Barry Clemens’ basketball life stretched far beyond Cleveland, but the Cavaliers still claimed a meaningful slice of it.
The franchise announced Tuesday that Clemens has died. A Dayton native and Ohio Wesleyan product, he spent two seasons with the Cavs from 1972 to 1974, appearing in 143 games during an 11-year NBA career.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group are saddened to learn of the passing of former Cavalier, Barry Clemens,” the organization said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Clemens came to Cleveland in the early days of the franchise, when the team was still building its identity. In those two seasons, he averaged 6.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field.
His basketball roots were planted close to home. Clemens started at Xenia High School before moving on to Ohio Wesleyan, where he finished as the school’s career scoring leader as well as the Ohio Athletic Conference’s all-time scoring leader.
By the end of his college career, he had piled up 1,905 points and 1,230 rebounds. As a senior, he averaged 23 points and 14.7 rebounds and was named conference MVP.
The Knicks selected the 6-foot-6 forward in 1965, beginning a pro career that eventually took him to the Bulls, SuperSonics and Trail Blazers as well as Cleveland.
Clemens was known as an outside shooter, and his NBA résumé held up over time: 790 games played and 5,316 points before he retired in 1976. He was later inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Eleven NBA seasons is no small run. For Clemens, it also meant a return to his home state and a place in the Cavs’ earliest history.
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