Clifford Clinkscales (born March 11, 1984) is an American professional basketball head coach and retired player. He is the head coach of the KW Titans of the Basketball Super League. A point guard, Clinkscales began playing professionally in 2008, with two seasons in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). He spent most of his professional career in NBL Canada, playing from 2013 to 2020 in Halifax for the Rainmen and the Hurricanes. With the Halifax Hurricanes, he set the record for the most career assists in NBL Canada history.
A native of Jamaica, Queens, in New York City, Clinkscales rose to prominence as a basketball player at a young age. After his freshman year at Springfield Gardens High School, he transferred to Shores Christian Academy in Ocala, Florida, where his team won the National Association of Christian Athletes title. He was rated as a three-star recruit, and several major college basketball programs showed interest in him. Clinkscales played college basketball for the DePaul Blue Demons from 2004 to 2008. He averaged 8.3 points per game in his first season in college while also becoming the fifth freshman in DePaul history to record 100 assists in a season. Although most of his statistics stagnated in his remaining years in college and his scoring average dropped, he led NCAA Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio as a senior.
Clinkscales was selected in the 2008 NBA Development League Draft by the Erie BayHawks, where he played most of his D-League career. After a three-year hiatus and one season in the American Basketball League with the Panama City Breeze, he began his NBL Canada career. In NBL Canada, he was an NBL Canada All-Star in 2014 and won the league championship as a member of the Halifax Hurricanes in 2016. Following his retirement in 2020, he returned to the league as an assistant coach in 2021. He has been the head coach of the KW Titans starting in the 2022–23 season.
Early life Born on March 11, 1984, Cliff Clinkscales was brought up in Jamaica, Queens, with three siblings. He was raised by his mother and a family friend, Clarence Washington. Washington introduced a young Clinkscales to the game of basketball; Clinkscales' sister, Kima, taught him to dribble.
Shortly before entering fifth grade, in the summer of 1996, Clinkscales, standing , was noticed in an ABCD Camp in Teaneck, New Jersey.The camp was designed for college-level basketball hopefuls.
High school career Despite achieving distinction at a young age, Clinkscales soon fell out of the public view. He spent one year in Springfield Gardens High School in Queens, but poor grades prevented him from playing basketball there. The next year, he transferred to Shores Christian Academy in Ocala, Florida.< He switched schools because he wanted to improve his academic performance, and one of his friends knew the new school's basketball coach, Allan Adams.
At Shores Christian Academy, Clinkscales became a top player on the basketball team. On January 3, 2004, he recorded 24 points and 8 assists, including a layup with four seconds left in the game, to defeat Trinity Catholic by one point. In another contest that month, Clinkscales notched 31 points and 11 assists in a triple-overtime loss to Gainesville High School, the top-ranked team at the Diamondback Challenge tournament. In the Florida Christian Athletic League's south quarterfinals, he had 40 points and 14 assists as his team beat Ocala Word of Faith by a 100–32 margin. In the district title contest, he scored 26 points, with 15 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Clinkscales's team won the National Association of Christian Athletes championship behind a 36-win season, and he was named the Ocala Star-Banner boys' basketball player of the year.
The low competition level at Ocala prevented Clinkscales from drawing national attention. He was, however, in the spotlight playing for the Atlanta Celtics, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program made up of players such as Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Randolph Morris. He joined the team because they needed a reliable point guard. The Celtics won the Adidas Big Time Tournament, sparking coaches' interest in Clinkscales once again. Basketball news website The Hoop Scoop named Clinkscales the 47th-best high school player in his class as he entered college. He was rated a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.
College career
University of Louisville, University of Florida, and University of Maryland were among the schools that showed an interest in Clinkscales as he approached college. He made multiple unofficial visits to Florida State, which was his first choice; however, the team did not offer him an athletic scholarship because of his low test scores. Once he improved his scores, Clinkscales caught the attention of more schools, including Baylor University and St. John's University in his hometown.
On May 7, 2004, Clinkscales announced his decision to play for the DePaul Blue Demons, noting that it would soon be a part of the Big East Conference, which provided him the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden. The school's urban environment also prompted his decision. Blue Demons head coach Dave Leitao praised the new signee, saying, "Cliff is a true point guard who brings speed, athleticism, and quickness that we will need in our program."
