Stevie Clark to Prep School

[WTSooner]

A lot of mind readers on this board. Very impressive talent.

You are right. On an internet message board, why in the world would anybody try to piece together info from over a year's worth of articles and quotes, and come up with a theory. That would never happen. :facepalm

 

[WTSooner]

Sounds like Jai Lucas 2.0

That appears to be a decent comparison.

 

[tycat947]

i don't get this at all. His coach quit and he was upset but I have not read a single quote from the kid that makes me think he is a head case. He is eligible to graduate high school after his junior year. He makes great grades, he takes AP classes and he is the best or one of the best basketball players in the State of Oklahoma. Honestly, I am pretty confident he his act more together than you did at that age.

He may not be an official headcase but he sure doesn't appear to be a "team first" player. Wonder how the Trojan players feel?

 

[SoonerTraveler]

http://blog.newsok.com/highschoolsp...tephen-clark-to-attend-las-vegas-prep-school/

 

[WTSooner]

LMAO

 

[WillJennings]

This has been in the works for a couple of months. Nino Jackson was also slated to go to this prep school, but it appears he'll go to Kingdom Prep in Atlanta Georgia. Stevie will get the chance to play with his half brother Biron Joseph who is a 6'4 wing out of Little Elm Texas.

 

[BigTime]

This has been in the works for a couple of months. Nino Jackson was also slated to go to this prep school, but it appears he'll go to Kingdom Prep in Atlanta Georgia. Stevie will get the chance to play with his half brother Biron Joseph who is a 6'4 wing out of Little Elm Texas.

How many half brothers does Stevie have? I think I've heard of 5...

 

[jmizzy4ou]

The wheels all started turning when his coach moved. I have not heard one person associated with high school sports call this kid a headcase. It is what amateur athletics have been morphed into with the rise of AAU ball, prep schools, and adults looking for the best payoff for their kid.

Stevie is a good student, good character kid, and from what I have heard, a guy who has always been loved by his teammates. If Long stays at Douglas, we are not having this conversation, IMO.

Wish the kid the best!!!! He will be a good get for whoever lands him, IMO. Unfortunately it is the type of deal most college coaches have gotten use to in the modern era of athletics......

 

[MsProudSooner]

The wheels all started turning when his coach moved. I have not heard one person associated with high school sports call this kid a headcase. It is what amateur athletics have been morphed into with the rise of AAU ball, prep schools, and adults looking for the best payoff for their kid.

Stevie is a good student, good character kid, and from what I have heard, a guy who has always been loved by his teammates. If Long stays at Douglas, we are not having this conversation, IMO.

Wish the kid the best!!!! He will be a good get for whoever lands him, IMO. Unfortunately it is the type of deal most college coaches have gotten use to in the modern era of athletics......

Everything you say may be true, Mizz. But it also appears that he's an example of a kid who doesn't stick it out when he runs into a little bit of adversity, such as his high school coach leaving. Most kids aren't born with that level of maturity. They grow into it with the help of their parent(s) or guardians. That doesn't seem to have happened in this situation.

 

[DenverSooner]

He may not be an official headcase but he sure doesn't appear to be a "team first" player. Wonder how the Trojan players feel?

HE didn't quit on his team. The season was over and he starting the next season with a new team.

 

[WTSooner]

HE didn't quit on his team. The season was over and he starting the next season with a new team.

That is one way to look at it.

 

[WillJennings]

Everything you say may be true, Mizz. But it also appears that he's an example of a kid who doesn't stick it out when he runs into a little bit of adversity, such as his high school coach leaving. Most kids aren't born with that level of maturity. They grow into it with the help of their parent(s) or guardians. That doesn't seem to have happened in this situation.

I don't know how accurate that is. I've had conversations with him and people close to him and the theme of the conversations have been geared around Stevie being challenged to get better through competition. Last year in 4A competition, Douglass hammered teams. This was a Douglass team with no college level players on the roster. The only challenges they faced were in the games when they went out of state for high profile tournaments.

Terry Long was the primary fundraiser and scheduler for these events and when he left and was replaced by an inexperienced coach, it made it tough to put the tournaments back in play. The City of Palms tournament was one tournament that Douglass was scheduled for and they couldn't confirm it without a coach in play.

