During high school, Clarke's sharp shooting and chase for the Oklahoma high-school scoring record attracted large crowds.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was fired at the end of the season and Clarke elected to leave the team.

[2] Located 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Tulsa, Verdigris is a small town consisting of fewer than 4,000 people.

[3] Arriving in town a week before classes began, it was doubtful that Clarke would contribute much to a senior-laden team that had made the previous year's state tournament, losing in first round to the eventual champion.

The team traveled with a nurse who carried bandages, glue, and stitches to treat the frequent blows to the face that Clarke suffered.

[3] When he scored a career-high 65 points at Berryhill, Clarke was removed part way through the fourth quarter as his coaches feared for his safety.

When the originators, two local boys, were found, the Clarkes did not press charges but instead asked the perpetrators to apologize at the sheriff's office.

[2] In the state playoffs, Verdigris faced Vian, a school with three future Division I football players on their roster.

[2] Clarke was subjected to physical defense from a linebacker, had trouble breathing at times due to allergies, and scored 60 points.

[8] During Clarke's senior year, fan fever reached new heights as he battled Pawnee's Keiton Page for the state scoring title.

When Verdigris met Pawnee in the Tulsa area Tournament of Champions, so many fans were buying tickets that the start of the game was delayed for 30 minutes.

[3] To recognize the accomplishment, the town of Verdigris renamed a street "Rotnei Clarke Road" and his school retired his jersey.

[1] He shared Tulsa World Player of the Year honors with Page, who broke the state's single-season scoring record.

[1] He finished the year with 100 made three-pointers, second all-time by an Arkansas player, and averaged 15.1 points per game.

[2] After carefully weighing his options, Clarke selected Butler, a team that had not recruited him during high school, but had impressed him with back-to-back appearances in the national title game.

He used the redshirt year to work on his game, practicing against Butler's Ronald Nored, who was considered one of the top defenders in the country.

NCAA regulations kept Clarke from traveling with the team for road games, so he practiced alone in Hinkle Fieldhouse, refusing to leave until he had made 500 shots on the night.

[22] While at Arkansas, Clarke had routinely complained about pain and reduced flexibility in his ankles, but medical tests failed to identify the problem.

Butler trainers identified the problem – a bone defect he was born with – but it would require surgery that would confine Clarke to a wheelchair and limit his activity for four months.

[2][23] During the opening round game of the Maui Invitational, Clarke hit a running three-pointer at the buzzer to lead Butler to a 72–71 victory over Marquette.

"[33] Clarke was selected to participate in the postseason all-star game for college seniors, but withdrew due to the shoulder injury he suffered against Marquette.

[36] While still recovering from the shoulder injury, he participated in the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational camp and tournament for NBA prospects in mid-April.

[37] Ahead of the 2013 NBA draft, Clarke trained at St. Vincent Sports Performance and hired Doug Neustadt to be his agent.

[41] He made his debut for the Hawks in the team's season opener on October 10, recording 20 points and six rebounds in a 92–73 loss to the New Zealand Breakers.

Clarke earned Player of the Month honors twice during the season, for December and February,[43] and battled for MVP supremacy with Melbourne Tigers guard Chris Goulding and Perth Wildcats forward James Ennis.

Clarke helped the Hawks finish the regular season with a 13–15 record, good for fourth spot on the ladder out of eight teams.

[50] On February 11, 2017, in the Hawks' regular season finale, Clarke had 24 points, six assists, five rebounds off the bench in helping the team secure a playoff spot with a 106–79 win over the Brisbane Bullets.

On Clarke's transition to point guard and role on the team, Butler assistant coach Michael Lewis remarked, "He's a much better overall basketball player than he was at Arkansas.

[1][2] Prior to the 2012–13 season, USA Today's Big Lead Sports ranked Clarke as the 35th best player in college basketball.

[3] During high school, teachers and classmates noticed the way Clarke lived his life and were attracted to his faith.