April 20, 2007
The Nova Notebook, by Villanova director of media relations Mike Sheridan, appears each week from September through February and monthly from April through August. In our April entry, we spend time with sophomore swingman Shane Clark.
That the two share an appreciation for a certain, bottom line accountability is purely coincidental. For while Larry the Cable Guy has helped garnish his public persona through use of the expression, Villanova sophomore Shane Clark has no such plans. Rather the choice of words is a reminder that he is aimed at preserving that which he and others have helped create.
"Dante (Cunningham) and I have talked about this a lot," says Clark, a 7.4 ppg scorer as a sophomore in 2006-07 who figures to take on a significant leadership role along with his classmate next season. "We want to keep this tradition going and now we are the upperclassmen now. We have the responsibility.
"We just have to get it done."
That sentiment resonates throughout a 15 minute interview conducted on the stage of Jake Nevin Field House on a recent afternoon. Clark - himself only a fully vetted member of the program since December of 2005 - is one of those, along with Cunningham and returning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Scottie Reynolds, who will be asked to help offer guidance to a 2007-08 Wildcat edition that will be without a senior.
"It's really gone fast," he says of his two seasons at VU.
Of course, leadership at this level of college basketball is as much about skill as it is seniority. That Clark is expected to offer direction to younger teammates is a testament to the gifts that made him a starter in 10 games this past season and included some standout moments, most notably in the waning moments of a 56-52 January win over eventual Final Four entry Georgetown at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Clark sank all four of his free throws in the final minute to help lift the `Cats to one of their most significant wins of 2006-07.
There were also other key contributions, including a 17-point outburst in a loss to Xavier and an 11-point, 12 rebound effort in a 76-69 victory over No. 21 Texas. In that win over the Longhorns, Clark and Cunningham took turns corralling Player of the Year Kevin Durant. Durant ended that day with 12 points.
Yet it is also true that Clark was less effective in March than he had been earlier, a development at least partly attributable to pain he felt in his knee.
The trouble in the joint began in October as the club settled into its pre-season practice routine. The product of Cardinal Dougherty began experiencing pain and consulted Villanova's Sports Medicine staff. The diagnosis was loose fragments in the knee, which caused tendonitis.
"They told me that I wouldn't do any more damage if I kept playing," Clark says, "and I wanted to play. So I just tried to tough it out as best I could."
Clark downplays the degree to which the injury limited him. He will only concede that some days were tougher than others. However, the coaching staff believes it clearly impacted the Philadelphia native's ability to consistently be active around the glass, one of the most valuable components of his game. It also limited his ability to practice, thereby hindering his opportunities to take advantage of playing time that had been unavailable on an experienced 2005-06 unit.
The cumulative effects seemed to increase as the season grew longer. Clark contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds over the final five games of the campaign while attempting only 12 field goals.
When the season was complete, plans were made for arthroscopic surgery. The procedure took place earlier this month at Bryn Mawr Hospital to remove fragments and Clark is already well on the road to recovery. By the time the summer session of classes begins in June, it is expected that he will be back to operating at peak efficiency.
Yet in many respects, Clark's work has already begun even as he works back into game condition. While seniors Ross Condon, Mike Nardi, Will Sheridan, and Curtis Sumpter remain on campus for the balance of the semester, they have quite naturally begun to focus on their future beyond Villanova. Nardi, Sheridan and Sumpter are assessing their professional prospects and their workouts are geared to the next level.
That means the tone among the Wildcats must now be set by Villanova's soon to be upperclassmen. As the two most experienced members of that group, Clark and Cunningham are being asked to communicate to their young teammates the lessons they have learned about what it takes to be an effective player in this program. It happens not just in workouts with the coaching staff present - indeed, much more of it is done quietly, in dorm rooms and private time.
"We have learned a lot from all the older guys," notes Clark. "The seniors this year and even going back to last year with Randy (Foye), Allan (Ray), Jason (Fraser), Chris (Charles) and Baker (Dunleavy). We just saw they were prepared all the time. They taught us what it takes to be Villanova basketball players.
"I've really seen that it's a lot harder to play at this level than you think it is when you watch it in high school. You have to work hard all the time - in the summer, in conditioning, in class. There are so many great players in college you have to always be prepared."
Although he is not a vocal sort by nature, Clark is adapting. The coaching staff has pointed out to both he and Cunningham that not all of the upperclassmen they knew as tested elders came naturally to the role of team leader. Many of them had to learn to speak up when they saw an issue that required an internal course correction.
Often the first step in leadership is developing a work ethic that offers an example to the rest of the squad. Clark demonstrated that kind of commitment last summer, expanding the range on his jumper to the point where he became one of the Wildcats most trusted 3-point options. Once he regains full health, he has areas of improvement he is eager to pursue this off-season.
"The big thing for me this summer is ball-handling," he says. "You always want to be solid with the ball and I want to do a better job with that next year. I also want to get stronger."
Added muscle could help Clark on the glass, where is he usually an active presence. With the loss of Sumpter and Sheridan on the interior, Villanova will need to develop alternatives inside who can help the `Cats maintain the strength on the boards which served themwell last season.
It's just one of the many new possibilities as a relatively untested contingent of `Cats attempts to usher in its own era. As exciting as that prospect is, Clark and friends are also quite cognizant of their role as standard bearers.
"We just have to get it done," he says.
