Junior guard Jordan Clayton becomes sixth Wildcat to enter the portal
Junior guard Jordan Clayton on Monday became the fourth Northwestern player to enter the transfer portal in four days, and the sixth overall.
Sam Kayser of League Ready first reported the news that he was leaving the Wildcat program.
Clayton, a 6-foot-2 guard from Medford (Mass.) Bradford Christian Academy, averaged 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists over his 18.2 minutes per game this season and was named a team captain. Those numbers were a tick lower across the board than he averaged the year before, as a sophomore.
Sources say Clayton will graduate this year.
Still, Clayton’s decision comes as a bit of a surprise for a couple reasons.
First, he seemed to have carved out a role for himself this season, playing in 31 of 34 games and starting 10. He played a career-high 34 minutes against Rutgers and scored a personal-best 20 points against Maryland, when he hit six 3-pointers. He really found his long-distance shooting stroke down the stretch, hitting 15-of-24 (62%) of his 3s over the last eight games to give the Wildcats a boost off the bench.
Secondly, Clayton selflessly burned his redshirt with 10 games to go last season, after starters Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach both suffered season-ending injuries. He put the program above himself in a decision that head coach Chris Collins lauded, so many saw that as a sign he would stick with Northwestern for the remainder of his eligibility.
Clayton is the sixth former Wildcat to enter the portal since the end of the season. He joins guards KC Windham and Blake Smith, centers Arrinten Page and Cade Bennerman, and forward Tre Singleton.
