Iowa’s Clemmons: ‘I think my time is here’

IOWA CITY - More than 600 men's basketball players left their colleges last spring, and Anthony Clemmons appeared likely to land on that list.

Clemmons, an Iowa junior, endured a sophomore swan dive in minutes and production last year. He took a 99 fewer shots from his freshman season and his minutes dwindled to barely single digits in his last 10 games. Clemmons was stuck behind another point guard in his own class, and the Hawkeyes recruited another one from the junior-college ranks.

Instead of becoming yet another transfer statistic, Clemmons soul-searched at season's end. Then he battled. He went back to his hometown of Lansing, Mich., and worked out with former Michigan State stars and current players, like former high school teammates Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes. Clemmons dedicated himself with strenuous workouts and a proper diet. By the time he returned to Iowa City in midsummer, he became too good to languish on the bench.

'It's a rare thing these days. It just is. He didn't blame anybody,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'It's real easy there to walk away, say, ‘Look, I'm the fifth guard, and we've got people back, when am I going to play?' He never lost confidence in himself. I think the first thing was to say, ‘All right, I didn't have the kind of year I could have had. What do I have to do?'”

Clemmons stepped back on campus physically more defined. Instead of accepting a backup role, Clemmons fought for a starting spot. Injuries to shooting guards Peter Jok and Josh Oglesby gave Clemmons a shot, and the 6-foot-2 guard took advantage of his opportunity.

'I don't think anybody thought he was going to be a starter,” McCaffery said. 'I didn't. Not really in my thought process. I thought it was going to be Pete or Josh in that position, and both of those guys were playing well, too, by the way. It's not like they rolled over. He just went and got it.”

So far Clemmons hasn't shown any reason to assume he's giving it up. In the Hawkeyes' opener against Hampton, Clemmons pulled down five rebounds and scored 12 points, the second-most in his Iowa career. He backed it up with 11 points and three rebounds against North Dakota State.

Clemmons grabbed three steals against the Bison, including one that he corralled near midcourt. The ball was contested for two seconds, and it seemed like a minute, but Clemmons pulled it down. That play showed he still scraps for every ball on every possession, every time he takes the court.

'That's who I was my whole life. It's like why stop now?” Clemmons said. 'What's stopping me? Back at home I could always say the people I talked to and the people I played with they always kept me uptight. They self-checked me when I was too cocky and always kept me humble. They told me what type of player I am and I have to be that player and be confident in myself.”

So far he knocked down five of his six 3-point attempts. Last year he hit only six all season and none after the non-conference slate.

'A lot of people sleep on Sapp,” Iowa senior Aaron White said. 'They think he's just a defender, think he gets guys open, but he can shoot the ball ... he's a great shooter.”

'He takes good shots, and he drives and gets to the free-throw line,” McCaffery said. 'Typically he doesn't force much. ... He's physical, and he's playing like an experienced player. There's no panic in his game at all.”

As much as his friends and family kept his ego in check, they also encouraged Clemmons when he slumped last year. That confidence continues to resonate with Clemmons as he and his teammates face No. 10 Texas on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

'They always told me to keep my head up,” Clemmons said. 'My time will come, and that's something I took pride in. I was playing behind an NBA player and sometimes you have to wait your turn. Therefore when you're at levels like this, you have to wait your turn. I think my time is here.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com