KSU's Clemente on the YouTube shot, Kansas rivalry and the Big 12

The latest subject of our Hoops Q&A series is Kansas State's Denis Clemente, a 6-foot-1 senior guard from Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He played his first two seasons at Miami, then transferred to K-State after being dismissed from the Hurricanes in 2007. Last season he led the Wildcats in scoring (15.0 points per game) and assists (3.5 per game) as they finished 21-12 and fell just short of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The following is an edited transcript of our conversation:

Luke Winn: You got Internet Famous this summer for your absurd trick shot off the backboard, off the floor, and in. [See the YouTube below.] How many tries did it take you to make that?

Denis Clemente: My first time when I did it, it took me only until my second chance. When we had the video camera on, it took me like 30 minutes.

LW: After the shot goes in, your teammate who's holding the camera, Victor Ojeleye, yells, "Let's go! Let's go, boy! I see you, boy!" Not exactly "Do you believe in miracles?" What's your feeling on the quality of his commentary?

DC: I mean, I was so excited I had no idea what he was going to say. It took us 30 minutes of taping! I was starting to get upset, asking myself, "Why can't I make this shot anymore?" And so when I finally did, we all went crazy.

LW: Where did the idea for the shot come from?

DC: We were just playing H-O-R-S-E that day and I tried to make something up. I looked up at the screen [on the scoreboard] and said, "Damn, why can't that happen?"

LW: If I played H-O-R-S-E against you, what else would you try?

DC: I've made two full-court shots -- from the out-of-bounds line on the other side -- in a row. I thought that was impossible.

LW: I heard a rumor this summer that you'd been offered a pro contract in Puerto Rico and at least considered accepting it and skipping your senior year at Kansas State. How much truth was there to that?

DC: I had some comments about it. I have friends that play in the pro leagues there, that I grew up with, and they told me that a couple of teams were talking about me. After this season, we'll see what can happen. I'll think about playing in Puerto Rico, because I want to play in front of my family and my fans.

LW: But did you think about actually turning pro early?

DC: I did think about it a little bit, because of the economic problems my family has. It would have been a way to get money for them. We have three children, me, and my brother and my sister. I talked to coach [Frank Martin] about it for a little bit, but I think it wasn't the right time to leave just for a couple of dollars. Even my coach said, "Stay one more year and if you do everything right, maybe you have a chance [at the NBA]". And that made me think a lot, and I thought that's true, if I put everything into this year, I might have a chance to play anywhere.

LW: What's a normal contract like for a Puerto Rican pro team, anyway?

DC: For a rookie salary, it's $25,000.

LW: Did you go home to visit, at least, this summer?

DC: I went back for 14 days, but mostly I just stayed [in the U.S.] and got better. Where I live in Puerto Rico, in that neighborhood, there's always trouble around, so I didn't want to be around it. I worked out [in Manhattan], went to Attack Athletics in Chicago for a little bit, and the Amare Stoudemire camp in Phoenix.

LW: You'll get to go back home, with the Wildcats, for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in November. There'll be one highly ranked team in the field -- Villanova. People are looking at K-State as kind of a fringe Top 25 team right now, so you could make a statement there. Where should you start the season ranked, though?

DC: I can't tell you about that. I just know if we play well, we can be a top-10 team, because we've got potential. We've got potential to beat anybody this year, and go to the NCAA tournament.

LW: Your rival, Kansas, seems like it's going to be the consensus No. 1 team in the country coming into next season. Do you agree with the Jayhawks being No. 1?

DC: I just play for Kansas State, so I don't know. But if people say they're No. 1, then they're No. 1. I do know that we get to play them twice, so we'll see what happens. It's a great rivalry. People from there don't like K-State players, and people from here don't like Kansas players.

LW: Speaking of that ... I'm assuming you're particularly despised by KU fans after the incident last February when you elbowed Brady Morningstar [and slapped Tyrel Reed]. In the days after that game, you said the elbow was a "respect" thing, that you had to protect your home court. Can you explain what that meant?

DC: What I mean is, nobody can come into this building and disrespect me. This is my house. This is my gym. Kansas State, Bramlage Coliseum, this is my gym. I don't think anybody has spent more time than me in this gym. I'm here every day. Saturdays and Sundays. Sometimes it's midnight Saturday and I'll be at the gym. People think I'm crazy, but I'm not. This is what I do.

LW: There was the whole other controversy from that game in which a writer from a K-State fan site alleged there were some racial slurs coming from the KU bench. Did that actually happen?

DC: No, no, they're not like that. I mean, fans sometimes say crazy things and you learn not to listen to them, but no, [the KU people] didn't say anything like that.