There are only 10 players in D-1 history who have scored 3000 PTS, and the 1st 1 to reach that mark in the 21st century was St. Peter’s PG Keydren Clark. As a freshman he scored 24.9 PPG and was named MAAC ROY, as a junior he led the nation with 25.8 PPG/3.3 SPG, and as a senior he was named MAAC POY and broke the NCAA record for most career 3PM. He later played pro basketball overseas for more than a decade. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Keydren about being a great scorer and a great defender. Today is Keydren’s 37th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
You finished your college career as 1 of the greatest scorers in NCAA history: why did you choose to go to St. Peter’s instead of a big-time program? I chose St. Peter’s because it was the only school on my list that said I would be able to play valuable minutes as a freshman. All of the other schools said that I would have to wait at least 1 year, or maybe even 2 years. I knew that I could help a team right away so I chose to go somewhere that would allow me to do so.
In 2004/2005 you became the 8th D-1 player to ever lead the nation in scoring in consecutive years: what is the secret to being a great scorer? My teammates always found me in good scoring positions and on top of that I just found my own ways to score (FTs, steals that led to points in transition, offensive rebounds, etc.). I pretty much did what I had to do in order for us to win games.
In 2005 you also led the country with 3.3 SPG: how were you able to balance your offense with your defense? Defense has always been a part of my game. Being that I am small I had to find ways to make my presence felt on the court: what better way than to stand out on defense?! I was able to balance everything because my good defense led to my good offense. Getting a steal and scoring in transition was a way to get myself going offensively: in a sense it put me in the rhythm of the game.
In the summer of 2005 your teammate George Jefferson died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (the same heart ailment that killed Hank Gathers): what impact did George’s death have on you? Losing George was a big deal because he was the reason I led the country in scoring in back-to-back seasons. From the time we walked onto campus at St. Peter’s, George had me in the gym every day working on my game. He believed in me more than I believed in myself at times so when he died I was shell-shocked and did not even want to play basketball anymore. However, at the same time it made me mentally stronger, more dedicated to the game, and made me just ENJOY LIFE because at any moment it can be taken away from you. I have so many great memories of George that I do not know where to start. 1 that stands out the most was when school was starting back up and we had to go to Enrollment Services to get our schedules. When we got there the lines were unbelievably long so George being who he was (funny, charismatic, and very outgoing) walks in, sees the lines, and yells “Fire, Fire!” All of the other students ran out and he casually walked up to the front of the line and asked for his schedule like nothing happened. George also loved Michael Jordan: in his eyes Jordan was EVERYTHING and if you dared to say something bad about MJ George would pull out his hologram Michael Jordan card and read you facts about him. Another memory is when we had planned a trip to South Beach for Memorial Day weekend. Usually when someone packs to go on a trip you put your stuff in a duffle bag or suitcase: right? Not George: he packed his stuff in a laundry bag. Whenever I think about that day I just laugh and laugh. George also had some quotes that I will always remember, 1 of which was, “Where there is a will, there is a way…and where there is a G there is a J”. Another one was, “Never let a hungry man eat”: LOVE U AND MISS U GJEFF!!!!!!
In 2006 you were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot to me because all of the hard work that George and I had put in at the gym together (summer after summer, practice after practice) was finally getting recognized. However, since the person that helped me to get there was not there to see me win the award it was bittersweet.
You were named All-MAAC during each of your 4 years and led the conference in scoring each year: how were you able to come in as a freshman and contribute from the start, and how were you able to continue to dominate throughout the rest of your college career? Being that I am a small guy in terms of the basketball court, I wanted to prove all of the people wrong who had passed me over or thought that I was too small to play the game at a high level. I showed up to college early and just worked my butt off every day, twice a day, for 4 straight years. I live by the quote, “HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOES NOT WORK HARD”. Coming out of high school I was not the most talented guy, but I knew that if I worked hard and was given the opportunity then I could do something special…and I did.
You remain 1 of 10 players in D-1 history to score 3000+ PTS: how proud are you of being on such a prestigious list? I am in the history books with some of the all-time greats so I think that I am 1 of the best scorers in NCAA history. 1 of my favorite rappers (Jay-Z) said, “Men Lie, Women Lie, Numbers Don’t”, so going by the numbers that I put up in college I would think/hope that I am considered to be 1 of the best scorers in college basketball history.
In addition to your sensational scoring you are #2 in school history in assists and #1 in school history in FT shooting: did you consider yourself to be more of a scorer or all-around player? If you never saw me play and just looked at the stat sheet you would probably think that I was just a gunner, but the people who have seen me play would say that I am a good all-around player. If not…I still consider myself to be a good all-around player!!!
After graduation you played overseas and in 2007 you led the Greek league in scoring: what did you learn from this experience? I learned a lot. The game is played differently over here: every game and every point matters. Their rules are different from ours so I had to adjust some aspects of my game. 1 thing I really enjoyed about playing overseas is the love and support you get from your fans. The fans are absolutely nuts over here and it helps to elevate your game. Whether you were playing against the top team or the worst team they just want to support you to the fullest. Aside from basketball, it is tough to be in another country by yourself away from everything you know. It is a big sacrifice that a lot of guys are not comfortable making. Being overseas is really only for the strong because when you are not playing ball you spend most of your time by yourself in your apartment. You are on the Internet, playing video games, watching movies, etc., so your life almost becomes like a recording.
When people look back on your career, what do you want them to remember the most? I want people to remember how this small kid from Rice High School went to St. Peter’s and made all of the doubters become believers. I also want them to remember me for putting St. Peter’s on the map.