![]() ![]() In fact, UC Berkeley didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament in Clarendon’s first two years, 20. “I was in the closet to my family at the time,” Clarendon told The Athletic, “but I was out to Joanne Boyle before I went to Cal, and that was part of the reason I felt safe enough to go there and to know that I could be OK … particularly when you see a lot of programs use homophobic recruiting tactics.”Ĭlarendon and fellow freshmen Tierra Rodgers, Eliza Pierre, DeNesha Stallworth, Geniffer Brandon, Talia Cladwell and Breanna Heater were tabbed as the class that would propel Cal to greatness. It was also a place where she felt she could be entirely herself. California was coming off of its third consecutive 20-win season when Clarendon arrived.įor Clarendon, Cal was not only a place where she could pursue her basketball ambitions. 1 recruiting class in the country, expected to take the program to its first NCAA championship under coach Joanne Boyle. And both she’d sum up in one phrase: “The path less taken.”Ĭlarendon joined the Bears in 2009 as part of the No. Both elements of her journey she can trace back to her time on the women’s basketball team at UC Berkeley. Census.Ĭlarendon’s role as an athlete activist has evolved alongside her growth as a leader. The players have also rallied around initiatives in the bubble to encourage people to register to vote next month and take the 2020 U.S. With Clarendon at the forefront, WNBA players have partnered with the African American Policy Forum to honor and remember women killed by law enforcement. It’s really difficult to put your life on the line when you’re speaking about this stuff.” “They, I think, demonstrated that in multiple ways, especially with the social justice initiatives that have been going on. “We knew what type of leader they were coming in,” Kolb said of Clarendon. When Clarendon wasn’t logging 26.1 minutes per game and setting an example for the Liberty’s seven rookies on the court, they were a leading voice in the WNBA’s commitment to social justice. “I don’t know where that ranks in the league off the top of my head, but that’s remarkable.” “Layshia was 80 percent in the restricted area this year,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said recently. She was also very effective for the Liberty when driving to the hoop. Clarendon averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game and nearly matched their career-high of 46.6 percent shooting from the floor. That left Clarendon (who uses all pronouns for themself and requested that be emphasized in this piece) to carry the load at the point guard position, which they did admirably given the circumstances. Just three games into the 2020 season, Ionescu suffered a season-ending ankle sprain. The Liberty signed Clarendon in the offseason to serve as a veteran in the backcourt alongside No. I can sit here poised and talk to the media, but I’ve had my frustrations.” So this has been an extremely frustrating season. “I knew we were rebuilding, (but) I’m definitely a competitor first and foremost. ![]() 8, before what would be her last game of the season. “I didn’t come to New York to have a losing season,” Clarendon told the media Sept. That doesn’t mean the losses still didn’t sting. ![]()
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