Defensively, he looks to be a tremendous fit with the Red Raider culture
Texas Tech did not become the premier defensive program in the nation by having players unwilling to buy in on that end of the court. Fortunately, all indications are that Clarke is more than willing to put in work on defense.
After the news of Clarke’s commitment broke, Rob Dauster of NBC Sports referred to him as a “junkyard dog” on defense. That has to be music to Texas Tech fans’ ears.
Chris Clarke has committed to Texas Tech. That fit couldn’t be more perfect. Junkyard dog defender that can play as a small-ball four. He’s a grad transfer that did not play this season for Virginia Tech.
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) May 15, 2019
A dynamic athlete, Clarke has proven to be a strong rebounder. He’s averaged at least six rebounds per game in his career with his high-water mark being 7.3 in his sophomore year. His career average of 6.5 rebounds per game would have led last year’s Red Raiders, just eclipsing the 6.4 boards Culver pulled down per game.
Next season, Tech will also be looking for more on-ball defenders to help replace Culver and Mooney. Clarke is capable of guarding four spots on the floor and has averaged slightly over one steal per game.
As a junior, the advanced analytics suggested that Clarke was Virginia Tech’s best defender. Allowing 98.7 points per 100 possessions, he was the Hokies’ leader in defensive rating. However, that would have put him behind every regular in Beard’s rotation last year with Davide Moretti’s 93.8 being the next closest.
A huge component of Tech’s defense is in the way that Beard is able to switch virtually every ball-screen. In that regard, Clarke is a perfect fit because he guarded all five positions at times in Blacksburg. Once he picks up the nuances of the Red Raider defensive scheme, this should be another cog in the defensive juggernaut that Beard and Mark Adams have built on the South Plains.