Lindsey Wilson men’s basketball head coach Chris Starks announced the addition of Rodney Clarke to his coaching staff for the 2024-25 season.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rodney to our coaching staff,” expresses Starks. “Rodney brings a wealth of experience, having both played and coached at a high level in the Mid-South Conference. His extensive background as both an assistant and as a head coach makes him an invaluable addition to our program. I have no doubt that Rodney will hit the ground running and make an immediate impact with our players on and especially off the floor.”
Clarke, a native of Mobile, Alabama, arrives in Columbia after previously serving as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas at Monticello during the 2023-24 school year. While with the Boll Weevils, Clarke was responsible for player development, strength and conditioning, and recruiting.
Before his time in Arkansas, Clarke coached boys and girls basketball at Lynn Camp High School (Ky.) from 2019 to 2023.
In 2018-19, he acted as an assistant coach at Alabama’s Talladega College, helping the Tornadoes to a 24-7 record and the second seed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference tournament. Clarke has also collected assistant coaching experience from Lake Superior State (Mich.) and Cumberlands (Ky.).
While at the Cumberlands, Clarke was instrumental in the Patriots making a 2016 NAIA Elite Eight, along with earning two NAIA National Tournament Sweet 16 appearances. During his four seasons at the Cumberlands, the program qualified for four consecutive national tournaments while registering an 89-44 overall record. In 2017 he was ranked number #9 on Top 25 Assistant Coaches at Small Colleges by CoachStat.net.
Clarke started his playing career at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, California where he led the team in scoring at almost 15.6 points per game. After one season there, he attended the University of the Cumberlands, where he was a two-year captain. He started every game for three consecutive years, helping the Patriots qualify for the NAIA National Tournament in each of those seasons.
Over the course of his coaching and career, Clarke has mentored 11 all-conference players and three All-Americans
Clarke earned both a Bachelor of Science in Movement Leisure Studies and a Master of Business Administration from the University of the Cumberlands.
He is joined in Columbia by his fiancé Krystal and son Maverick.
