Clark High basketball players, from left, Ty’Rek Wells, Colby Jackson, Carter Olsen.
Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014 | 2 a.m.
Interview: Carter Olsen, Coach Beeten, Ty'Rek Wells
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Clark High basketball players were still basking in the accomplishment of winning the Division I-A state championship when coach Chad Beeten got them together for a meeting to discuss the upcoming season.
The title defense would start then.
“I told them a week after the state championship game, to the returning players, that it gets that much harder,” Beeten said. “It becomes that much more desirable because once you have a state championship, you don’t want to accept anything less.”
Clark’s starting backcourt makes repeating an obtainable goal.
Point guard Colby Jackson, who averaged eight points and seven assists per game last season, and shooting guard Carter Olsen will be three-year starters. The familiarity the seniors have with each other gives the Chargers an edge.
“A lot of my strengths and his strengths complement each other,” said Olsen, who averaged 10 points per game last season and made 43 percent of his 3-pointers. “He likes to handle the ball, I like to play off the ball, and spot-up and shoot. ... The chemistry we have is a big advantage over the other teams we will play.”
Clark isn’t as seasoned in the post.
It returns defensive stopper Ty’Rek Wells, but has to replace forwards Diontae Jones and Sherron Wilson. Both scored in double figures last season and received Division I scholarships.
They’ll be replaced by two talented sophomores, Greg Floyd and DeShawn Wilson, Sherron’s younger brother. The 6-foot-7 Floyd already has scholarship offers from Colorado State, Fresno State and Tulsa.
“They are very, very talented,” Beeten said of his two sophomores.
Clark, who has gone undefeated the past two seasons in the Division I-A Sunset after being realigned to the lower league, again has a challenging nonleague schedule against Division I teams such as Valley and Centennial. It’s also in the top flight at Bishop Gorman’s Tarkanian Classic, where last year it had a competitive showing against nationally ranked Mater Dei.
The experience is invaluable for preparing for playoffs, where Clark will likely face Desert Pines and Elko again for the championship. The three teams are the class of the Division I-A and have played each other the past two seasons in the state tournament.
“It provides a lot more motivation knowing we can get there and do it again,” Olsen said. “It is a big motivator for me.”
While they were told during that meeting one week after the state championship to turn the page to a new season and not get complacent, the memory of storming the court in celebration will last forever.
“It was crazy. We were all ecstatic,” Wells said.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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