Brody Clarke overcomes injury, looks to lead the Golden Bears to first national title
Edmonton Stingers • Jan 31, 2020
Nobody expects more from himself than Brody Clarke.
It was supposed to be his biggest season of his basketball career. After a dominant year with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, a summer that saw Clarke get a taste of pro basketball with the Edmonton Stingers and representing his country at the 2019 FISU Games, Clarke was destined to return to the Golden Bears program with his sights set on breaking program and conference records, and show everyone that he’s the best U Sports player in the country.
Injury threatens season
But sometimes the game of basketball can be cruel. Clarke suffered a freak injury in a pre-season game against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, putting his last year with the Golden Bears in serious jeopardy. A return to the Stingers this summer also seemed unlikely.
“As soon as I landed on the floor, I heard a pop. If you look at the video, it looks just like a rolled ankle, but I knew right away it was more serious than that,” said Clarke.
An x-ray that evening confirmed he had suffered a broken foot, but it wasn’t just a normal break. A visit with the doctor, a few days later, showed Clarke suffered a Jones fracture, which is the area of the foot that produces little to no blood supply. It simply can’t heal on its own.
“I did a bunch of research before the appointment, so I knew what to expect, and as soon as I saw the x-ray I knew that was it,” said Clarke.
“It was the most difficult doctor’s appointment of my basketball career. I went into a shocked state. In a span of three days, I felt my season was being taken away. Would I even be the same basketball player again?”
Rehabilitation
Just days later, and not knowing if his career as a Golden Bear would be over, Clarke flew back home to Toronto and had surgery. He returned back to Edmonton ready to start another semester not knowing how his foot would respond, or a timeline for his recovery, but he worked tirelessly with the hope that he would make his return to the court.
“I rehabbed like crazy, and did everything as I was supposed to. Everyone had a hand in helping me. I just wanted to hold on to that hope,” said Clarke.
During his time off the court and throughout his recovery, Clarke had to shift his focus to supporting his teammates, not on court but from the sidelines. Not easy, but as the captain of the Golden Bears program, he didn’t want his absence to be an excuse for a loss of focus to achieve the team’s biggest goals of the season — to win a Canada West title and a national championship in March.
A force to be reckoned with
“I felt it was an opportunity for the squad to grow together, and I did everything I could to support them in that way. It was a chance for guys to step up and fill bigger shoes,” said Clarke.
“Seeing how hard these guys have worked to put us in this situation… If anything, I feel we’ve become a better team with me going down.”
Without Clarke, the Golden Bears have continued to be a force in the Canada West Conference, and to show they’re a national championship contender as the No. 4 ranked team in the nation.
Clarke’s hopes of a return to the Bears lineup became reality this past weekend when Alberta swept the Trinity Western University Spartans on the road. Clarke was dominant in the two games in his return, recording 32 points and 20 rebounds in Alberta’s two victories, improving Alberta’s record to 15-1 this season.
Return to play
Clarke made his return to his home floor at the Saville Community Sports Centre on Thursday night to start a home-and-home Battle of Alberta series with the No .2 ranked and undefeated (16-0) University of Calgary Dinos.
While the chance to break school and conference records is gone, Clarke isn’t even concerned about that anymore. He has just one focus. To lead the Golden Bears to a national championship.
“This is the last time I’ll get to wear Green and Gold and compete for something, and that’s special and exciting,” said Clarke.
“There won’t be a single moment the rest of the year that you won’t see me work as hard as I can. I’ve been thinking and salivating at the chance to be back on the court with this team.”
Putting Stingers’ experience to use
Clarke is going to use his experience from this past summer, getting the opportunity to play pro basketball with the Stingers, to try and propel the Golden Bears to even bigger heights over the next six weeks as he wraps up his university career.
“The fact that the league had this rule to allow current U Sports players to compete and develop and practice, and get valuable experience is incredible for basketball in Canada,” said Clarke.
“My goal has always been to play professional basketball. I got to have a taste of it without being fully committed, and test the waters and see how I fit. Having Jordan (Baker), and I’ve known Jermaine (Small) from back in Toronto. It made the transition smooth for me. I had a lot of guys tell me how good I was, and how I can be a big part of the team.”
“It was huge for my development to learn what it takes to be a pro. It gave me a higher level of confidence coming back to the U of A.”
You wouldn’t know it from his weekend stat line, but Clarke believes it will take some time to shake the rust off and get back to his level of play.
Ready for the nationals
“These guys have been competing and beating teams at a high level all year long. When I get there, I get there and I just have to be realistic with myself and not force the issue,” said Clarke.
“We have six weeks of the season until the national championship. That’s when I need to be at my best.”
The Bears have been to the tournament for three years in a row, but haven’t been able to get over that hump and play for a medal. Clarke knows that this is the last chance for him and his teammates, who have been there with him during the ride, to win that national title.
“For those of us, who’ve been part of those three years and six games are seething at another chance. Our goal isn’t to get to nationals, it’s to win nationals,” said Clarke.
“Every possession we need to play like a national championship.”