Orem basketball: Christian Clark profile

On April 15, I interviewed Christian Clark, who played on the Orem (Utah) High School boys basketball team. He was one of the pivotal players on the squad that won the 4A state title. Here is the article that will appear in this year's Orem boys basketball yearbook.

Christian
Clark:

He had speed, size and the respect
of his family for winning a state title

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Christian Clark has a family full of Tigers. His mother, Jill, for instance, is an Orem High graduate and so are a slew of aunts, uncles and cousins.
For years, they had noted that Orem had never won a boys basketball state title.
This year, one of their own came to the rescue.

It meant a lot to Clark to see the school end that 56-year drought. He contributed mightily to the effort and – after the championship game – held the UHSAA trophy tightly. Later, he was among six or seven busloads of players and fans that returned to Orem High School from the Maverik Center. That trip itself was one of his greatest memories.

“We drove through the city streets on the bus, and (the police) turned on their sirens,” he said. “Cars were honking at us. It was great. It must have taken us 15 minutes to get through Orem because it was so slow. We were savoring every moment.”

You can bet the Clark family was, too.

Listed at 6-foot-7, Christian initially stood out for being one of the tallest players on Orem’s team, but he was also among the most athletic. In fact, if not for what happened on the basketball court this year, he might have been remembered more for his soccer ability. Clark played on Orem’s boys soccer team and was also one of its top players.

In basketball, however, he had a different role. He was one of the first players off the bench. He averaged 4.5 points per game and 2.1 rebounds. He used his speed to get steals and was often one of the first players down court on a fast break.

With those tools, and his size, it gave him several opportunities to dunk. Those dunks, especially one against Woods Cross in the 4A state tournament, usually resulted in momentum swings and made him a fan favorite.

“I didn’t make a lot of big plays; I was mostly a team player,” Clark said. “We had a deep team that was really talented. We learned to play together and win, even with a target on our chest.”

Clark saw action in a few varsity games as a sophomore, but earned a lot of playing time during his junior and senior seasons. He said he saw a big difference in Orem basketball as soon as Golden Holt became head coach.

“He was a difference-maker,” Clark said. “We had some good talent, but it was his coaching ability that propelled us to where we needed to be.

“I met him at some meetings and he seemed like a good guy. A lot of coaches try to use scare tactics and are aggressive. He’s not as aggressive as a coach. He’s one of those coaches you’re not scared to play for. He doesn’t use punishments. He used rewards. He has a coaching knack.”

Clark wasn’t certain Orem basketball would be so successful last year, when the Tigers finished with a 7-15 mark. However, he continued to buy into Holt’s plan. He played in many of the team’s 60 summer games and, after a short break, noted that things really began to click in the fall.

“When we got back together, we started to see things differently,” he said. “We knew we could be really good. Even through region, we had some close games, but I never felt like we were going to lose.”

Clark said his favorite highlights of the season included beating rival Mountain View twice. He said games against the Bruins, as well as Orem’s contests in the Great Western Shootout were exciting because of the huge fan support it drew.

“We had such a fun environment to play in,” he said. “I remember going to games as a kid and they were so exciting. It was fun to be part of it.

“There was also a huge increase in school spirit. When we started winning, the other kids got a lot more interested. They didn’t treat me any different, but it was a fun thing for everyone there.”

Another highlight was “Senior Night,” when he and Orem’s four other seniors were placed in the starting lineup. Fittingly, at the end of the season, when the Tigers were holding on to an eight-point lead over Olympus in the 4A championship game, those same seniors were on the court together again.

When the season ended, Clark joined the Orem soccer team. After graduation, he said he wanted to attend BYU and then go on an LDS Church mission.