Ramblin' Man
[The LowDown on Andy Clark]
Saturday, February 18, 2006
By Jared Field
greatlakeshoops.com
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Let's
not start jumping to conclusions here. For those of you who are fans of
the Allman Brothers you might
think that I am inferring that Perry's Andy Clark was "born in the back seat of
a Greyhound bus rolling down highway forty-one." He was not; but, he is a
rambling man nonetheless. This fall, the Ramblers' senior forward will be
rolling up M-52 to attend Northwood University in Midland on a
football scholarship.
Northwood just might be getting two for the price of one in Andy.
"I can't count how many times people asked me if I wanted to play football or basketball when I was deciding what college I wanted to go to. Northwood never made me decide. The head football coach said, "hey, if you can play both, go for it." So that made it very easy for me."
At 6'4'' and 230 pounds, Andy has all the tools to be a dominant tight end at the next level. On the basketball court, however, putting Andy into a specific position is quite a task. Clark can play four positions on the floor and presents as much of a challenge in the post as he does on the wing.
"...I would consider myself to be able to shoot from the outside...[with] a decent dribble drive. [I] can be somewhat of a handful in the post. If I have someone smaller or quicker on me, I usually will take them down low; if it's someone who is bigger, and maybe a little slower, I will take them off some picks or...off the dribble."
You will have to trust me
when I say that Andy is being a tick modest. He has been terrorizing
opposing defenses with his well-rounded offensive
suavity--a true rarity at 230 pounds. Forwards with finesse do not grow on
trees in high school--there has to be something to this kid..jpg)
"I have a brother who is six years older than me; but, he is 5'11'' so he played guard and was a very good shooter...he would always beat me in H-O-R-S-E and I hated it so I just started shooting a lot. My dad, on the other hand, is about 6'4" and he is the one who really introduced me to the post game I have. He taught me most of my moves..."
Andy is averaging almost 19 points and nine rebounds per game this season. This past Friday night, Andy and his teammate, Jordan Sipkovsky, each crested the 1,000 career points plateau in a victory over Alma. Clark scored 22 points and pulled down 8 rebounds for the visiting Ramblers.
With all due respect to Alma, in ten years Andy will probably not even remember who he played when he scored his 1,000th point. He will, however, forever remember last year's game against Flint Powers in the playoffs.
"That game brought so much reality to life--that a team from the little town of Perry could hang with the 'big boys.' It really kind of made me realize some of the things I can do. It gave me so much confidence last year and especially going into this season. "
The "Big Boys" will once again be in Perry's path this season and I cannot help but think that Flint Powers has a long list of teams they would rather play. Perry is, once again, peaking at the right time and could make a serious run at the Breslin.
"We thought coming into this season [that] we wouldn't be as strong as last year and we knew that we had some kinks we needed to work out to be a top team in the state. I think that we have gotten more output than expected from some people. Elliot [Hebden], Paul [Martin], and Dennis [Meaney] have really stepped up tremendously. Nate Sip[kovsky] and Justin Wisely are really starting to come around now, and [I] really like the team we have..."
Perry will be battle tested by the time the playoffs begin. Having made it through their conference unscathed, the Ramblers can boast a 15-2 overall record including a tough one-point loss to one of the top teams in class B, the Eagles of Frankenmuth.
"Frankenmuth is the
best team we have played so far this season. As a team they seemed very in sync.
They have three of the top players in the state. I would have to say that Jared
List impressed me the most. We played their team over the summer and he just
really seemed like a natural leader. When we played them this season he showed
so much heart and determination. He was very passionate and you could tell he
wanted that game. I think his style of basketball is a missed art; today so many
kids watch 'AND 1' mix tapes and just try to showboat and never take the time to
learn
the
game of basketball...he is pure hustle and fundamentals and really understands
the game."
Andy Clark is a throwback to a bygone era. When was the last time you heard a competitor be so complimentary to opposing teams and players? Andrew recognizes in other players what he does even attempt to trumpet about himself. Andy Clark is every bit as much of a leader on the court with his unselfish style of play and "List-like" hustle.
As I scroll up the page I am led to wonder who exactly is the "ramblin' man" in question here. In truth, I could write all day long about good kids like Andy who play the game for all the right reasons and engender nothing but pride in their communities. With that in mind, I will continue to be content with rambling on about kids like Andy Clark and teams like the Perry Ramblers. Ramble on.
The LowDown on Garrett Konuzewski
The LowDown on Christina Rivette