Baylor hires top recruit Wall's AAU coach as player development head

Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.) guard John Wall is the top-ranked recruit in the class of 2009. Dustin Snipes/ICON SMI

For the last two summers, Dwon Clifton coached the D-One Sports 17-and-under travel team, and saw the program's profile rise as his star point guard John Wall climbed the recruiting rankings to become the top player in the class of 2009.

On Thursday, Dwon -- who coached D-One to the Reebok Create-N-Finish Cup final in Las Vegas last week -- officially parlayed his coaching success into a job with Baylor University as the director of player development. "It's a loss for our program," said Clifton's brother, Brian, the 33-year-old D-One Sports founder. "Dwon's a special talent dealing with the kids and knowing the game at the level that he does."

Whether Clifton's decision will affect the recruitment of Wall -- a 6-foot-4, 184-pound speedster from Raleigh, N.C. who played in Baylor's Elite Camp earlier this summer -- is still to be determined. His current list of schools includes Baylor, Kentucky, Oregon, Oklahoma State and N.C. State. "Obviously there's a strong relationship and a comfort level with Baylor and Dwon," Brian Wall says. "Most of all Baylor has helped itself with its recent success. I don't think many coaching staffs could have turned things around so quickly like Baylor has."

Last season, Scott Drew, who is in his sixth year in Waco, led the Bears to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988 before losing to Purdue in the first round. The program, which has not won an NCAA game in 58 years recently received a verbal commitment from Cory Jefferson, a 6-foot-8, 180-pound forward from Killeen, Texas. Jefferson ranks as the No. 20 recruit in the rising senior class. "To think what Baylor has done without name guys like John Wall and Cory Jefferson is impressive," Brian Clifton said. "If John feels that way then that's where he'd wind up."

On June 27, Brian Clifton and Dwon sat on a bench outside Kean University's Harwood Arena in Union, N.J., and explained that Dwon, then working for SunComm's wireless telephone company, wanted to soon transition into college coaching. "There's not many opportunities that arise to get in the business," said Brian Clifton as his brother participated in the Steve Nash Skills Academy.

Dwon, 27, had a strong resume as a player. A two-year starter at Clemson from 2000-2002, he then transferred to UNC Greensboro to finish his collegiate playing career in 2005. He then played a year in Portugal before returning stateside and assisting his brother in developing the travel basketball program. He will reunite with former Clemson assistant Matthew Driscoll, who recruited him when he was in high school. "I wasn't a player like Dwon," Brian Clifton said. "He could relate with the kids on a higher level than myself."

Next week, Dwon will move to Waco with his wife, Lucinda, and six-month-old son, Kingston. Whether Wall will join him next is still to be seen.