The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
William Clay (1999-2000)
06.22.2006 | Men's Basketball
Two-year letterwinner and one-year starter at shooting guard ... developed into one of the top defensive stoppers in the Big 12 Conference during his senior season ... transferred to UT prior to his junior campaign after helping San Jacinto Junior College to a 60-7 record in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
As a Senior in 1999-00
One of the starters in Texas' three-guard set ... one of the top perimeter defenders in the Big 12 Conference, despite being left off the Big 12 all-Defensive team ... named the team's Outstanding Defensive Player award ... also earned the Jim Krivacs Free Throw Percentage Award, given to the player on the Texas squad with the highest free throw percentage (.727) ... changed his role from a three-point shooting specialist into a defensive stopper this season ... was much more confident this year in UT's halfcourt offensive set ... has played in 32 of 33 games (did not play at Massachusetts for disciplinary reasons), making 27 starts ... started the first 20 games of the season ... regained his starting spot for the last seven games of the season...posted 13 double-figure scoring games, good for fifth-best on the squad ... ranked sixth on the squad in scoring (7.6 ppg) and fourth in assists (54) ... registered season highs in points (17) and field goals made (seven) while posting six boards vs. UL-Lafayette (Nov. 20) ... held Arizona State's Eddie House to just four points on 2-of-9 shooting in the first-round game in Puerto Rico (Nov. 25) ... posted five straight double-digit scoring outings from Dec. 11 (San Diego) to Jan. 2 (Houston) ... had 12 points and tied a career-high with seven boards while limiting Demond Stewart (top five nationally in scoring) to just five points on 2-of-10 shooting in the win over Niagara (Dec. 28) ... registered 12 points, six boards and three assists in a career-high 37 minutes vs. Houston (Jan. 2) ... recorded 16 points on 4-of-8 shooting (6-of-8 FTs) and two assists without a turnover at Texas A&M (Jan. 12) ... limited Desmond Mason to 12 points (19.0 avg) on 4-of-13 shooting in the win over #8 Oklahoma State (Feb. 16) ... posted 16 points while hitting 4-of-6 threes vs. Texas A&M (Feb. 26) ... registered five points and three assists without a turnover at Kansas State (Mar. 4) ... held Jaquay Walls to 13 points (averaged 17.8 ppg entering game) on 3-of-14 shooting, including 0-of-4 from three-point range, in the Big 12 quarterfinal vs. Colorado (Mar. 10).
As a Junior in 1998-99
Top backcourt player off the bench for Texas ... named to the six-man Big 12 all-Bench team, saluting the top "sixth-men" from around the conference ... began the year as the starting shooting guard ... played in all 32 games, making five starts ... all five starts came in the first six games of the season ... averaged 8.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 23.8 minutes per contest ... ranked fourth on the team in scoring ... posted 11 double-digit scoring efforts on the season ... eight of those 11 performances came in the first 12 games of the year ... posted 12 points and five rebounds in his Division I debut at Houston (Nov. 17) ... recorded 17 points while connecting on 5-of-9 three-pointers in the home opener vs. South Florida (Nov. 21) ... registered 17 points while hitting 5-of-7 threes in the home loss to Georgia (Nov. 29) ... posted a career-high 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals in the win at Oral Roberts (Dec. 2) ... had back-to-back double-digit performances with 12 points against #25 Utah (Dec. 12) and a team-high 14 points and five rebounds vs. #23 Wisconsin (Dec. 15) ... posted 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds in the win over Mississippi State in the first round of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic ... had 14 points in the win at Nebraska (Jan. 10), converting 8-of-10 free throws ... provided a lift in the Big 12 quarterfinal win over Colorado (Mar. 5), hitting a foul-line jumper as the shotclock expired with 1:07 left to give the Horns a five-point lead ... later sealed the game by converting 1-of-2 free throws with 13 seconds left to give Texas a four-point lead ... had nine points on 3-of-7 shooting (2-of-5 threes) and two steals in 26 minutes during the NCAA Tournament game vs. Purdue (Mar. 12) ... in the loss to Purdue, hit a three-pointer with 25.2 seconds remaining to tie the game at 54-54.
In Junior College
San Jacinto Junior College, Pasadena, Texas (head coach Scott Gernander) ... holds school records for three-pointers made in a season (112 as a freshman) and in a game (nine vs. Trinity Valley as a freshman) ... finished with a school-record 205 three-pointers made in his two-year career ... was a two-time second team all-conference selection ... averaged 14.3 points, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game while leading San Jac to a 26-4 mark ... connected on 34.8% of his three-point attempts and 85.4% of his free throws ... averaged 15.9 ppg during his freshman year, while helping his team post a 36-1 record and advance to the NJCAA national championship game ... four of his teammates at San Jac went on to earn Division I scholarships.
High School
Bryan High School, Bryan, Texas (head coach Tim Martin) ... averaged 22.2 points per game for a 26-8 Bryan team that advanced to the third round of the class 5A playoffs in his senior season ... finished fourth among greater Houston area 5A players in scoring behind current Longhorn teammate Nnadubem Muoneke (24.7 ppg.) and Texas A&M junior Jerald Brown (23.9 ppg.) ... shot 42.8% from behind the three-point arc (146-of-341) as a senior ... his 146 threes (4.3 per game) set a school record ... named third team all-state by the Texas Sports Writers Association ... shot 73.4% (94-of-128) from the free throw line in his final season ... named honorable mention all-Greater Houston by the Houston Chronicle ... named district 15-5A co-Most Valuable Player ... put up big numbers as a senior despite the fact that he only played approximately 20 minutes per game until midway through district play, when the team's 10-man rotation was altered ... hit 97 three-pointers as a junior ... finished his career with 341 three-point field goals in three seasons on the varsity ... won an award from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for community service work in the Bryan area during his senior year.
Personal
Full name is William DeVaughn Clay ... son of William Nelms and Sheila Clay (deceased) ... born June 23, 1978 in Bryan, Texas ... wears jersey number 23 to match his birthday ... majoring in social work ... has his personal motto (Hard work pays off) tattooed on his left
