Two recent articles on Clark and his move from Oklahoma City to Las Vegas then back to Oklahoma City for his senior year of high school.
Douglass basketball star Stephen Clark leaving to attend Las Vegas prep school
As it turns out, star point guard Stephen Clark won’t spend his senior season at Douglass after all.
According to his mother, Dorshell Clark, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound scoring machine flew out Saturday morning to Las Vegas, where he will attend Quest Preparatory Academy for his final year before entering college next summer, in a story originally reported by ESPN.com.
Stephen Clark had toyed with the idea of graduating early and enrolling in college this summer.
While his academics were in order, he felt like he didn’t have enough time to make the proper decision. His options were limited as well, with only a few of the nearly 30 programs recruiting him having an open scholarship spot for the coming year.
The idea of leaving Douglass was prompted in May, when coach Terry Long, a lifelong friend of the Clark family, left the school to become the head coach at Mustang.
“I think Stephen still had his mind made up that he wanted to leave since Terry wasn’t going to be there,” Dorshell Clark said. “He told me he had nothing else to prove here. He didn’t want to win another title without Terry.”
Clark was the leading scorer the last three seasons for Douglass, which won the Class 4A state championship each season. Clark averaged 25 points and 11 assists per game as a junior, earning The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year honor, among other notable awards.
He is being recruited by top programs in the state and across the country, from Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, to Kentucky, UCLA and Connecticut. He believes Quest Prep gives him the opportunity to play against more and better competition on a national level to prepare himself for the college game.
“He told me he wants to go play against the best guys out there, and that wasn’t going to be there at Douglass,” Dorshell Clark said. “He deserves to get what he thinks he needs to get to the next level.”
Quest Prep is in its first year of existence. Stephen and Dorshell Clark visited the new campus two weeks ago.
“It’s a brand new place, and they painted a really pretty picture,” Dorshell Clark said. “They want Stephen to be the face of their program.
“He really likes the idea of being away from everybody back here. He feels he can go somewhere and focus on his game. No friends, no girls distracting him.”
Clark’s family will remain in Oklahoma City, including his younger brother, Deondre Clark, a highly recruited football player at Douglass.
Deondre Clark, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior defensive end, already has at least a dozen offers, including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, LSU and Missouri.
Dorshell Clark said they have arranged it with Douglass so Stephen can return to graduate with his classmates in May. He had already passed the proper credits to qualify for graduation earlier this summer.
– Scott Wright, swright@opubco.com
Twitter: @ScottWrightOK
High school basketball: Stephen Clark returning to Douglass
Super Five Player of the Year had spent the last month at a Las Vegas prep school, but is returning home to play for the Trojans.
Stephen Clark's Las Vegas experiment is officially over.
Clark is moving back to Oklahoma City with plans to return to Douglass High School for his senior year, according to his mother, Dorshell Clark.
Stephen Clark, The Oklahoman's Super Five Player of the Year last season, spent the last month at Quest Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas, but concerns about the first-year school have prompted his return to Oklahoma.
“I gave Stephen a chance out there and we gave the school a chance,” Dorshell Clark said. “But it didn't work out, and it's time for him to come home.”
Dorshell Clark said she was bothered by unresolved concerns about the school's academic programs in relation to NCAA guidelines. She also felt that the environment in Las Vegas left her son with little protection from individuals approaching him to be his representative for college recruiting purposes — in other words, street agents.
Stephen Clark averaged 25 points and 11 assists last season for Douglass. He has been the Trojans' leading scorer for the last three years, all of which ended with Class 4A state championships.
The move to Las Vegas was spurred, in part, by the departure of Douglass coach Terry Long, who took a job at Mustang after last season. Clark did not want to finish his career under a coach other than Long, a longtime family friend.
However, he returns to a team with several experienced players under new coach Anthony Andrews.
Stephen Clark is not expected to face any OSSAA eligibility issues, since he will be returning to the same home at the same school where his eligibility was previously established, without having participated in any contests at Quest Prep. Dorshell Clark said she had already been in contact with administrators at Douglass to begin the re-enrollment process.
Stephen Clark is being recruited by a variety of top programs across the nation and is in the process of scheduling official visits starting in October.
He will visit Oklahoma State, though not likely in an official capacity. Still, the Cowboys are very much in the recruiting mix, which is important for them, considering their needs at point guard.
OSU's coaching staff made a strong impression on the Clarks during their in-home visit. Originally scheduled for the afternoon of Sept. 9 — the first day coaches could make in-home visits with basketball recruits — Travis Ford and two assistants called to reschedule their arrival for midnight.
“They wanted to be the first ones there,” Dorshell Clark said. “That really showed us something.”
Clark is setting up visits to UCLA, Connecticut and Baylor, but has yet to determine where he'll go for the final two of his five allowed official visits.
Read more: http://newsok.com/high-school-basketball-stephen-clark-returning-to-douglass/article/3713047#ixzz27bvAGFbg
Clark is moving back to Oklahoma City with plans to return to Douglass High School for his senior year, according to his mother, Dorshell Clark.
Stephen Clark, The Oklahoman's Super Five Player of the Year last season, spent the last month at Quest Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas, but concerns about the first-year school have prompted his return to Oklahoma.
“I gave Stephen a chance out there and we gave the school a chance,” Dorshell Clark said. “But it didn't work out, and it's time for him to come home.”
Dorshell Clark said she was bothered by unresolved concerns about the school's academic programs in relation to NCAA guidelines. She also felt that the environment in Las Vegas left her son with little protection from individuals approaching him to be his representative for college recruiting purposes — in other words, street agents.
Stephen Clark averaged 25 points and 11 assists last season for Douglass. He has been the Trojans' leading scorer for the last three years, all of which ended with Class 4A state championships.
The move to Las Vegas was spurred, in part, by the departure of Douglass coach Terry Long, who took a job at Mustang after last season. Clark did not want to finish his career under a coach other than Long, a longtime family friend.
However, he returns to a team with several experienced players under new coach Anthony Andrews.
Stephen Clark is not expected to face any OSSAA eligibility issues, since he will be returning to the same home at the same school where his eligibility was previously established, without having participated in any contests at Quest Prep. Dorshell Clark said she had already been in contact with administrators at Douglass to begin the re-enrollment process.
Stephen Clark is being recruited by a variety of top programs across the nation and is in the process of scheduling official visits starting in October.
He will visit Oklahoma State, though not likely in an official capacity. Still, the Cowboys are very much in the recruiting mix, which is important for them, considering their needs at point guard.
OSU's coaching staff made a strong impression on the Clarks during their in-home visit. Originally scheduled for the afternoon of Sept. 9 — the first day coaches could make in-home visits with basketball recruits — Travis Ford and two assistants called to reschedule their arrival for midnight.
“They wanted to be the first ones there,” Dorshell Clark said. “That really showed us something.”
Clark is setting up visits to UCLA, Connecticut and Baylor, but has yet to determine where he'll go for the final two of his five allowed official visits.
Read more: http://newsok.com/high-school-basketball-stephen-clark-returning-to-douglass/article/3713047#ixzz27bvAGFbg
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