Incoming Gary Clark has skills UC needs

As one prolific scorer departs in the person of Sean Kilpatrick, there might be another one poised to take his place at the University of Cincinnati.

Gary Clark, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Clayton (N.C.) High School, is one of three players who signed letters-of-intent last fall to attend UC and looms as the most intriguing. To expect him to duplicate what Kilpatrick accomplished as the school's second-leading career scorer is unrealistic, but it's hard to overlook the numbers he posted in high school.

Last year as a senior, Clark averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds and 4.7 blocked shots, according to Clayton coach Denny Medlin. He surpassed the 30-point mark 10 times and reached the 40-point mark twice, including a career-high 47-point outburst in early January against Southeast Raleigh.

On Jan. 10 he produced a quadruple-double of 22 points, 21 rebounds, 15 blocked shots and 10 assists. He first reached the 40-point mark on Jan. 7, the night he learned that he had been left off the list of nominees for the McDonald's All-American team. In his final high school game, he scored 36 points with 19 rebounds and made 14 of his 18 shots.

Clark will not enter UC as one of the nation's top-rated recruits. Rivals lists him as a 3-star recruit at No. 145 overall. ESPN gives him four stars and ranks him at No. 100. But the UC coaches are thrilled to have him.

"He's a rare guy in that he can take you off the bounce, he can shoot fairly well from 15 to 18 feet, he can make a three, and yet he can score inside just as well as he can facing the basket," said UC associate head coach Larry Davis, who recruited Clark. "Titus (Rubles) could drive the ball but couldn't shoot the ball. Jack (Justin Jackson) could score around the basket but couldn't shoot it. Gary is a guy that's got all three parts to his game. He can shoot it, he can drive it and he can score inside."

UC fans learned not to expect too much from freshmen last year when Top 25 recruit Jermaine Lawrence struggled to adjust to the college game, then suffered a turf toe injury that set him back just as he was beginning to make progress.

Just as UC head coach Mick Cronin took great pains last fall to avoid putting too much pressure on Lawrence, he's taking the same approach with Clark.

"Gary just had a tremendous senior year in high school," Cronin said. "He had a dominant senior year, but again that's high school. As you know, I'm not a guy that likes to lay expectations on young players. There's a big difference. Maybe he could get 30 and 15 every night if he was playing at Clayton High School next year, but he's not going to be. It's a whole different ballgame."

No one is claiming that Clark will arrive at UC as a finished product. He needs to gain weight and must learn to play defense on the collegiate level, an ability that's especially important at UC where defense receives so much emphasis.

But Medlin believes Clark has both the physical skills and the mental toughness to contribute right away.

"He's shown that he can play against anybody when he played on the summer circuit," Medlin said. "Guarding and playing against some of the best freshmen in the country, he held his own and actually outplayed a lot of them. If he continues to get stronger, with his ability to put the ball in the basket, it's going to be difficult to guard him."

Clark also has the potential to become UC's next great shot blocker, but he'll have to adjust to playing defense on the perimeter after being stationed around the basket most of the time in high school.

"With all freshmen, the question is, can he make the adjustment to the daily grind, how hard you have to play at all times?" Davis said. "But as far as skill and ability, you look at him and think he can help you as a freshman. Mick's right. You try to keep the pressure off him, but as you look at him, his game translates to what can be successful in college. His game is not built on the fact that he can run faster than you and jump over the top of you. His game is built on his knowing how to play and his skill that allows him to score." ⬛