The other aspect of the equation was Stevie's brother Biron and Nino Jackson. Stevie's mother has been trying to change the path for Nino Jackson, who is like family to the Clarks. The former elite prospect missed an entire academic year at Ardmore in 2012 with multiple off the court and in the classroom problems.

IF OU wants to get back in the Clark sweepstakes this is the chance. Clark told me a few weeks back that OU will remain on the list, because they are close to home. Right now, Baylor, Missouri, OSU, Florida St., and UCLA are slated for official visits. But being away from Oklahoma for a year leads me to believe local schools will be in play more. OSU has had a lot of off the court problems which could play into the decision and Tulsa wants to sell Clark on the ideal that he'll be the face of the TU program for the future. The Sooner staff loves Woodard and Sam identified some of the players it looks like Kruger may land. They can recruit Clark for the second period depending on their guard situation and depending on if they want to put in the effort to repair burnt bridges.

 

[WTSooner]

I don't know how accurate that is. I've had conversations with him and people close to him and the theme of the conversations have been geared around Stevie being challenged to get better through competition. Last year in 4A competition, Douglass hammered teams. This was a Douglass team with no college level players on the roster. The only challenges they faced were in the games when they went out of state for high profile tournaments.

JMO, but that is what AAU ball is for. During the HS season, these kids should be playing close to home. If he wanted to find a way to get eligible in "another school district", I could even understand that. But the path he has taken, I don't get. There will be top 100 kids across the country that aren't playing against top competition during their HS seasons. That is just how it is.

I know ball players want to improve and get better, but that is what AAU ball and college are for. Clark isn't going to improve so much at this prep school that the Kentucky offer he wants, is going to come. IF that offer comes, it'll come b/c Kentucky misses out on better players, and has a spot for him. I don't think he really fits what they look for though.

Be interesting to see how it all plays out, but unless OU misses out on Woodard (which I don't expect us to), I don't see us being a player for Clark going forward.

 

[MsProudSooner]

I don't know how accurate that is. I've had conversations with him and people close to him and the theme of the conversations have been geared around Stevie being challenged to get better through competition. Last year in 4A competition, Douglass hammered teams. This was a Douglass team with no college level players on the roster. The only challenges they faced were in the games when they went out of state for high profile tournaments.

Terry Long was the primary fundraiser and scheduler for these events and when he left and was replaced by an inexperienced coach, it made it tough to put the tournaments back in play. The City of Palms tournament was one tournament that Douglass was scheduled for and they couldn't confirm it without a coach in play.

The other aspect of the equation was Stevie's brother Biron and Nino Jackson. Stevie's mother has been trying to change the path for Nino Jackson, who is like family to the Clarks. The former elite prospect missed an entire academic year at Ardmore in 2012 with multiple off the court and in the classroom problems.

IF OU wants to get back in the Clark sweepstakes this is the chance. Clark told me a few weeks back that OU will remain on the list, because they are close to home. Right now, Baylor, Missouri, OSU, Florida St., and UCLA are slated for official visits. But being away from Oklahoma for a year leads me to believe local schools will be in play more. OSU has had a lot of off the court problems which could play into the decision and Tulsa wants to sell Clark on the ideal that he'll be the face of the TU program for the future. The Sooner staff loves Woodard and Sam identified some of the players it looks like Kruger may land. They can recruit Clark for the second period depending on their guard situation and depending on if they want to put in the effort to repair burnt bridges.

Obviously, I don't know the kid, so my opinion is formed by what people say on this board.

With regard to him wanting better competition, I thought that was one of the things that AAU was supposed to provide for them.

 

[garyeb2]

I don't like undersized guards. No matter how good they are. So, I hope Kruger doesn't want him. But, if Kruger does want him, I hope he gets him.

With that said. Let me pose a question. Take a different player in the same circumstance. Given the same actions, would not that different player now start to be looking alittle flakie?

 

[WillJennings]

Obviously, I don't know the kid, so my opinion is formed by what people say on this board.

With regard to him wanting better competition, I thought that was one of the things that AAU was supposed to provide for them.

This kid's ultimate goal is the NBA and to my understanding he feels like he has to put himself in a position to be an elite player to make it there. This prep school is supposedly suppose to help him reach his goals.

This is not a new scenario, it's just new to Oklahoma. Kids all over the country go to prep schools there Senior year.

