I.D.I.O.T.: Anyone who watches Rockets broadcasts knows by now that Gary Clark was last year's AAC Defensive Player of the Year. But did you know he won the same award in 2015-2016? He was also the only player unanimously named First Team All-AAC last season. In this day and age where switchable defenders are so valuable, it is mind-boggling that a guy goes undrafted after winning multiple Defender of the Year awards and being the only unanimous First Team All AAC choice. Classic Morey. Before some of you think the AAC (which Gary lead in rebounds last season) is some podunk basketball conference, think again. Teams include Connecticut, SMU, UH, UCF, and Clark's Cincinnati among others. Not just a force on the court, Gary has shown he is a true character guy as well, winning the Sportsmanship Award in his league. As we savvy Rockets fans know, character is a vastly underappreciated metric in the NBA. Clark seems like the kind of guy who is easily coachable, fully dedicated, and a positive influence for the team. Rare attributes in a rookie. In addition to the Sportsmanship award, Gary was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award last season, Clark logged more than 50 hours of service in the Cincinnati community, interned with UC’s Vice President of Safety and Reform, Dr. Robin Engel, to positively impact campus safety and spent time visiting and encouraging hospital patients. Clark also earned a pair of prestigious UC academic awards, the 2016 Legion of Excellence Award for the highest grade-point average on the men’s basketball team and the 2018 Jean Stephens Award honoring student-athletes of high integrity, ethical standards and commitment to teamwork. Now shooting 3's with confidence and capably guarding NBA stars, it seems as though Morey and Co. have truly found a diamond in the rough with Gary Clark. Some info in this thread was found in this article: Spoiler https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cincinnati.com/amp/399241002
Googled him. Actually won player of the year twice in AAC, but it is obvious why he didn't move on to the NBA: 5'9" 170 lb. Currently playing pro ball in Italy.
Happy to see someone young doing well for us early in the season. He's really helping out guarding wing players off the bench. Long term I see him guarding PF's though. His feet are not quick enough for a lot of SF's, while his rebounding and help defense are ideal for interior play. Very nice catch who already looks like a lock to have a long term NBA career, albeit with a not-so-high ceiling.
