Clayton is different from the other guys because Tate, who is a walk on, is a volunteer and has rarely played in real games. The scholarship-eligible guys will become pros in the NBA and overseas. Clayton intends to go to law school. Clayton, a Tupelo native will graduate early with an MBA in business administration. His grade point average is several times higher that his scoring average, which has earned him numerous honor rolls from the SEC. Clayton now has a major scholarship after three years of not having one. Clayton was the winner of a national competition and is now the first recipient of the $15,000 Club Trillion Foundation scholarship for walk-ons. Clayton said he will use the scholarship for tuition at law school. Clayton was originally scheduled to receive the scholarship in April at the Final Four. It could happen next year. You might be wondering: What is Club Trillion? Who pays for this scholarship? There is a story behind this. A “trillion” is a number in college basketball that refers to a line in a box score. It starts with the player’s minutes played and then goes on with statistics like field goals made and attempted and other stats such as free throws attempted and made, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds, total assists, personal fouls, and turnovers. A trillion is one for minutes played, followed by a bunch of zeros. Walking-ons often receive a “trillion” if they play any games. You can read about Titus’ foundation at clubtrillionfoundation.org, and I suggest you do. The website’s best part is Napoleon Bonaparte’s quote: “A throne can only be a bench covered in velvet.” This is Titus’ goal to offer extraordinary opportunities for exceptional walk-on athletes. To create networking opportunities, internships, and job opportunities for walkons in the future, he hopes to establish a national fraternity made up of ex-walk-ons. Tate Clayton’s scholarship represents a beginning. Titus stated that a large number of those men sitting at the bench are smart, hardworking people who have a great work ethic and are highly successful in their lives. Walk-ons are often too busy to complete internships or get job experience while they are still students. Many students graduate with student loans. Our foundation’s goal is to help them start.” The foundation was founded with the most deserving scholarship recipient. Titus could also write a book about Clayton, a former Tupelo basketball player who scored 32 on the ACT and refused scholarships to many lower-tier schools in order to be able to volunteer at State. His mother, father, and two older brothers all graduated from that school. Reed, his older brother, was a walkon at State for one season. Tate stated, “I saw Reed’s experience and I wanted to replicate it.” “Yeah, yes, I knew that I could have played more basketball, played more at Division II or III, however, I grew up cheering on State and going to State games. I wanted to be a part of that. It’s been hard work but the rewards are in helping my team get better and being a part. Reed Clayton played nine minutes in nine State games and earned one career point. He was a millionaire. He heard about Club Trillion, the new national scholarship opportunity that is based on character and work ethic. Reed Clayton said that it sounded perfect for Tate and suggested that his younger brother apply. Tate did. Tate did. Tate wrote about his high-school career, his dream to play at State, his decision to walk on at State, and all of the work involved. Tate wrote that his reward for all his hard work was knowing that he had contributed to the team’s success in his small way. State won 68 and lost 34 of its three seasons. Tate was in only nine games, scoring one basket. Tate was able to score a late tip-in in the 2019 SEC Tournament, when State defeated Texas A&M. He was celebrated by his teammates as if he had won the tournament. Tate laughed and said that although it was a tip in, it was the best shot he had ever taken. “So my career statistics will show that I shot one thousand percent,” said State coach Ben Howland. “Anyone who saw his teammates celebrating that one bucket saw just how much he loves them.” He is a wonderful kid and a great teammate. He is bright, a good student, hard worker, and understands the game. “He’s exactly what I expected him to be when I met him and his dad to tell them that we were going to give him a preferred role as a walk-on.” Tate’s father Drew Clayton is a former trucking company executive who has been left disabled after sustaining brain injuries in an automobile accident in July 2018. Clayton was treated in Atlanta, Birmingham and Oxford, as well as in Tupelo, where he is now in a nursing home. Howland said, “That family — they are so close. They have really been through so many things since the wreck.” “I think, I hope that our basketball program helped them,” said Lori Clayton, Tate’s mother. “The basketball games were a bright spot throughout all of this.” Our family has had good relationships with coaches, players and other families through Tate. This has helped us. She said, “We hope he’s aware.” “We don’t really know. We know he would be proud. We are all proud.”
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