Clopton keeps taking his game to higher level
After torching Glenbrook South for 28 points Wednesday at the Elgin Holiday Tournament, Batavia senior Ricky Clopton was asked if that career-high point total also was the best game he's played in his three years starting for the Bulldogs.
Clopton hesitated, then listed two or three other games he thought might have been as good.
That probably shows better than anything how Clopton has stepped up his game in his senior season. Whether it's 22 points against Glenbard South, 23 against Geneva or 24 against Rolling Meadows, the versatile 6-foot-5 forward is starting to put his name in the group of talented Bulldogs he knows well - former teammates like Nick Fruendt, David Bryant, Phil Albrecht and Ben Potter.
"I played with some good guys the past couple years, I've been waiting my turn," Clopton said. "I just feel my senior year I want to make a difference for this team and make a name for myself."
Fittingly, Fruendt - the second-leading scorer in Batavia's rich history - was in the stands for the first time watching the Bulldogs play since he graduated, taking a break from his sophomore season at Northwestern.
Clopton, a sophomore starter during Fruendt's senior season at Batavia, heard his former teammate from the stands. One of the players Fruendt kept a close eye on was Glenbrook South junior Jack Ryan, the younger brother of Fruendt's Northwestern teammate Jeff Ryan.
"Nick was yelling some mean things, he was yelling some trash talk," Clopton said smiling. "I heard him. It was such a blessing to play with those guys. Every day in practice you got better because of them. Batavia is such a special place because of guys like that."
Clopton said those former players stay in close touch. He gets texts from Potter after every game, and he said Bryant is starting to text more often.
Clopton, who moved to Batavia in seventh grade (he would have attended Waubonsie Valley) wants to join all those former players at some level of college basketball. He said he's waiting until after the season to decide and see if any bigger schools show interest. He likes Loras, St. Ambrose, Wisconsin-Whitewater and Carroll among a group of Division III and NAIA schools looking at him now.
Anyone who has seen him play this year has to be impressed, especially with Clopton's midrange game and his crafty ability to free himself for short jumpers and floaters. He's averaging 22.6 points a game in his last 5.
And as he sees more defensive attention, Clopton is getting better and better at finding open teammates for easy shots.
"I love when I have double teams because that just means another guy on my team is open," Clopton said.
"He's been big for us," junior guard Jesse Coffey said. "To be able to go to him down the stretch and have him hitting shots, it's always good to have one guy you can go to for for-sure scoring."
So back to the original question. How does Clopton's 28 points rank? Turns out the 7-4 record means more.
"I've said this before," Clopton said. "As long as we get a win I could have zero points. I just want to win."
jlemon@dailyherald.com