COLLEGE PARK, Md.
The road toward an NCAA tournament berth for Virginia continued to crumble yesterday after an afternoon announcement that tri-captain Jason Clark will not play the remainder of the year for academic reasons. As a senior, Clark's collegiate basketball career effectively ended just nine games into the 2004-2005 campaign.
"We just have to adjust and get used to playing without him," senior captain Devin Smith said. "We have to take it as if he got injured and other players have to step up."
Following the loss of Clark, Virginia must fill two major holes -- game performance and the daunting problem of replacing a tested leader.
With five conference losses, Virginia lies deep in the cellar of the ACC, peering ahead to the remainder of their schedule with an increasingly bleak outlook for the postseason.
After last night's loss to Maryland, players and coaches were similarly quiet and apparently distraught at hearing of Clark's exodus earlier in the day.
"It's frustrating," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said of Clark's situation. "It's one of those things -- you have to deal with it."
In the coming semester, you may find Jason Clark at the Dell or Slaughter, as the powerhouse of an intramural basketball team or impressing onlookers with two-handed dunks. Now a former member of the basketball team, Clark is simply a student at Virginia.
Sad is the only way to describe Clark's demise. It is sad for a student, with the uncertain road to graduation considerably extended or possibly ended. It is sad for a player, whose talent on the court should have contributed to his success off of it. Finally, it is sad for a team, in the middle of their season, to lose a captain.
It will not be determined until after the months ahead, but the exodus of Clark will spell a domino effect for the rest of Virginia basketball.
Without Clark, the Cavaliers will have overwhelming problems winning in a difficult conference. If Virginia does not finish in the top-seven ACC teams, they will not earn an NCAA berth. And if the Cavaliers do not make the national tournament in March, then the community can count on the replacement of coach Gillen for next season.
Ultimately, however, this domino effect could end in a happy ending for most parties involved.
In the years ahead, Jason Clark may earn a diploma and a coaching job somewhere as result of a change in focus from hoops to homework. Players receiving playing time in the place of Clark may develop into stars where they would not had they sat on the bench. And Virginia may hire a new coach who will return the basketball team to glory in the John Paul Jones Arena.
Yet, of all situations, Gillen's is almost guaranteed to end negatively. The final domino of Clark's departure could very well be Gillen's replacement. Here, the reality of a coach's challenging responsibility for his players on and off the court is exemplified with this very sad result.
You can bet old Pete wishes Clark could have brought the same intensity to the classroom that he brought to the basketball court.
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