Verdigris guard chooses Razorbacks over Oral Roberts and Oklahoma State.
By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
After over a year of message board speculation and rumors, Verdigris guard Rotnei Clarke made it official in front of television cameras from Tulsa's NewsChannel 8 on Wednesday. The two-time MaxPreps All-American inked his letter of intent with Arkansas.
Clarke averaged 37.6 points per game as a junior, leading Verdigris to a runner-up finish in Class 3A. Clarke selected the Razorbacks over Oral Roberts and Oklahoma State . Clarke also had offers from the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, Gonzaga, and received some interest from Oklahoma.
Pawnee guard Keiton Page made his commitment official on the first day possible, signing with Oklahoma State. Page averaged 35.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.3 steals per game for Pawnee as junior. Page's recruitment was not as dramatic as Clarke's, having decided on the Cowboys after his sophomore season.
Page set an all-time State Tournament scoring record with a three-game total of 124 points, including 53 in a 111-60 victory over Oktaha. In the victory over Oktaha, Page canned 11 three-point buckets.
Angel Goodrich of Sequoyah-Tahlequah and Alyssia Brewer of Sapulpa signed with Kansas and Tennessee, respectively.
Goodrich was named the state Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 17.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 7.1 steals per game, leading her team to a perfect 27-0 record and a third straight 3A title.
Brewer, a 6-3 post player, led Sapulpa to the Class 6A state title last season. Brewer, the first Oklahoma player to sign for the traditional women's basketball powerhouse, averaged 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks per game for the Lady Chieftains as a junior.
Oklahoma Division I Signings
Boys Basketball
Rotnei Clarke, Verdigris (Arkansas)
Robert Crawford, Victory Christian (Central Arkansas)
Ken Holdman, Tulsa East Central (Missouri State)
Jeffery Merritt, Bishop McGuinness (Samford)
Keiton Page, Pawnee (Oklahoma State)
Tyler Thalken, Tulsa Bishop Kelley (Denver)
James Watson, Stringtown (Washington State)
Girls Basketball
Alyssia Brewer, Sapulpa (Tennessee)
Heather Davis, Muskogee (Missouri-Kansas City)
Virginia DeWare, Bixby (Tulsa)
Angel Goodrich, Sequoyah-Tahlequah (Kansas)
Savannah Hamilton, Preston (Tulsa)
Haleigh Lankster, Tulsa Washington (Wichita State)
Elizabeth Lay, OKC Southeast (Washington)
Tia McGee, Jenks (Georgetown)
Lindsay Palmer, Tulsa Union (Baylor)
Jordan Pyle, Mustang (Oral Roberts)
Mary Beth Renz, Bishop McGuinness (Sam Houston State)
Brittani Smith, Coweta (UNLV)
Volleyball
Karisa Almgren, Edmond Memorial (Creighton)
Kelsey Hancock, Edmond Memorial (Tulsa)
Dana Powell, Tulsa Cascia Hall (SMU)
Lacy Reasons, Edmond Santa Fe (North Texas)