Freshman
On November 20, 2004, Clinkscales made his collegiate debut with the Blue Demons by scoring one point and recording two assists in 14 minutes against . He soon became popular among DePaul basketball fans, and was nicknamed "The Colonel". On December 6, Clinkscales helped DePaul defeat with 7 points and a team-high 12 assists. Clinkscales commented about his style of play, "The best thing I can do is pass. I really don't have to look at them (my team members). I just tell them to be ready." On December 18 he put up 13 assists, along with 7 points and 3 steals, to help beat . It was Clinkscales' first career start, as he substituted for Drake Diener. In a win over Old Dominion on January 2, 2005, he replaced Sammy Mejía and scored nine points for his best scoring performance of the season. Clinkscales recorded six assists and a season-high four rebounds in the contest. He closed the season averaging 2.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 0.9 rebounds in 15 minutes per game. Clinkscales finished the season with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.31, the third-best in Conference USA and the best on his team. He became the fifth DePaul freshman ever to break the 100-assist barrier.
Sophomore In Clinkscales' sophomore season, DePaul moved from Conference USA to the Big East Conference and hired Jerry Wainwright as head coach. Clinkscales debuted in a 60–75 loss to Bradley on November 19, 2005. He scored three points and passed for a team-high six assists but also had five turnovers. Clinkscales scored a then-career-best 11 points, as well as four assists and no turnovers, on December 31 vs. . He made two three-pointers and five free throws in the game, both of which would be season highs. On January 21, 2006, Clinkscales had a season-best six assists in a one-point loss to . Despite spending 38 minutes on the court, he only attempted four field goals. For the season, he averaged 3.2 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.
Junior
As a junior, Clinkscales regressed statistically in minutes per game and in his averages for points, assists, and rebounds. He played four minutes in DePaul's season-opening loss to Bradley on November 11, 2006, but recorded no statistics. On November 17, in a win against , Clinkscales finished with a season-high three steals. He recorded his first point on November 20, posting two points and three assists in 13 minutes off the bench vs. Kentucky at the Maui Invitational Tournament. In the following round of the event, in a victory over Chaminade, he had two steals and a season-best 13 assists. Clinkscales came off the bench against at the Ryan Center to score six points, the most in the season, on December 16. He replicated the scoring feat on December 29 vs. , along with nine assists. His team ended up defeating their opponents by 30 points, also pushed by a 40-point performance by Sammy Mejía. Following an early loss at the 2007 National Invitation Tournament (NIT), he capped the season playing 12 minutes per game and averaging 1.4 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 rebounds per contest.
Senior
Heading into the following season, the Blue Demons lacked both leadership and talent at the point guard position. Clinkscales hoped to assume the role as a leader, saying, "I think that's my job. I'm going to do that, regardless 40 minutes or two minutes. I'm going to try to help the guys out, from the bench or on the court." His development impressed Jerry Wainwright, who became more comfortable with giving him more playing time. Clinkscales began his final season at DePaul with a 12-point loss to on November 9, 2007. After playing 21 minutes off the bench, he had five points, two assists, two turnovers, and a season-high three steals. Heading into late December, in the midst of multiple injuries to his teammates, Clinkscales played more and frequently appeared in the Blue Demons' starting lineup. On January 3, 2008, while playing a career-high 39 minutes against Villanova, he scored a season-best 12 points and added eight assists with two turnovers. Clinkscales was effective once again in his team's January 16 rematch with Villanova, as he finished with 11 assists – the most he would record as a senior. Despite his passing efforts, the team was unable to beat the Wildcats, and lost 69–76. Against on February 23, Clinkscales led his team with eight assists and two steals. He faced Notre Dame on March 2, having eight assists, four rebounds, and one turnover. As his senior season ended, he was averaging 3.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 25.9 minutes per game. He led NCAA Division I with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.62.
Professional career 2008–2009 season On November 7, 2008, Clinkscales was selected as the seventh pick of the ninth round in the 2008 NBA Development League Draft by the Erie BayHawks. He made his official professional debut with the BayHawks on November 28, scoring 12 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists in a loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. On December 11, Clinkscales recorded his first double-double with 10 points and a team-high 11 assists, helping his team defeat the Iowa Energy. In a loss to the Sioux Falls Skyforce later in the season, he had a career-high 13 assists. Throughout his initial stint with the BayHawks, Clinkscales emerged as a reliable passer and played in nine games. After 43 games, he averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 assists, ranking 11th in the league in the latter category.
Towards the end of the season, on March 30, 2009, Clinkscales was acquired from the player pool by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the D-League. To make room for him in their roster, the Vipers had to waive veteran Jeff Trepagnier. Head coach Clay Moser described Clinkscales' arrival as a boon to the team, saying, "We like Cliff's ability to get into the middle of the lane and create shots for others." Clinkscales was expected to join the Vipers as the backup point guard to Jared Jordan. He only played 12 minutes in his debut with the team, with zero points and three assists against the Utah Flash on April 1. He capped the season with a double-double of 12 points and ten assists vs. the Austin Spurs. By the end of the season, he was averaging 7.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.4 rebounds.
2009–2010 season