Prospect Spotlight: James Clark (2018)
There are few people in the Park Region Conference, let alone all of northern Minnesota, as athletic and explosive as Sebeka senior, James Clark.
The stat line stuffing 6’2” point guard averaged 18 points/game, 8 rebounds/game, 3.5 assists/game, and 3.2 steals/game for a Trojans team that finished 2016-2017 with a 15-11 record.
While his numbers from a season ago are impressive, asked what he expects from Clark this season, Sebeka coach Jon Lillquist says “Big things. He’s athletically the most dominant player in our conference. He was Conference Co-MVP last year and we need him to have that type of performance this year to be in the mix.”
Clark’s speed and agility, paired with his ability to create for his teammates and himself is impressive. He also displayed the ability to finish at the rim, shooting 49% overall from the field last year. In addition, he was able to draw 141 fouls in 26 games a season ago.
There is one area that Clark is looking to sure up this season. “My free throw shot is a weakness, but I have improved over the years by taking my time and practicing during the off season” says Clark. Last season, he shot only 44% from the stripe. If he can demonstrate that his stroke from the line has improved, and he continues to draw fouls at the rate he does, look for his points per game average to climb considerably this season.
Coach Lillquist says “We will be very young coming off the bench, so our season depends on the production we receive from younger players and how much they can contribute. We will have four players that will have a lot of varsity experience so we will have to lean heavily on them to lead us.”
The Trojans will have two very strong players with experience to lean on this year. Between James Clark and fellow senior, 6’6” Jack Lillquist, Sebeka will have one of the more dynamic duos in Class A this season.
James has not been in contact with many college coaches at this point, but says “I am looking to further my education and hopefully play basketball while in college.”
Wherever James Clark ends up playing at the next level, that school will be getting a tremendous athlete that will compete on both ends of the floor.