Clark ready to be more of a leader at Mizzou - STLtoday.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. • Four months after elbow surgery cut short Wes Clark’s sophomore season, there are two things the Missouri guard isn’t ready to do: One is dive for a loose ball. “I told myself I’ll watch it one day once I got the courage,” said Clark, who dislocated his right elbow Feb. Clark’s forearm took a wrong turn when South Carolina’s Michael Carrera landed on the 6-foot guard as both players scrambled on the floor for the ball. “I’ll probably take a year off … before I dive for any more loose balls,” Clark said. Fully cleared to join summer practices last month, Clark can contribute in other ways next season. With Johnathan Williams III’s decision to transfer to Gonzaga, Clark will be Missouri’s leading returning scorer after averaging 10. 1 points a game, up from 4. 1 his freshman season. Clark’s 3-point shooting percentage dipped some last year — from 36. 8 to 31. 3 percent — but until the injury, he was becoming one of MU’s more consistent perimeter players. Once Clark was lost for the season, Missouri went 2-6 without him on the floor and the team’s scoring fell off from its already woeful pace, from 61. 1 points a game with Clark to 58 without him. As coach Kim Anderson prepares for his second season with the Tigers, his most experienced guard will be expected to assume a leadership role for a team that counts nine freshmen and sophomores among its 13 scholarship players. Source: www.stltoday.com
