After his uneventful freshman year in high school, Clinkscales moved from Jamaic

a, Queens (top) to Ocala, Florida (bottom).

Clinkscales expressed regrets for leaving Queens after Norm Roberts, who had sho
wn an interest in him, was hired by St. John's.[5] While in Ocala, he tried to b
ecome better at basketball by doing 200 push-ups every night. He would visit his
hometown during school vacations. In his time living in Florida, Clinkscales ha
d a growth spurt and stood nearly at 6 ft (1.83 m), boosting his performance on
the court.[2] Commenting on Clinkscales' decision to move to Florida, Clarence W
ashington said, "Going down there was the best thing that ever happened to him."
[2]
At Shores Christian Academy, Clinkscales became a top player on the basketball t
eam, averaging 21 points and 12 assists during his senior year.[2] On January 3,
2004, he recorded 24 points and eight assists, including a layup with four seco
nds left in regulation, to defeat Trinity Catholic by one point.[7] In another c
ontest that month, Clinkscales notched 31 points and 11 assists in a triple-over
time loss to Gainesville High School, the top-ranked team at the Diamondback Cha
llenge tournament.[3][8] In the Florida Christian Athletic League's south quarte
rfinals, he posted 40 points and 14 assists to beat Ocala Word of Faith by a 100 3
2 margin.[9] In the district title contest, he put up 26 points, 15 assists, six
rebounds, and three steals.[8] Clinkscales' team won the National Association o
f Christian Athletes championship behind a 36-win season, and he was named the O
cala Star-Banner boys' basketball player of the year.[2][3] Despite his success
at Ocala, the low competition level prevented him from drawing national attentio
n. However, he was in the spotlight playing for the Atlanta Celtics, an Amateur
Athletic Union (AAU) program made up of players such as Dwight Howard, Josh Smit
h, and Randolph Morris. He joined the team because they required a reliable poin
t guard. The Celtics won the Adidas Big Time Tournament, sparking coaches' inter
est in him once again.[6] Basketball news website, The Hoop Scoop, named Clinksc
ales the 47th-best high school player in his class as he entered college.[8] He
was rated a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.[10][11]
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cliff Clinkscales
PG Ocala, FL Shores Christian (FL) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (
75 kg) Apr 30, 2004
Scout:3/5 stars Rivals:3/5 stars 247Sports:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their li
stings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
"2004 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2016-09-18.
College career[edit]
"Once I start going again people are going to be like, 'Oh, I remember this kid.
' I'm real anxious just to get everything rolling. I just want to let people kno
w that nothing changed. I was just off the scene for a little while but I never
stopped working. I just want to show people that I'm better than I was at that y
oung age."[2]
Clinkscales before his freshman season at DePaul
Louisville, Florida, and Maryland were among the several schools that initially
showed interest in Clinkscales as he entered college.[3] Florida State was his p
referred choice, and he made multiple unofficial visits to the school.[12][13] T
he team would not accept him on a scholarship because of his low test scores. On
ce he improved his scores, Clinkscales caught the attention of more schools, inc
luding Baylor and St. John's. Ultimately, on May 7, 2004, he chose to play for t
he DePaul Blue Demons, because it would soon be a part of the Big East Conferenc
e, meaning that he could play at Madison Square Garden. The school's urban envir
onment also prompted him to make the decision.[2][6] Blue Demons' head coach Dav
e Leitao praised the new signee, saying, "Cliff is a true point guard who brings
speed, athleticism, and quickness that we will need in our program."[8] Clinksc
ales entered college with hopes of returning to prominence in the game.[2]
Freshman[edit]
DePaul University's environment encouraged Clinkscales to attend the school.
On November 20, 2004, Clinkscales made his collegiate debut with the Blue Demons
by scoring one point and recording two assists in 14 minutes against Bowling Gr
een.[14] He soon became popular among DePaul basketball fans, and was nicknamed
"The Colonel."[6] On December 6, 2004, Clinkscales helped DePaul defeat IUPUI wi
th seven points and a team-high 12 assists.[15][16] The freshman commented, "The
best thing I can do is pass. I really don't have to look at them (my team membe
rs). I just tell them to be ready."[17] On December 18, he eclipsed his season-b
est by putting up 13 assists, along with seven points and three steals, to beat
UIC.[18][19] It was Clinkscales' first career start, as he substituted for Drake
Diener.[20] In a win over Old Dominion on January 2, 2005, he replaced Sammy Me
ja and scored nine points for his best scoring performance of the season.[6] Clin
kscales also recorded six assists and a season-high four rebounds in the contest
.[21] He closed the season averaging 2.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 0.9 rebounds i
n 15 minutes per game.[22] Clinkscales finished the season with an assist-to-tur
nover ratio of 2.31, the third-best in Conference USA and the best in his team.
He also became the fifth DePaul freshman of all-time to break the 100-assist bar
rier.[23]
Sophomore[edit]
For Clinkscales' sophomore season, DePaul moved from Conference USA to the Big E
ast Conference and also hired Jerry Wainwright as head coach. The team also welc
omed incoming freshman and the reigning Mr. Basketball of Michigan in Wilson Cha
ndler.[24] Clinkscales debuted in a 60 75 loss to Bradley on November 19, 2005. He
scored three points and passed for a team-high six assists but also had five tu
rnovers.[25] Clinkscales scored a then-career-best 11 points, as well as four as
sists and no turnovers, on December 31, 2005 vs. FIU. He made two three-pointers
and five free-throws in the game, both of which would be season-highs.[26] Clin
kscales came off the bench to help the team extend their two-point lead with und
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