Before the Grizzlies jersey and the All-Rookie selections, Brandon Clarke was just another lanky forward from Phoenix who was unsure of his place in the world. In the fall of 2015, he ended up at San Jose State, a school that, let’s face it, doesn’t typically host future first-round picks. Nobody considered the Spartans to be a basketball factory. Nevertheless, something began to take shape somewhere on that campus, between the empty Mountain West road trips and the practice gyms.
On paper, his rookie campaign was modest. Sixth Man of the Year in the Mountain West, with three starts in thirty-one games and an average of slightly over ten points in conference play. Nothing that says “NBA.” However, those who kept a close eye on him continued to comment on his movements. There is a type of forward that plays with a lot of elbows and hard work. That wasn’t Clarke. Even close to the rim, his light, springy, nearly weightless style of play felt a little out of place in a Spartans uniform.
The numbers skyrocketed in the sophomore year: 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks. All of a sudden, the schools that had disregarded him after he graduated from Desert Vista High were paying attention because he was a defensive honoree and a First-Team All-Mountain West selection. It’s worth stopping to consider that particular detail. In 2015, he guided Desert Vista to a state championship game, but the recruiting community continued to largely ignore him. That kind of story always makes you wonder how many other Brandon Clarkes were completely overlooked.
Next came the transfer to Gonzaga and that peculiar interim year that followed. The season of redshirts. Not a single game. All he did was practice, lift weights, and watch the Zags play without him from the sidelines. Some players are broken by this type of year. Regardless of what transpired during those peaceful months in Spokane, he returned transformed. Not brighter, not louder. Simply superior in almost every quantifiable aspect.
His 2018–19 junior season still seems like a work of fiction. His field goal percentage was 68.7%. He became the first player in conference history to win both Newcomer of the Year and WCC Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. The Sporting News named him a third-team All-American. Then, on March 23, 2019, he scored 36 points with five blocks against ninth-seeded Baylor in the NCAA Tournament. That combination had only been used in the tournament by Shaquille O’Neal and David Robinson. In the process, he broke Adam Morrison’s Gonzaga single-game tournament scoring record, which is a significant accomplishment for anyone familiar with Morrison’s impact on that program.
Now, in May of 2026, it’s difficult not to read his college story with more focus. The death in Los Angeles, the arrest in Arkansas, and the unresolved issues surrounding those last few weeks. When he was a quiet sophomore at San Jose State or a redshirt watching practices in Spokane, none of that was apparent. Perhaps that is the nature of careers in college. While they are taking place, they feel like beginnings. They don’t change into something completely until much later.
