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Way back before Brandon Clarke started punishing basketball rims with the Memphis Grizzlies, the rookie tried his hand at playing volleyball as a freshman in high school.
As it turns out, he later acquired those volleyball skills in a different sport.
Clarke has established himself as a virtual pogo-stick player on the basketball court. From his innate ability to perfectly time his blocks to catching lobs from fellow rookie phenom Ja Morant, Clarke was impressive this season.
However, as he pointed out on Twitter, those skills were not present with him in high school as he was just 5-foot-11 with no bounce on the floor.
Played back in my first yr HS…was only 5’11 w/ no bounce 🤣🤣had to retire early unfortunately but it’s an underrated sport! https://t.co/TzrZk6hAtH
— Brandon Clarke (@brandonclarke23) May 9, 2020
Clarke is often active around the rim and is a threat with tip-ins and offensive putbacks. His natural instinct in the painted area has been a marvel at times this season and that allowed him to emerge as perhaps one of the top rookies in his class.
It’s probably a good thing he chose to play basketball over volleyball …
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