Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: 10 mid-major gems to watch for 2018-19

By Jason Burgess

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 24: A detailed view of a Wilson Basketball with a NCAA March Madness logo on it during the first half between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Florida Gators during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 24: A detailed view of a Wilson Basketball with a NCAA March Madness logo on it during the first half between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Florida Gators during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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DAYTON, OH – MARCH 13: Donald Hicks #5 of the Radford Highlanders defends against Raiquan Clark #23 of the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds during the game at UD Arena on March 13, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OH – MARCH 13: Donald Hicks #5 of the Radford Highlanders defends against Raiquan Clark #23 of the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds during the game at UD Arena on March 13, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Raiquan Clark-Sr. – LIU-Brooklyn

Raiquan Clark is a senior swingman for the Blackbirds who enters his final season as the team’s go-to-guy. The 6-6 Connecticut native had pseudo redshirt year his first year after post-graduate year at Trinity-Pawling in New York. Clark played two minutes against Dartmouth just after Thanksgiving, registering one assist, that is the only time his name made it into the box score.

His second season under head coach Jack Perri showed marked improvement. Clark played in 31 games, even starting one. Clark would average 6.2 points and 4.2 assists. The final six games of his sophomore season would foreshadow what would be ahead for Clark. Ove,r that span he would average 12 points and seven rebounds as well as recording his first double-double in a win over Wagner.

After Clark’s sophomore season, Perri was fired and the team hired Derek Kellog to be its coach. Clark would flourish under the new coach, shooting 55% from the field and averaging 17.3 points and seven rebounds, he also added 1.5 assists and one steal per game. He would go on to notch seven double-doubles, scored at least 15 points 24 times. He scored a career-high 34 points in a season-opening loss to Tulane, a season that would see the Blackbirds win the NEC title and earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Long Island will be looking to repeat and if they do look for Clark to be front and center.

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