior at Campbell.
You would be excused for thinking that Clemons' best seasons were behind him; he obviously has had different ideas. Beginning thus season being named the Big South Pre-season Player of the Year, Clemons has 30.1 ppg this season, leading the NCAA in that category. He is also making a ridiculous 3 three-pointers and 7 free throws a game, showcasing his ability to score from anywhere on the floor. On December 21, he became the Big South's all time leading scorer with 2,556 points. The buckets kept coming for Clemons, too, as he achieved his most impressive feat yet on February 16, when he became the ninth player in NCAA history to score over 3,000 career points.
The chance to see this incredible player on the national stage all depends on whether or not the Camels are able to win the Big South conference tournament. They were able to pass the first test on Thursday night, when they won 86-77 over Hampton College. If all goes to plan, and the regular season champion Campbell University Camels are able to finish out a special season and win the tournament, then the entire nation will finally get the chance to watch the most prolific scorer of the last four years: Chris Clemons.
All Images courtesy of Gocamels.com
Sources;
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/chris-clemons-2.html
https://247sports.com/Player/Chris-Clemons-46054493/high-school-215716/
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/2019-03-02/college-basketball-campbells-chris-clemons-readies-final-act
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