If you look at OU players like A'Math, Fitzgerald, Hield, Hornbeak, and Steve Pledger all played at Prep Schools. The shocking thing about this school is it's not as well known as some of the other schools he considered.

 

[garyeb2]

I don't know how accurate that is. I've had conversations with him and people close to him and the theme of the conversations have been geared around Stevie being challenged to get better through competition. Last year in 4A competition, Douglass hammered teams. This was a Douglass team with no college level players on the roster. The only challenges they faced were in the games when they went out of state for high profile tournaments.

Terry Long was the primary fundraiser and scheduler for these events and when he left and was replaced by an inexperienced coach, it made it tough to put the tournaments back in play. The City of Palms tournament was one tournament that Douglass was scheduled for and they couldn't confirm it without a coach in play.

The other aspect of the equation was Stevie's brother Biron and Nino Jackson. Stevie's mother has been trying to change the path for Nino Jackson, who is like family to the Clarks. The former elite prospect missed an entire academic year at Ardmore in 2012 with multiple off the court and in the classroom problems.

IF OU wants to get back in the Clark sweepstakes this is the chance. Clark told me a few weeks back that OU will remain on the list, because they are close to home. Right now, Baylor, Missouri, OSU, Florida St., and UCLA are slated for official visits. But being away from Oklahoma for a year leads me to believe local schools will be in play more. OSU has had a lot of off the court problems which could play into the decision and Tulsa wants to sell Clark on the ideal that he'll be the face of the TU program for the future. The Sooner staff loves Woodard and Sam identified some of the players it looks like Kruger may land. They can recruit Clark for the second period depending on their guard situation and depending on if they want to put in the effort to repair burnt bridges.

Will, thanks for the info and insight. My only response would be that in the Las Vegas Review Jounel article that I read. Quest has not yet recieved accredidation to compete in HS sports from the Nevada secondary schools ass. If that approval does come, it wouldn't come until Oct. It infered that some of the requirements have not yet and may not be met this year.

The knock on Quest was that they were recruiting in top players, girls, and I guess boys too. And without that accredidation they would have trouble putting together a schedule and could not compete in any tourney's or championships for accedited schools in Nev.

Now if Stevie was wanting to find out where he fit, compete to get better, and go to Vegas, he had better options. Findley, is one of the best basketball factory prep schools in the country. And they are just on the other side of town. But, they are so loaded year after year, I doubt that could grant him face of the program status.

 

[MsProudSooner]

This kid's ultimate goal is the NBA and to my understanding he feels like he has to put himself in a position to be an elite player to make it there. This prep school is supposedly suppose to help him reach his goals.

This is not a new scenario, it's just new to Oklahoma. Kids all over the country go to prep schools there Senior year.

If you look at OU players like A'Math, Fitzgerald, Hield, Hornbeak, and Steve Pledger all played at Prep Schools. The shocking thing about this school is it's not as well known as some of the other schools he considered.

In the past, I had always assumed that if a kid went to prep school, it was because he didn't qualify after his Senior year in high school.

 

[DenverSooner]

In the past, I had always assumed that if a kid went to prep school, it was because he didn't qualify after his Senior year in high school.

That is not true at all. There are lots of prep schools on the East Coast that put tons of guys in college programs without them having grade issues.

This has been happening for a long time. The Duke guy that plays for Miami when to Detroit Country Day (so did Romney). That is a prep school.

 

[WillJennings]

Will, thanks for the info and insight. My only response would be that in the Las Vegas Review Jounel article that I read. Quest has not yet recieved accredidation to compete in HS sports from the Nevada secondary schools ass. If that approval does come, it wouldn't come until Oct. It infered that some of the requirements have not yet and may not be met this year.

The knock on Quest was that they were recruiting in top players, girls, and I guess boys too. And without that accredidation they would have trouble putting together a schedule and could not compete in any tourney's or championships for accedited schools in Nev.

Now if Stevie was wanting to find out where he fit, compete to get better, and go to Vegas, he had better options. Findley, is one of the best basketball factory prep schools in the country. And they are just on the other side of town. But, they are so loaded year after year, I doubt that could grant him face of the program status.

Good points. My only estimation is that he's so close to graduating that if it goes bad he can finish up in the second semester.