Dylan Clark has always had a green light as a member of the
Sand Creek (Colorado Springs) basketball team. It's just now, he's fully ready to embrace it.
Clark, a 6-foot-1 senior for the Scorpions, has had the ability to light up the scoreboard since making varsity as a freshman four years ago. But he took his role as the team's point guard to heart and was more concerned with getting his teammates involved than looking for his shot, sometimes to the chagrin of coach Joe Rausch.
Dylan Clark (3), Sand Creek.
File photo by Paul DiSalvo
"He's unbelievably unselfish, almost to a fault," said Rausch, whose first year leading Sand Creek coincided with Clark's freshman season. "His freshman year we struggled early, but made a big run late in the season and won 10 or 11 straight and made it to the Great 8. During that run, we wanted him to shoot more, so I told him he was going to have to run after every game when he didn't have at least 10 shots. He ran every game.
"He could have averaged 18 or 19 points per game but he knew the best thing for the team was to be more of a facilitator."
This year, with a relatively inexperienced squad taking to the court, what's best for the Scorpions is for Clark to look to score more, and so far it has worked out. In Sand Creek's first two games, Clark has scored 30 and 29, respectively, and the Scorpions, ranked nith in Class 4A, are off to a 2-0 start.
"It's fun, but I also enjoy getting others involved," said Clark, who became the school's first Division I boys basketball recruit when he signed with the Air Force Academy last month. "I really just enjoy doing what I can to help the team win."
The Scorpions have done a lot of winning with Clark leading the way, reaching the Elite 8 in two of his first three seasons. But Sand Creek hasn't been able to get past the quarterfinals during that time, a fact that sticks with Clark. He said last year was particularly painful, considering the Scorpions were the only team in the state to have defeated both participants in the 4A championship game, Valor Christian and two-time defending champion Lewis-Palmer.
"That was really hurtful, to watch that last year," said Clark, who averaged 10.9 points, pulled down 115 rebounds and led the Scorpions with 99 assists as a junior. "We felt like we should have been there."
Clark and Rausch both said the road to the Final Four and beyond will be extremely hard this season, especially with a young squad behind them (guard
Micheal DeCarmo is the only other returning starter).
The Pikes Peak Athletic Conference may be the best in 4A, with No. 10
Lewis-Palmer (Monument) going after a third straight championship and with third-ranked
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) looking to make a major move up after reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in school history.
The Indians may have one of the best backcourts in the state in the form of the Nehme brothers, senior
Ghassan Nehme and junior
Christian Nehme. Ghassan averaged 18.8 points per game last year, and signed with Montana State in November.
"(Ghassan) Nehme is just a beast," Rausch said. "The league is so tough, and we play a really hard non-conference schedule. We'll be battle-tested by the time the playoffs come around."
"We need to get over that Elite 8 hump," Clark said. "We need to stay focused and practice hard. We definitely weren't as intense as we needed to be last year."
Both of his parents were in the Air Force, so signing with the Falcons was kind of a no-brainer for Clark. But Rausch said it still speaks to Clark's character that he was willing to go to the Academy knowing the commitment it will take on and off the court.
"He's the best kind of kid. You couldn't ask for a better kid to coach or to be a teammate," Rausch said. "He's a super student and he's all about basketball through and through."
