Ahead of the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 11, the conference announced its Men’s Basketball Annual Awards on Sunday, with Seton Hall men’s basketball junior guard Adam “Budd” Clark collecting two All-conference honors.
Merrimack coaches and fans weren’t exaggerating when they boasted that “We have Budd Clark, and you don’t” the past two seasons. In his first year at The Hall, Clark was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, while also being named to the conference’s first-ever All-Defensive Team.
With the honor, Clark becomes the latest SHU guard to earn All-BIG EAST recognition, joining the ranks of former Pirates Kadary Richmond, Jared Rhoden, Myles Powell and Isaiah Whitehead—all program legends in their own right.
Starting all 31 of SHU’s games this season, Clark was the engine behind the Pirates’ offense: named BIG EAST Player of the Week once and three times to the Weekly Honor Roll, the junior guard averaged a team-high 12.4 points per game, which rose to 13.7 in conference play, while also adding team-highs of 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals.
“I like running the show,” Clark said during WSOU 89.5 FM’s Pirate Primetime featuring him and teammate Tajuan Simpkins on Feb. 1. “I like getting my teammates open, I like to score, I like to defend—I like to do a little bit of everything, honestly.”
With 19 games in double-figures, Clark led the Pirates in scoring nine times, including one game where he put together one of the best all-around performances by anyone in college basketball this season.
In an 87-80 win over Providence on Feb. 11, Clark had 31 points, the most by any Pirate this season and just one point shy of his career-high, while also recording eight assists and a season-high five steals.
Clark’s performance not only marked the first 30-point or more game by a Pirate since 2022, but his 31 points, eight assists and five steals made the Philly Native the only BIG EAST player to compile such a statline in regulation since the 1996-97 season, and the first to do so in any game since Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn in a six-overtime classic against UConn in the 2009 BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal.
“I think he’s understanding the mission, understanding what I’ve been preaching to him about making people follow you,” Holloway said about his starting point guard after such a performance. “He’s not vocal, he’s more follow by his actions, but I’ve been on him to be aggressive and don’t let the game come to you.”
“Be aggressive and have people run with you,” Holloway added. “I think he’s doing a better job of that now, understanding that as he goes, we go.”
Other standout performances from Clark include tying a career-high with 12 assists against Central Connecticut State on Dec. 3, a 16-point, 7-assist and 4-steal performance that earned him the Joe Calabrese MVP award in SHU’s 81-59 romping of inner-state rival Rutgers in the Hardwood Classic on Dec. 13 and a 24-point scoring output in one of “Second Half Seton Hall’s" many comeback wins this season, this time over Xavier on Jan. 28.
“We’re very resilient,” Clark said postgame. “We’re going to fight to the end, and just keep clawing back and find a way to win.”
Also one of five players named to the conference’s inaugural All-Defensive Team, as an undersized guard on defense, Clark made life difficult for opposing teams’ ballhandlers with his quick feet and hands. His 2.0 steals per game and 62 total steals were the second- and third-highest, respectively, in the conference, with him also recording 12 games with at least three steals this season.
Although a proven statsheet-stuffer with Merrimack, it was the intangibles that motivated Holloway to recruit Clark to join him in South Orange as soon as the former All-MAAC First Team guard entered the transfer portal during the offseason.
“What Budd brings to the team is that he’s a winner,” Holloway said ahead of the season. “He’s a winner and he’s a Philly kid, he’s tough, he plays my style of basketball, he’s fearless, got a chip on his shoulder bigger than anybody I know, and he’s got something to prove.”
“That’s why I love him, the qualities that he’s got,” Holloway added. “I think he scored a lot last year, but I don’t think you understand how good of a playmaker he is.”
These intangibles were on full display in the Pirates’ final game of the regular season, when they hosted No. 18 St. John’s (STJ) on March 8. Although The Hall ultimately fell 72-65, they got an efficient 15 points from Clark, who, along with freshman forward Najai Hines, insisted on playing despite suffering a left quad and ankle injury, respectively, in their previous game, a win at Xavier on March 3.
"Give Najai and Budd a lot of credit—[their status] came down to right before the game," Holloway said postgame. "Budd wasn't supposed to play—you've got to give credit where credit is due—he wasn’t supposed to play at all."
“Those are the type of players you want on your team, both of those guys,” Holloway added. “Both those guys didn’t do anything for two days [in practice], and to come out here and play the way they both played—they both gave us a lot of energy and everything they had to try to win this game.”
Interestingly, Hines was nowhere to be found on the conference’s All-Defensive or -Freshman Team, despite ranking 18th in the nation and second among all freshmen in blocks per game with 2.21.
Leading the Pirates to a 20-win season and fourth-place finish in the conference standings, Clark is confident in his side heading into next week’s BIG EAST Tournament.
“We feel like we can beat anybody on any given day,” Clark said postgame. “That’s just up to us.”
The tournament will begin for the Pirates on March 12, when they face the Creighton Bluejays at Madison Square Garden in the quarterfinal round.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
