Clifford Achieves One Dream With More in Mind
CSU standout becomes fourth Ram selected in first round of NBA Draft
Mike Brohard
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – One thing has become clear to Nique Clifford. At each turn, every goal reached, the work begins anew.
As a high school hopeful to becoming a highly sought recruit by colleges. Not just a college player, but a standout, an All-American. On Wednesday night, the truth he had experienced at each stage became clear once again.
“Tonight I’m taking in the moment and celebrating with all my family and friends,” Clifford said. "Tomorrow it’s back to the mentality and mindset I’ve always had of approaching one day at a time and getting better, and I’ve got to start my next step of the process, which is to get ready for the summer league.”
Clifford’s name was called at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as the 24th pick overall in the NBA Draft by Oklahoma City, a pick which it had traded prior to the Sacramento Kings, a team which entered the night looking for frontcourt depth. It is a franchise that went 40-42 last season, finishing ninth in the Western Conference and just missing the postseason.
He becomes the second Ram in three years to be a first-round NBA Draft pick, joining David Roddy who went 23rd overall in the 2022 event. The Colorado Springs product is just the fourth player in program history to be selected in the first round, joining Bill Greene (1963, Boston Celtics, sixth overall) and Jason Smith (2007, Miami, 20th overall).
Clifford was projected on draft boards to go anywhere in the early teens to the early 20s, and as Colorado State coach Ali Farokhmanesh watched his player’s reactions and talked to him, he could tell a fire was burning inside.
But at the moment of truth, there was a smile, and there were tears, both representative of a dream come true.
“It’s a long process. Not just today, but from Monday since he’s arrived and all the media and obligations he’s had,” Farokhmanesh said. “I mean, he was the 24th pick in the draft, which is a major accomplishment. I was just taking it in, but at that moment, it was the joy on his face, the smile and then the tears.
“Those tears come from everything he went through, from a high school player at Vanguard, to his time at Colorado and then at Colorado State. It wasn’t easy for him. People don’t understand everything he went through to get to this point, and that’s what those tears were.”
His journey began as a late-blooming prospect out of The Vanguard School, starting his collegiate career at Colorado. After three seasons there, Clifford sought a change of venue and landed about an hour north. It was in his time with the Rams where his development and game started to take flight and NBA talent evaluators started to take notice.
In his first season in Fort Collins, Clifford averaged 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for a team which reached the NCAA Tournament. After going through the NBA Draft process, he elected to return for an extra season with the Rams, a move which paid major dividends Wednesday night.
It’s a blessing to have all of these people here. They mean the world to me, and they’ve done a lot to help me get here and sacrificed a lot. I’m glad they get to enjoy this moment just as much as me.Nique Clifford
A new weight of expectations were placed upon the shoulders atop his 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame. He became the leader the team needed, accepted his fate as the one man on the CSU roster teams directed their defensive focus.
It didn’t matter.
He excelled in the role, averaging 18.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game, breaking the single-season record with 681 total points. He was a scorer, a playmaker and a lock-down defender. A team which began the season at 5-5 and was nothing more than an afterthought to the nation, he led a late-season charge where the Rams won 11 consecutive games, three of them coming in a run to the Mountain West championship and into the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. And his assist to Jalen Lake had the Rams a mere 3 seconds from a trip to the Sweet 16.
Sacramento wasn’t really on his radar as a landing point. For one, he didn’t work out for them this time around, which made sense to him because they didn’t own a first-round pick. However, he felt the two sides had a great conversation during the combine in Chicago.
In the end, he took it as a compliment they traded up to obtain him.
“I think it’s a great fit, a great situation, and I’m going to be around great people I can learn from,” he said. “I’m super excited for it. It shows so much belief in me that I can’t express how much gratitude I have for them to even do that. It’s a true testament to how much they believe in my abilities and what I can bring. That just makes me want to go give everything I have to the organization.”
As Clifford waited for his name to be called, he was surrounded by his support system. His group, including his parents Akai and Angelique, Farokhmanesh, and former CSU coach Niko Medved, had a prime table for the proceedings, just off the front of the stage. Also there to share in the moment were his former high school coach, Joe Wetters, and friend and current NBA player Jabari Walker.
Those were the people he needed because they’d collectively seen it all unfold. The growth spurts and the talent gains. Every struggle which led to the next breakthrough, and the work which came at each and every step and level.
They’ve helped fuel is dedication at every stage, and this one – the biggest Clifford has faced to date – is one he will approach with the same vigor as the rest.
“These are all people who have been with me through my tough times to my good times,” Clifford said. “They helped me get to this point. I have a great support system, and I have so many more people back home I could have invited. New York’s a long way from Colorado, so I couldn’t invite the world. It’s a blessing to have all of these people here. They mean the world to me, and they’ve done a lot to help me get here and sacrificed a lot. I’m glad they get to enjoy this moment just as much as me.”
One dream realized. Time to revel in the moment. Soon enough, the next one will be on the clock.
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