Darius Clemons is a retired American basketball player. He is known for his standout college career at Loyola University in Chicago, where he was named Midwestern City Conference Player of the Year in 1981. He remains the school's all-time leader in assists. Clemons, a 6'3" point guard from

Wendell Phillips High School Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public 4–year high school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Phillips is part of the Chicago Public Schools district and is managed by the Acad ...

in Chicago, won an Illinois state title in 1975 and was named a

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...

All-American as senior in 1978. He chose Loyola over higher-profile programs in part due to the promise of immediate playing time. Clemons was a four-year starter for the Ramblers. He broke out as a sophomore in 1979–80, averaging 15.6

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

. He followed that with a better junior campaign, as he averaged 21.9 points and 7.8

assists per game In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads directly to a score by field goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the basket. An assist is also credited when a basket is awarded due ...

and was named Midwestern City Conference co-Player of the Year with Oklahoma City's

Rubin Jackson Rubin Jackson is an American former basketball player, best known for his college career at Oklahoma City University, where in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season he was named the Midwestern City Conference (now the Horizon Leag ...

. The following season, Clemons' scoring dropped to 12.9 points per game as freshman Alfredrick Hughes became the primary perimeter scoring option and center

Wayne Sappleton Wayne B. Sappleton (born November 17, 1960) is a retired Jamaican professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. A 6'9 forward, Sappleton was a star at Loyola University Chicago from 1978-82. Collegiate career Sappleton ...

emerged as a scorer. Clemons did see an uptick in his passing numbers as he averaged 9.9 assists per game. At the close of his college career, Clemons had scored 1,610 points and dished out 703 assists – still a school record. In his peak season of 1980–81, Clemons became the first player in Midwestern City Conference (now the Horizon League) history to lead the conference in scoring, assists and steals. He was the only player to achieve this until Norris Cole did it in the 2010–11 season. Clemons was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, but never played in the National Basketball Association. He played 5 games for the Reno Bighorns of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

in 1982–83, averaging 2 points and 1 assist per game before being released.1983–84 ''CBA Official Guide & Register'', page 116 He then left basketball and returned to Chicago.

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College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clemons, Darius Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Loyola Ramblers men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Reno Bighorns (CBA) players San Diego Clippers draft picks