Clark coach proves age is just a number as he helps Chargers defend state title

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Clark High assistant basketball coach David Svendsen briskly walks to the scorer’s table during a timeout to confirm with officials fouls and other pertinent game information.

His inadvertent fashion statement of white tube socks with fancy dress shoes, and an eyeglass strap securing thick glasses, make him stand out.

For the Chargers, who at 8 p.m. Friday play Lowry of Northern Nevada in the Division I-A state semifinals at Silverado, Svendsen is one of their unsung heroes. It takes a team of coaches to prepare to win a state championship, which for Clark includes the 75-year-old Svendsen and his near five decades of experience.

Svendsen lives full-time in Wyoming but returns to Southern Nevada each winter to join his son, Ole Svendsen, on the Clark staff. This season, he was the head coach of the freshman team, and in past seasons he headed the junior varsity program.

“Finding good coaches is not easy with the limited amount of money they get paid,” Clark coach Chad Beeten said. “When we had the opportunity to get a guy like Dave with his experience, and more important the type of person you want to bring around your kids, it’s a no-brainer. Forget about his coaching ability, and he definitely knows the game, it’s about getting the right person around your kids.”

Don’t let his age fool you. David Svendsen’s energy in unmatched.

He bikes each afternoon more than 20 miles from his home in the Green Valley area to Clark near Chinatown in central Las Vegas for practice. He’s constantly moving around the basketball floor while working with the players, giving pointers on certain plays and teaching them the game’s fundamentals.

Svendsen, a Marine Corps veteran, usually starts his day with light weight training or other exercises. He’s a multiple event winner in Wyoming’s Senior Games.

“He loves to show the kids that lifestyle,” Ole Svendsen said. “He lives by it and is healthy by it. He wants the kids to see that.”

Ole Svendsen came to Southern Nevada from Houston in 2006 when he was hired at Green Valley High, becoming the Gators’ coach the following year. His dad, who had recently retired from teaching and coaching, would arrive each winter from Wyoming to assist as a means to stay active in retirement.

“He said, ‘Dad, I helped you over the years, now it’s time to help me,’” David Svendsen said. “Teaching fundamentals has always been my favorite part of coaching. I’m sure the players think I’m some old guying giving them lessons. They never thought I played.”

David Svendsen was four-sport athlete in junior college before joining the Marines. Since the late 1970s, he’s coached and taught at various levels in Wyoming, mentoring a younger generation on the ins and outs of the sport, and how they can use competition as a foundation in life.

“The kids ask why I still ride my bike. It’s to stay young,” he said. “It’s important for me to be a good example for the kids. Basketball is a game you learn when you are young and you can play it forever. It doesn’t end.

“I love to win, but it’s not all about winning. For me, it’s being around the kids and my son.”

Clark has played in the past two Division I-A state championship games, winning the school’s first championship since 1993 last season with a dominating defensive performance against Elko.

The night before the game, coaches met with players in the ballroom of a Holiday Inn in Reno to game plan how to stop Elko — a surprise championship-game opponent. Earlier, Svendsen was part of the brain trust in developing the strategy. Clark surrendered just 25 points.

“At first, (players) say, ‘Oh man, he’s not going to be able to relate to us,’” Beeten said. “Young kids, you give them an inch, they take a mile. They realize quickly you don’t get any inches with Dave, and they realize quickly he knows what he is talking about.”

Clark’s freshman team had a winning record of 17-9 this season. Svendsen, though, isn’t concerned with the standings. It’s more about preparing players for future seasons, and more important, life.

“He’s a fundamentals coach, for sure,” said Charles Bennion, a Clark senior who played for Svendsen on the junior varsity in past seasons. “He likes to get back to the basics and makes sure we can do the simple things.”

Clark’s appearance in the state tournament will also be Svendsen’s final weekend coaching. Spending winters in Las Vegas while his wife stays in Wyoming and the long haul of the season have finally taken their toll. He’ll walk away with the satisfaction of helping another generation of players, and hopefully for the Chargers, another state championship. Svendsen’s state ring and other memorabilia from his tenure at Clark are prominently displayed in the loft of his house in Wyoming.

“I didn’t have the same energy this year,” he said. “I was always up for the kids, but I finally felt it. This time, I think I’m done.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21