Brandon Clarke: Once Tjarks' Ultimate Draft Sleeper
I can't believe I'm writing this. Brandon Clarke is gone at 29, and all I can think about is Jonathan Tjarks sitting at his keyboard in 2019, watching this freakish 6'8" ball of energy at Gonzaga and seeing something nobody else did.
"Clarke has a rare combination of athleticism, motor, and basketball IQ," Tjarks wrote. "He doesn't need to tower over everyone else on the floor: He makes up the difference by jumping really high and really fast."
Peak Tjarks. Breaking down the game with surgical precision while never losing the joy. He saw Brandon before most of us did. Before the All-Rookie team. Before he posted the highest field goal percentage of any rookie in NBA history averaging 10+ points. Tjarks was there, telling us: Pay attention. This one's special.
"The Time Is Now for Brandon Clarke," Tjarks wrote in August 2020. And it was. Brandon became everything Tjarks predicted—versatile, efficient, a defensive monster who could switch onto guards and protect the rim.
Now they're both gone. Tjarks in 2022. Clarke today.
Brandon Clarke embodied everything Tjarks loved about the sport. He wasn't the biggest or the most talented, but he was the smartest player on the floor.
"Everyone loved BC because he was always there as the most supportive friend you could ever imagine," his agency said today.
That joy—that's what both of them gave us. Tjarks gave us the gift of seeing players clearly. Clarke gave us the gift of playing the game right.
Two legends. Both gone too soon. Both impossible to replace.
Rest in peace, Brandon. Rest in peace, Jonathan Tjarks.
https://www.theringer.com/2019/03/28/college-basketball/brandon-clarke-gonzaga-nba-draft