Earlier today, the BIG EAST named Seton Hall men’s basketball junior guard Adam “Budd” Clark to its Weekly Honor Roll.
This marks Clark’s second time being named in the conference’s weekly awards this season, the first coming after his all-around performance in the Garden State Hardwood Classic on Dec. 13. In a dominant 81-59 win over in-state rival Rutgers, Clark finished the game with 16 points on 7-for-10 (70%) shooting, as well as game highs of four steals and seven assists. That performance also earned Clark the Joe Calabrese MVP Award after the game, which is given to the player of the game on the winning team of New Jersey’s biggest rivalry.
Clark earned the honor this week after his performance in the Pirates’ (14-2, 4-1 BIG EAST) comeback win at Georgetown on Saturday night, during which he recorded season highs of 22 points and five rebounds while shooting 6-for-12 (50%) from the field and 10-for-12 (83%) from the line. The junior guard was the catalyst of two pivotal scoring runs for The Hall, the first helping them tie the Hoyas at halftime after trailing by six, and the second helping them take the lead and momentum late in the second half before ultimately pulling away for the 76-67 win.
Down 24-18 with about four and half minutes left in the first half, Clark scored five of his nine first-half points during a 11-5 run from the Pirates that tied the game at 29 at the break after a sloppy start for them.
His first-half heroics were just a preview of what was to come, however, as Clark then scored 13 of his 22 total points in the second half. This included six points, and an assist, he contributed during a pivotal 13-0 run that stole the game from the Hoyas, who had led by as much as 11 points in the second half. After cutting the deficit to just one possession minutes before, the Pirates trailed 57-54 with about seven and a half minutes remaining in the second half before leading 67-57 roughly four minutes later.
In his first season with the Pirates, Clark has served as the team’s “quarterback,” facilitating the team’s play on offense as their starting point guard. Early foul trouble for the Philadelphia native in a few games this season, like their loss to Villanova on Dec. 23, has proved how important he is to the team’s offense, with the Pirates struggling to get in rhythm without him on the court. Through the team’s 16 games this season, Clark averages 10.5 points and 5 assists on 40% shooting from the field. Most of his scoring comes in transition or from mid-range, where Clark likes to drive through the line before stopping on a dime and rising up for a 10-15 foot jump shot.
Clark’s importance to the team isn’t limited to just offense, though. On defense, the five-foot-10 guard uses his quick feet to stay with his assignment, get around ball screens with ease and make life difficult for opposing team’s ballhandlers who are trying to cross halfcourt. When off the ball, the Merrimack transfer lurks in passing lanes and uses his active hands to record steal after steal, with him leading the BIG EAST with 2.2 per game.
With this week’s honor, Clark becomes the recipient of the fifth conference award the Pirates have earned this season. The others include graduate guard AJ Staton-McCray, who earned a Weekly Honor spot and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week earlier this season, and senior forward Stephon Payne, who received the latter honor for a week as well.
As an undersized yet tough guard, fans and commentators alike have been quick to draw a parallel between Clark and his head coach Shaheen Holloway, who played a similar role for The Hall from 1996 to 2000. When SHU hosted a media day in their new practice facility in South Orange ahead of the season, Holloway had a litany of things to praise about Clark, who he also sees a bit of himself in.
“What Budd brings to the team is that he’s a winner,” Holloway said. “He’s a Philly kid, he’s tough, he plays my style of basketball, he’s got a [big] chip on his shoulder and he has something to prove.”
“We’re never going to let up,” Clark said after the Pirates’16-point comeback win over Creighton on Jan. 3. “We’re resilient. We’re going to fight till there’s zero seconds on the clock—it doesn’t matter whether we’re up 20 [or] down 20. We’re just trying to find a way to win.”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
