Keydren Clark wanted one more shot.

His St. Peter's Peacocks had just been summoned to the locker room for their pregame pep talk, prior to playing Northern Arizona on Nov. 23. But Clark lingered on the court, cradling the ball in both hands. Then he launched it from the halfcourt line. Bullseye.

"I thought it was an omen that I might be on that night," Clark says. Ten treys and 48 points later, he was proven right.

	Keyden Clark has a knack for scoring, but would have traded a few of his 34 points against Siena for a victory.

Keydren "Kee Kee" Clark has been proving people wrong all his life. The 5-foot-7 freshman has always been amongst the shortest on the court, yet has a knack for outshooting his opponents.

"If he was 6-3 I wouldn't have been able to touch him with a 10-foot pole," says St. Peter's coach Bob Leckie. "Every major program in the country would be after him because of his ability to shoot the ball."

That's what Clark focused his energy on from an early age. He developed his sweet stroke with some help from his mother, who rebounded as he took 500 shots a day.

Clark further honed his game at Rice High School in Harlem, a New York City hoops powerhouse. Plus he played AAU ball for the Big Apple's famed Riverside Church team. His senior year, he started at shooting guard on a 29-2 squad, ranked No. 6 nationally by USA Today, that won the state championship. Kee Kee averaged 13 points a contest, on a team that featured four seniors -- Clark, Steve Burtt Jr. (Iona), Christian Brown (St. Francis, N.Y.) and Manhattan's Jason Wingate -- currently playing for Division 1 colleges.

Few Division I programs showed much interest in Clark, however. St. Peter's was the first -- which he never forgot. Howard, Drexel and Siena were the other contenders. He also hoped to play his college ball close to home, and St. Peter's Jersey City campus is right across the Hudson River.

Clark's college career began modestly. He scored 17 against nationally ranked Xavier in the preseason NIT, then 14 vs. Central Connecticut State. His career-high in high school was 28 points. But then came the 48-point outburst against Northern Arizona. How did he follow up that Herculean effort? By dropping 44 on St. Francis (N.Y.) four nights later. He shot only 1 for 6 from behind the arc in that game, instead doing his damage at the free throw line (17 of 19).

Suddenly, Clark's cell phone started chirping constantly. He's currently fourth in the country in scoring, posting 25.8 ppg. And he just turned 18 in October.

"I never thought I'd have an impact like I've had so far," Clark says. "I figured I'd be an average frosh -- 20 minutes a game, 12 points or so, maybe 4 assists."

Clark's certainly not your average frosh, although freshmen all over America are making a big impact this season. Experience seems to be the secret to their success.

"Many freshmen coming into college, they're making a quantum leap," Leckie says. "But Keydren's played in so many big games -- city championships, state championships, AAU tournaments all over the country. Kee Kee came ready to roll."

But it's not easy carrying a team as a freshman, especially when you only weigh 165 pounds. Clark's taking an average of 20 shots per game -- no one else on the team averages more than eight. He's playing over 38 minutes per game, facing double teams and box-and-one defenses more often than not.

	"	Many freshmen coming into college, they're making a quantum leap/ But Keydren's played in so many big games -- city championships, state championships, AAU tournaments all over the country. 'Kee Kee' came ready to roll. "
		— Bob Leckies, St. Peter's head coach

"I'm used to just going into games, not being the main guy, and getting wins," Clark says. "This is tiresome. My body gets fatigued taking the beatings and the bumps."

He's also had a hard time adjusting to losing. St. Peter's has finished last in the MAAC the past three seasons, and currently stands at 3-6. "I'd trade my 48 points any day for a win," he says.

At least he was spared freshman initiation, which veterans force rookies to endure in many college programs. The St. Peter's ritual involves lotion, ice, duct tape and a bath tub -- enough said. "After that 48 point game, I said, 'Hey, leave him alone, he's special,'" says senior forward Corien John.

There doesn't seem to be any resentment from teammates about Clark taking so many shots, either. Attribute that to the kid's humbleness and unselfishness. "We all have confidence in his shot," says John. "He can shoot as much as he wants. I don't think it bothers anyone."

In pregame warmups before St. Peter's game at Manhattan on Saturday, Clark lingered on the court again as his team was summoned to the locker room. He stood solo at the center circle. The first ball hurtled toward one basket like a torpedo, bounced directly off the glass and in. Then he picked up another ball, turned to face the other rim, and seconds later, swish, nothing but nylon. What kind of an omen could this be?

Clark scored 13 first-half points, sparking St. Peter's to a surprising 16-point lead at intermission. He'd slam on the brakes and pull up from 3-point range, or use a nifty spin move to create space in the lane. But in the second half, Manhattan's scrambling full-court press took Clark out of his game. The Peacocks blew a 19-point lead, and found themselves with the ball, less than 30 seconds to play, and the game deadlocked at 72. Clark hadn't scored the entire second half.

Keydren Clark wanted one more shot.

The clock ticked down. Clark cradled the ball near midcourt, like Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers. Wingate, who was Clark's backcourt mate at Rice, was on him. The same kid who used to play Clark 1-on-1 full-court during high school practices. The same kid who called Clark on his cell a few hours before tip-off to say he was gonna shut him down.

With less than 10 seconds left, Clark began to penetrate toward the middle of the paint. He was caught off balance at the foul line, and pushed a shot up with one hand as he fell to the ground. Thud … Clank … the shot fell through. The buzzer sounded. Game over. Clark was mobbed at midcourt.

"The kid's averaging over 25 points a game," said his proud coach afterward. "Whose hands do you think I'm gonna put the ball in? He wanted to take the shot. That's good enough for me."

Kieran Darcy is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.