The Lake Superior State University men’s basketball program has added Rodney Clarke as an assistant coach announced Lakers’ head coach Steve Hettinga.
Clarke arrives to LSSU after serving as an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., for four seasons (2013-17).
“Rodney comes to us from a very successful program,” said Hettinga, who embarks on his 11th season at LSSU this upcoming 2017-18 season and is the Lakers’ all-time winningest coach. “Rodney had a great playing career as well which only helps him adapt better with our players. After interviewing him, it was a slam dunk to offer him the position.
“I look forward to working with him,” added Hettinga, a two-time (2014-15) Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year Award recipient.
While at the Cumberlands (UC), Clarke was instrumental in the Patriots making a 2016 NAIA Elite Eight National Tournament appearance along with earning two (2015 and 2016) Sweet 16 Tourney berths and four consecutive national tourney showings while registering an 89-44 overall record as a member of Donnie Butcher’s coaching staff. The Mobile, Ala. native coached a pair of honorable mention All-Americans and four All-Mid South Conference Team players during his UC stint.
“I’m extremely excited to join the staff at Lake Superior State,” said Clarke, who was ranked ninth nationally as the top assistant coach in the NAIA ranks by CoachStat.net. “Coach Hettinga has really done a great job establishing this (LSSU) program and I’m looking forward to learning a lot from him.”
Prior to his tenure at UC, Clarke spent 2010-12 as the varsity boys’ basketball assistant coach at Indian Springs High School in Birmingham, Ala. From 2006-10, Clarke directed the freshmen boys’ basketball squad in addition to serving an assistant with the varsity boy’s basketball program at John Carroll High School in Birmingham, Ala. JCHS compiled an impressive 106-17 overall record to go along with a runner-up placing at the 2008 5A State Championship Tournament. Clarke began his basketball coaching career at Blount High School in Prichard, Ala., where he coached the boys’ junior varsity program from 2004-06.
Clarke, who attained both his bachelor’s degree in movement leisure studies (2003) and master’s degree in business administration (2017) from the University of the Cumberlands, played three seasons (2000-03) for UC’s men’s basketball and was a two-time (2001-03) team captain for the Patriots. He began his collegiate hoops playing career in the 1999-00 season with the Golden West Junior College Rustlers in Huntington Beach, Calif., and concluded the campaign scoring an Orange County Conference fifth-best 15.7 points per game.
A four-year varsity basketball letterwinner at John L. LeFlore High School in Mobile, Ala., Clarke was a two-time (1998-99) all-county defensive team selection and served as team captain during his 1998-99 senior season. He achieved Most Valuable Player recognition at the 1999 Murphy Tournament and helped LeFlore High to a combined 114 victories in his prep career.
The son of Oscar Clarke and Mary Thomas, Rodney has three sons – Tyler and twins Zharion and Versailles. Clarke holds membership in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Lake Superior State has produced three 19-win or more performances the last four seasons to date and chalked up a 16-10 overall mark for the 2016-17 season.
http://www.lssulakers.com/sports/m-baskbl/2017-18/releases/20170804d84uvq
