LSUS adds former Okla. State, Illinois State transfers

LSUS coach Kyle Blankenship recently announced the signing of a pair of Division I transfers who will be moving to south Shreveport off conference championship teams at their respective schools.

Former Oklahoma State signee Stevie Clark, who had transferred to Oakland University, brings a wealth of experience and scoring ability to the Pilots’ program. The point guard once scored 65 points against Airline in the 2012 Bossier Tournament, according to Blankenship.   

"Stevie is an extremely explosive guard who can put up some big offensive numbers,” Blankenship said. “He is as quick as any player I've ever seen, and we hope that he will be able to help lead our team next year from the point guard position."

The 2013 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year, Clark has a brother, Deondre, who plays defensive tackle for LSU. LSUS will be his fourth stop in his collegiate career. He played in 16 games at OSU, then in 31 contests at Arkansas Baptist in 2015-16. Clark participated in 27 games last season at Oakland. He had offers from Baylor, Missouri and OSU out of high school after averaging 36.8 points, 13 assists and 5.7 steals per game.

The second signee is 6-foot-6 swingman DJ Clayton, who is transferring from Illinois State. He was named to the All-Missouri Valley Bench Team last year after being the sixth man on a 28-win club that won the MVC regular-season title. 

"DJ is a big time athlete who will give us some added size on the perimeter. He has the ability to shoot the basketball very well, but he can also attack and finish at the rim at a high level,” Blankenship said. “We think he will be able to impact our team in a variety of ways next season."

Clayton signed with ISU out of Palm Beach (Florida) State College and played in all 35 games last season for the Redbirds. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds while starting five contests. The well-traveled Clayton also played one season at Western Kentucky. A native of Castro Valley, California, he averaged 18 points per game for his high school team which finished 20-12.

"We are excited to add these two players to our recruiting class,” Blankenship said. “Both come from winning programs and they each played a key role on championship teams last season.”

Blankenship and his staff continue to put together what might be the most talented overall class in school history. Last month the Pilots landed former UConn freshman Rakim Lubin, who spent last season at Cal State-Northridge. The 6-foot-8, 258-pound Lubin had offers from nearly every NAIA school in the country including 2017 Division I runner-up Life College, Georgetown College and Dillard.

The Pilots have also added former Fair Park standout DeAngelo McClinton, who played at Mississippi Valley, and former Shreveporter Josh “Frog” Robinson (6-5, 210), who competed at Trinity Valley and Southern-Shreveport. 

Twitter: @JimmyWatson6