(Note: This is the second installment of our 4-part series honoring the senior class. It’s been a while since our piece on Frank Tchuisi, but we’ve been extremely busy with that whole graduating thing. Apologies)
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A career that wasn’t even supposed to be. A career filled with injury after injury. This is the career of Shane Clark. What has he done for this program? Basically, everything, literally. Whether it was rebounding, scoring, defending the opposing team’s best player, diving for a loose ball on a bad knee, leading the younger guys, Shane Clark did it all.
I can remember him my freshman year playing sparingly for the Foye, Ray, Lowry team. He wasn’t the star, but he always played a solid game. This has held true of Shane throughout his years at Villanova. I was the idiot who wanted him benched early this season, but he shut me up real quick. He may have single-handedly beaten Pittsburgh twice this year. The first game at the Spectrum, it seemed like he grabbed every offensive rebound, keeping possession after possession alive. In the Elite 8, he drilled 3 trifectas in the first ten minutes, when nobody else on the team could score.
Every team needs a Shane Clar, for all the little things, for all the things that go unnoticed. Dante Cunningham echoes the same feelings I have about Shane.
“He’s the glue,” Cunningham said. He’s given 110 percent dedication to this program. Anytime you need something done on the court, Shane will do it. He’s just shown such a great attitude on how to get things done.”
-Brian
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Being from Maryland, when I first heard Shane was coming to ‘Nova due to a gaffe in his application to Maryland, all I could do was laugh. I have many friends that go to UMD and always try to brag about the ACC. This way I could always fire back at them about how we stole their top recruit.
Shane was a significant contributor in his freshman year for one of the most talented teams in Villanova history. Ovr the next 3 years, except for a 5 game stretch when he averaged 20 points per game, Shane kind of hung around in the shadows making those important contributions that nobody really ever talked about. After his freshman year he switched his number to 20, and I felt I had to help him get some recognition so I joined the small group of people who have bought his jersey.
This year my friends and I had a great nickname for Shane Clark — “The Shark.” A nice little mix of his name describes exactly how he played for Villanova. He played with a quiet tenacity that usually ends up with him making a great game changing play. During our tournament run he played a vital role, and no doubt smelled blood in the water. We’re going to miss the shark attack next year, and can only hope we find someone who is willing to sacrifice the spotlight to do the small things necessary for victory.
-Mark
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When the news about Shane Clark coming to Villanova broke, I remember everyone talking about how we were getting that game-changing type of player — one that could take over when the then senior class graduated. Looking back on his career, we didn’t get the 20-point-a-game scorer that he flashed a few times, but something much better. We got a guy who affected the game in so many different ways that it was almost hard to keep track of.
He helped lock down Kevin Durant in a huge win over Texas, he’d fly through the lane for a tip-slam on countless ocassions, he developed a prowess for offensive rebounds unlike anyone I’ve ever seen, and he set the tone early vs. Pittsburgh in the Elite 8 this past year with lights-out shooting. And he did all this while battling multiple injuries and sicknesses.
Some will always say that Shane Clark never lived up to his initial hype, as if that were some kind of indictment of him as a player. But in reality he was a part of one of the most successful periods in Villanova history. He is a part of the winningest senior class of all time. And most importantly he brought it every night and never complained about his role. In today’s world of the massive ego amongst the players in sports, it’s always refreshing to see the consumate team player. Shane Clark represents just that, and is a large part of Villanova’s sustained success.
-Chris
