Toledo Signs Clayton Sterling

Press Release — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:55:43 -0400

TOLEDO, OH - Head Coach Gene Cross announced on Tuesday that Clayton Sterling (Brooklyn, NY) has joined the University of Toledo men’s basketball program. Sterling’s addition brings the Rockets’ incoming recruiting class size to five with Sterling joining Stephen Albrecht (Crown Point, IN), Larry Bastfield (Baltimore, MD), Ian Salter (Fairfax, CA) and Zac Taylor (Oregon, OH).

“I’m really looking forward to having Clayton as part of our program,” Cross said. “He brings great leadership and a winning attitude to what is already a strong group, and it’s always important to have a point guard who comes from a winning background and is a good leader.”

A 6-2, 180-pound guard, Sterling averaged 16.8 points, six rebounds and five assists per game for Boys and Girls High School as a senior and was named to the New York Daily News All-Brooklyn First Team and also was a second-team all-city selection. In addition, he helped the Kangaroos to back-to-back appearances in the Public School Athletic League title game and was named his team’s Most Valuable Player each year. As a junior, he was named his team’s Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 6.2 points, three rounds and two assists per game.

Cross said Sterling’s ability to play both guard positions in the backcourt will be valuable for the Rockets in the upcoming 2008-09 campaign.

“Clayton played the point for his team in high school, but I also feel we’ll be able to play him off the ball and play him and Larry (Bastfield) together,” Cross said. “I want to be able to play two point guards at times to run our offense more efficiently and push the ball up the floor.”