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Tag Archives: jason clark

July 30, 2012 Jason Clark Signs Pro Contract With Generali Okapi Aalstar In Belgium

By: Bohlin

Former Georgetown Hoyas guard Jason Clark has signed his first professional basketball contract. Clark will begin his career with Generali Okapi Aalstar of the Belgium-Ethias league.

After averaging 14 points and 4 assists during his senior season with the Hoyas the All-Big East selection went undrafted. Clark received an invitation to join the Miami Heat summer league roster in Las Vegas where he averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.8 RPG in four games played.

Clark joins fellow former American college players Noah Hartsock (BYU), Derek Raivio (Gonzaga) and Alex Ruoff (West Virginia) on Okapi Aalstar’s roster. Couldn’t be happier that Jason will have the opportunity to continue his basketball career as a professional. I know I speak for everyone at The DC Dime in wishing him nothing but the best going forward.

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July 18, 2012 Georgetown and Maryland Players: Summer League Check In

By: Willis and Bohlin

The Maryland Terrapins and the Georgetown Hoyas have quite a few players competing for roster spots this year in the NBA Summer League installments in both Orlando and Las Vegas. The DC Dime has been following these former Hoyas and Terrapins stand outs as they continue to chase their NBA dreams, in this post we will break down what these players have done up to this point.

Georgetown:

Hollis Thompson: As we previously posted, Hollis Thompson signed a three-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder after going undrafted. Thompson had been nursing a groin injury for which he had to have minor surgery. This procedure has kept Thompson from competing in any summer league games for the Thunder. All indications are that Thompson will be with the Thunder after training camp and into the regular season so this should only be a minor bump in the road for Thompson as he begins what will hopefully be a long NBA career.

Henry Sims: Sims is pulling double duty this summer and played for the Utah Jazz entry in the Orlando Summer League and is also on the Chicago Bulls roster for the Vegas Summer League, basketball obviously never stops for Sims. Sims had trouble getting steady minutes with the Jazz summer league team averaging only 11 minutes per contest. In those 11 minutes per game of playing time Sims was able to average 4 PPG and 2 RPG.

While these numbers will not blow anyone away they were more than enough to garner Sims an invitation to play with the Chicago Bulls entry in the Vegas Summer League this week. Sims made his Bulls summer league debut last night and chipped in four points to go along with six rebounds. With the Bulls recent loss of Omar Asik to the Rockets in free agency there is a more than decent chance that Sims, if he performs to the level he did his senior year at Georgetown, could realistically receive an invitation to training camp and have a legitimate chance at making the Bulls roster. If you want to catch Sims in action in Las Vegas his next game will be today, July 18th, at 6 pm EST against the Houston Rockets.

Jason Clark: Jason Clark has fared rather well through two games with the Miami Heat entry in the Vegas Summer League. Even though the stats don’t show it in his VSL debut against Toronto where he did not register one point, rebound or assist, Clark was very much involved in the action. For some reason however, his teammates were not looking to get him involved on offense. Despite this Clark did quite the job when given the opportunity to guard Raptors lottery pick Terrence Ross as Clark helped hold Ross to only 14 points on 14 shots.

Clark was more aggressive on the offense end in his second game, a 50 point blowout win against the hapless Los Angeles Lakers summer league team. In this matchup Clark was able to contribute six points, five rebounds, one block and one assist. Clark will need to continue to pour in these types of contributions to the Heat in order to receive an invite to training camp but knowing his work ethic I have little doubt in my mind he will continue to perform. If you want to catch Jason Clark’s next game in Las Vegas his Miami Heat will be going up against the run and gun Golden State Warriors tonight at 10:30 pm EST on NBA TV.

Maryland

Terrell Stoglin: There’s not a whole lot to report on for the 6’1 Stoglin, who decided to forgo his junior year at Maryland, yet remained undrafted. Stoglin is not playing many minutes for the Toronto Raptors this summer, and even though he has appeared in 3 games thus far, the results have not been good. Stoglin’s most prominent performance came against the Miami Heat, where he played 5 total minutes. In those minutes, he got to the line twice and scored 5 points right off the bat. His aggressive mentality that he showed off in college also came out that game immediately. While you’d think he would get more minutes, that simply isn’t going to be happening this summer. I’m sure the Raptors aren’t disappointed with his play, but in order for them to truly gauge his abilities, they need to showcase him a little more.

Ekene Ibekwe: Yes, there has been an Ibekwe sighting in Las Vegas! Ekene is playing for the Portland Trailblazers this summer, and he has appeared in two games thus far (playing 10 minutes in both). I got the chance to see both games, and Ibekwe has shown off his rebounding ability that he had way back in ’07 for the Terps. He has collected 7 rebounds so far (4 against Miami, 3 against Houston), playing hard and trying to show his value as an offensive board cleaner. Ibekwe’s shot hasn’t gone down a lot, as evidenced by his 2-of-7 shooting in two games thus far, but the fact that he’s looking to score and getting quality chances is something, right?

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July 3, 2012 Jason Clark To Join Miami Heat Summer League Team

By: Bohlin

Last Thursday night we did not see any of the three draft eligible Georgetown Hoyas, Jason Clark, Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson, get selected by an NBA franchise. While disappointing, this does give those former Hoyas the opportunity to choose  where to continue chasing their NBA dreams. While Sims and Thompson have yet to make a decision as to which NBA Summer League team they will sign up with Jason Clark has.

Clark, as first reported yesterday, will be joining the Miami Heat in the Vegas Summer League beginning on July 13th. Clark worked out for the Miami Heat prior to last Thursday’s NBA Draft and while they did not end up selecting the former star for the Hoyas they did see enough in his skill set to invite him to join their Summer League roster.

This is a great opportunity for Clark to showcase his skills and have a legitimate shot at sticking with the Heat come the regular season were he to have an impressive run in Las Vegas. With so much of Miami’s salary cap space wrapped up in the Big Three they will have to find creative ways to fill out the rest of their roster. One option, which was employed last year by Pat Riley, would be to sign young players, such as Clark, to smaller contracts to get to the roster limit set by the NBA.

Clark was a former All-Met Player of the Year selection from Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington, VA) as well as a First-Team All Big East selection his senior year at Georgetown. Clark finished his Hoyas career with some impressive numbers ranking twentieth all-time in points scored, fifteenth all-time in steals and fourth all-time in three-pointers made.

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June 12, 2012 The Weekly Link Up

By: Willis

0 Doc Rivers just lost in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and I guess that would give a somewhat reasonable reason as to why he has to lash out at the Wizards organization….(Washington Post)

0 SB Nation reports that the Wizards also plan on working out 6 players on Tuesday in preparation for the NBA Draft. Does this mean we’re going to trade for another pick in this draft?

0 Speaking of potential draft picks, you’ve got to love it when Thomas Robinson, in an interview with SI.com, claims that he wants to “kill everyone.” Kinda makes me want to draft him….

0 In a bit of Hoyas and Wizards related news, which is rare, fellow Bishop O’Connell alum Jason Clark is planning on working out for Washington. Hats off, Mr. Clark! (CSN Washington)

0 I’d normally never link anything related to the Toronto Raptors onto this website, but it has to do with Georgetown forward Hollis Thompson, so why not? (RaptorsHQ)

0 According to ESPN.com’s Big East blog, Georgetown is a Top 5 coaching job in the conference. I’d have to completely agree with that assessment, except that academic standards may bring it down a notch. I’d still rank it above Louisville.

0 Terrapin fans, embrace Jake Layman! This kid has a bright future, as the future Terrapin power forward just landed himself a spot on the U-18 USA basketball roster. #Imcised (SB Nation)

0 Former Maryland Terrapins legend Walt Williams, who was the original Gary Williams pupil, is still managing to do great things in the community (He might be my favorite Terp). (Baltimore Sun)

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May 29, 2012 The Weekly Link Up

By: Willis

0 In case anyone missed this, the Washington Post has an updated preview of next year’s Terrapin basketball schedule. Unfortunately, only one game against Duke. Fortunately, however, only one game against Duke for a young Terrapins squad…

0 ESPN clearly believes that since the Terps are running low on guards, Albany transfer Logan Aronhalt is going to play a very large role for them next year. I have my doubts about how talented this guy is going to become, but I hope he can provide at least some scoring.

0 Casual Hoya has written a nice eulogy on Jason Clark and his career at Georgetown. I’ve watched that kid play since high school, and it’s great to see how much he has matured over the years and became a well-rounded individual.

0 SB Nation decides to expound upon why the NBA Draft Lottery coming up Wednesday is going to drastically affect the actual NBA Draft. They have some not-so-surprising concerns about the Wizards and how well certain prospects fit within our system.

0 The Examiner has decided to torture Wizards fans with a little glimpse into what Kentucky Wildcats prospect Anthony Davis could mean for the Washington Wizards, comparing him to a current playoff player on a contender….and now I’m freaking out…

0 MLive via the Washington Post explains to us what the Washington Wizards could learn in following the sound advice of the Celtics and the Spurs in terms of team formation…whatever.

0 And finally, WUSA9 believes that the Wizards should try and recruit one of the best coaches to ever grace the hardwood in Jerry Sloan. Convincing him that we’re the future might require him to be a bit on the senile side…

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March 20, 2012 Georgetown – N.C. State Hangover

Another Promising Season Seemingly Cut Short

By Bohlin

I’ve spent the last couple of days contemplating how I wanted to do this. After watching what turned out to be the last game of Georgetown’s NCAA Tournament run, I didn’t want to just do a normal review, as I thought that wouldn’t be fitting. In turn, here is the recap of my Sunday through roughly 2:45 pm.

I scraped myself up on Sunday morning and put my life together, hoping that the Hoyas would cure the hangover I had worked up on St. Patty’s. The day before, my favorite Irish Holiday seemed like a blur. It started at noon and ended around 1 am after I’d thankfully remembered I had to write up a preview for Sunday’s game. With the sound of the girl on the metro from the night before that kept grabbing my arm and yelling “I heard you were a wild one!” etched in my pounding headache, I knew I had to get a move on. I felt worse than I looked, and that was saying a lot, but I knew I had a job to do. I had to cover the Hoyas and that gave me hope that today could in fact be a good day.

Early on it looked promising, I still felt like I’d been run over by a Mac Truck, but hey, the Hoyas were executing their offense and controlling the tempo beautifully! Despite the sad state that I was in physically, mentally and emotionally I was sky high; 15 minutes into the game the Hoyas had raced out to an early 25-15 lead. Georgetown had the Wolfpack on the ropes, they were positioning themselves to blow this game wide open.

Then my hangover must have caught up with me, and somehow the Hoyas, because everything went bad from there on out.

That 25-15 lead, the same lead that I just spoke of, evaporated over the next five minutes. I felt my stomach churn as C.J. Leslie stole the ball and soared in for an uncontested dunk right before the half. Life had quickly returned to the doldrums from which I found myself that morning.

The second half continued similarly to the end of the first; Hollis Thompson found his stroke on offense and actually had a productive game but Henry Sims battled early foul trouble and Jason Clark couldn’t find his shot all day. The Wolfpack increased their lead, by way of a 30-9 run stretching back to the five minute mark of the first half, and all Hoya fans began to have flashbacks to Georgetown’s last few NCAA Tournament trips.

When all seemed lost, the Hoyas, helped by a Wolfpack team that struggled from the foul line down the stretch, rallied back to give themselves a chance to tie the game at the buzzer. After a tough jump shot was missed by Otto Porter, the Hoyas, down two points, put N.C. State on the line. After a miss on the back end of the double bonus trip, Jason Clark barreled down the floor, eluded his defender, and got off an open look at the three point line.

Much like the hangover I was nursing, the last second heave did not end well for Georgetown. The jumper sailed wide and with it the hopes of a Hoyas Sweet 16 trip this weekend.

Georgetown had lost 66-63, it was another bitter end to what looked to be a season full of promise. Some may say the Hoyas over achieved with their play this year, but another loss to a double digit seeded team in March is tough for any fan to stomach. My condition at the time was proof of this.

There’s no one person at fault for this loss. You can’t point the finger at head coach JTIII for sitting Sims a majority of the first half after he got in early foul trouble. Henry Sims practically put Georgetown on his back the last two weeks and while he was largely ineffective Sunday, he scored his first bucket in the last minute of the same, its not all on him. Jason Clark did not have a great day from the field, but he had a superb performance just two days before against Belmont that helped get Georgetown in this position. Hollis Thompson woke up from his early March hibernation, but was largely a no show in the Conference and NCAA Tournament before this.

Inconsistency proved to be what killed these Hoyas. Now it’s on to an off season where we have many story lines to look forward to. What will happen with the ongoing saga surrounding the recruitment of prized prep hoopster Nerlens Noel? Will Hollis Thompson forgo his Senior season and enter the NBA Draft? What will be next for outgoing Seniors Jason Clark and Henry Sims? We’ll find out together over the coming months.

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March 16, 2012 Georgetown vs. Belmont Preview

By: Bohlin

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

(3) Georgetown Hoyas 23-8, Big East At-Large
(14) Belmont Bruins 27-7, Atlantic Sun Champions

3:10 PM Tip-Off on TruTV

The selection committee provided us with a rematch of an opening round game from 2007 with this one. The Hoyas won that day, 80-55, as they began their march towards the Final Four. Their match up six years ago has little to no bearing whatsoever in this game today, as JTIII noted all week long in his interviews with the media. Many pundits however, are confident in the Bruins ability to pull off what would be an improbable upset in my opinion.

Belmont is making their fifth appearance in the Big Dance in the last seven years. While this is an amazing statistic for a mid-major like the Bruins to be able to boast, you have to point out that, as a program, they are still searching for that first Tournament win. Led by guard Kerron Johnson (14.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 5.2 APG) the Bruins have been outscoring opponents by an average of 15 on the season. At 82 PPG they are fourth in all of Division 1 in team scoring. As a team they are shooting 48% from the field and just under 38% from deep. These Bruins, coached by Rick Byrd, have ran off 14 consecutive wins as they enter the this game against the Hoyas so you cannot take them lightly despite their seeding.

The Hoyas made it into the Tournament with an At-Large bid after being knocked out of the Big East Tournament by Cincinnati. Led by upperclassmen Jason Clark, Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson these Hoyas want to improve upon the programs recent lack of success come March. Since beating Belmont on their way to the Final Four in 2007, the Hoyas have made it past the second round only once since. In their last two trips they have been bounced out in the opening round by Ohio and VCU respectively. In their last three trips to the Big Dance the Hoyas have eventually been bounced out by a double-digit seeded team. Needless to say they cannot go into today’s game taking these Bruins lightly.

In order for the Hoyas to get the W and advance on to face the winner of San Diego State vs NC State they will have to do a superb job on the defensive end to slow down the Bruins. Outside of containing Johnson, Georgetown will also need to keep a close eye on Ian Clark and Drew Hanlen as they are lights out shooters from three. Clark (12 PPG, 40.7% from behind the arc) and Hanlen (10.9 PPG, 48.1% from three-point range) can really stretch the floor for Belmont as their stats show. It will be important for the Hoyas to close out strong on these shooters, getting a hand in their face the entire game when they attempt a jumper.

Prediction:

Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson bounce back after having forgettable Big East Tournament performances and lead the Hoyas to a much needed Tournament victory. They hear every talking head on TV and in print writing them off in this match up and will come out fired up to prove those same people wrong. If Clark and Thompson can return to their regular season form and Henry Sims’ inspired play from the Big East Tournament carries over into the NCAA Tournament the Hoyas will move on to play on Sunday.

Final Score:
Georgetown – 74
Belmont – 60

P.S. As I am currently on my way into my other job (Blogging unfortunately doesn’t pay the bills) I am trying to figure out a way to watch the game at 3. Hopefully the MarchMadness App I downloaded on my iPod Touch works for me in the office (Don’t let me down Billy Gates) or I may be auspiciously coming down with a cold after lunch. Enjoy the games today people, and look for my game review later this evening!

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