By KEITH TAYLOR, Kentucky Today
LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) — John Calipari is still trying to process losing one of his former players tragically Thursday.
The Kentucky coach was stunned after learning of Terrence Clarke’s death following a fatal automobile accident Thursday in Los Angeles. Clarke, 19, was driving when he ran a red light and hit a car turning left, the report said. He crashed into a street post and then a block wall after driving 80 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to reports.
Calipari landed in L.A, Friday afternoon to be with Clarke’s family and had time to reflect on the “unspeakable tragedy" during the plane trip.
“What do I say? What can I do? Can I be of any help in the face of the most unimaginable and devastating heartbreak a family can go through?” Calipari said on his website. “I really don't know. Right now, I am still trying to process what has happened to a kid we all loved, and I felt like I needed to say some things to try to help us all come to grips with something we may never be able to.”
In his post, Calipari recalled a season that “hurled everything at us.”
“From the pandemic that threw everything off to our struggles on the court to Terrence's injury and everything in between, it breaks my heart that only some of us got to truly see the kind of person Terrence was,” Calipari said.
Clarke, a 6-foot-7 guard, played in just eight games last season while recovering from a leg injury. He averaged 9.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and two assists per game.
Calipari said Clarke “had that spirit about him that rubbed off on every single person that was fortunate to cross paths with him. He was the person everyone wanted to be around and the guy everyone gravitated to.”
“His heart was overflowing with love for his family, his friends and his teammates, the Kentucky coach said. “He was as caring of a person as I have ever coached. His enthusiasm and energy – not just for basketball, for life – are what we all hope to have in our journey.
“Terrence had figured that part out – that if you wake up every day with a smile on your face and a joy in everything you do, this life is beautiful.”
Following an x-ray that revealed a leg injury earlier this year, Calipari said coach and player were very emotional.
“He wore his heart on his sleeve and was sometimes quick to react, but he was also patently passionate about winning and losing, playing well, and his teammates,” Clarke said. “I loved it because, guess what? He played for a coach who is exactly the same way.
“I loved Terrence Clarke and I was hard on Terrence Clarke. I made sure he knew both because I would tell him. I wanted what was best for him, and there is no doubt in my mind that he was headed toward greatness.”
Earlier this week, Calipari recalled, “something told me that I should text a few of the guys who weren't going to be with us next season. I had this feeling to reach out to Cam, Devin, BJ and Terrence to see how they were doing. I had just talked to Olivier. Something told me I needed to text or call those guys and their families. “I never did.
“I won't make excuses as to why I didn’t,” he said. “I just never got around to it and I have to live with that regret for the rest of my life. What I will learn from this is that when you want to tell someone how you feel or just want to talk to them, don't wait.
“Don't wait for tomorrow to put your arms around someone and tell them you love them or that you're thinking about them. Every day we have is a gift.”
Following the accident on Thursday, Calipari reached out to Clarke’s agent Rich Paul, who indicated the former Kentucky guard was going to be a first-round draft pick.
“The stuff he was doing, the shape he was in and the mission he was on, he was going to do this (and) it makes me even more devastated,” he said.
Calipari added there are “no words” to describe how his team is feeling at the moment , but added, “we will have to find a way – eventually – to move forward together.”
“It is not supposed to happen this way,” the Kentucky coach said. “We are not supposed to lose a young man like this with so much ahead of him this early. I do not question God why things like this happen, but I also don't have the capacity to understand how it does.
“I just know that I wish it were me and not him. His life was in front of him.”
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21
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