Freshman courts leadership role

As the Bobcats of Georgia College & State University progress further into the basketball season, Coach Terry Sellers has found a leader in an unlikely place, freshman forward Aaron Clark has stepped into the limelight and made an impact both on and off the floor.

Clark, who is from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga, is not even a year out of high school. Yet, says Coach Sellers, “He has the maturity, attitude and work ethic of a veteran player.”

Clark has been a “pleasant surprise” to his coaches and his fellow team mates; he also has gained some high expectations.

Coach Sellers expects that with physical and mental maturity Clark will undoubtedly be a leader for his team.

Aside from his accomplishments on the hardwood, Aaron Clark has made a name for himself as an outgoing and talkative guy, although Clark would say otherwise. According to Coach Sellers, Clark is a “personable guy who gets along well with his teammates.”

Aaron Clark was born in New Orleans and lived there for 10 years, until moving to Suwanee, Ga. He started playing basketball when he was 7 and was influenced by his father and, later on, by his coach at Collins Hill, who he refers to as a “second dad.”

This season, Clark averages 26 minutes playing time, the third highest on the team. Clark leads the team with 6 rebounds per game and compliments his dominance in the paint with 8 points per game. He led the team in scoring when he tallied 15 points against Savannah College of Art and Design on Jan. 3.

Aside from basketball, Clark likes to watch football and baseball. He also enjoys listening to all kinds of music, but mostly country and rock when he is on his own. His hobbies include golf, friends, movies and playing ultimate frisbee.

He is a self-proclaimed “sports junkie” and he lives on ESPN. In fact, he intends to keep sports a part of his life later on in his career. It is a dream of his to play at the next level, the NBA, but closer to home is his goal to have a job in sports marketing. He is also considering a minor in sports journalism; however, that is still up in the air.

Clark lives and is driven by his belief that, “You must take advantage of every opportunity, because if you don’t that leads to a losing attitude.” As the last third of the season comes to a close and the off season approaches, Coach Sellers and others will be looking on to see what this leader-in-the-making can do.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 28 2005. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry