Clifton signs letter to attend St. Joseph

DAVE MOSIER/independent sports

Van Wert Cougar basketball star Corey Clifton was joined by his parents and coaches as he signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, Ind.

St. Joseph is an NCAA Division II school and a member of one of the most respected and competitive Division II leagues in the country: the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Clifton, who led Van Wert this season to a record of 19-5 and both Division II sectional and district titles, said he immediately liked St. Joseph when he went there for a college visit.

“I really enjoyed the campus up there and coach and staff was really great to me,” Clifton said. “I felt like it was a great fit there.”

Other schools in the Great Lakes Valley Conference include 2010 national Division II champion Bellarmine and former national champs Southern Indiana, Northern Kentucky and Kentucky Wesleyan. The Jaguars have also had a lot of success, including an Elite Eight appearance last season.

The VWHS senior said he got some advice from his older sisters, Abby and Allie, who both went through the recruiting process while girls’ basketball standouts at Van Wert. He noted, though, with a smile, that he probably only listened to about half of it.

In addition to St. Joseph, Clifton said he also looked at Ashland University and some other Division II schools but felt being a Jaguar was the best fit for him.

While he’s still undecided on just what he wants to major in academically, although he said it’s a choice between sports management and criminal justice, Clifton did say he has some basic goals on the basketball court.

“Just to work harder and get better every day,” Clifton said of what he wanted to do athletically while at St. Joseph.

This year’s top scorer for Van Wert, Clifton averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists during the season, and earned several individual honors, including being named First Team, All-Western Buckeye League, First Team District 8 Coaches Association, Second Team AP All-Northwest Ohio and Honorable Mention on the AP All-Ohio team. In his three-year varsity basketball career, Clifton scored 824 points — 432 of those in his senior year — and was a team captain this year.

He also said he liked the fact that the St. Joseph is only about 2½ hours away — not too far to come home for weekend visits during the off-season.