“Guards are a dime a dozen in Europe,” Delaney-Smith said. “[Clark’s] an elite-level guard, so if she stays persistent, I’m sure she’ll get to the right place.”
So far, Clark has indeed been proactive in her efforts to make headway through an otherwise uncertain process.
She says she has frequently looked to Delaney-Smith and other friends in the basketball world for advice, and she has reached out to former Harvard forward Katie Rollins ’08, who played professionally overseas in Germany.
Clark has also worked closely with her agent, Joe Dinda of Alliance Sports Management, to market herself to potential clubs.
The two have created a profile for Clark containing game film that has been sent to prospective coaches and organizations.
Dinda has placed players in locations all over Europe, including Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Poland.
For now, all Clark can do is wait as teams collect information and make their assessments about prospects.
The senior guard says that teams do not begin to make offers until June, when they have finished discussing and organizing their finances and have determined which players they wish to target and sign.
This long delay gives Clark the chance to settle down after what she admits has been a very hectic and stressful time for her.
As she reflects on her career in Cambridge, she will no doubt have a great deal to be proud of.
Clark ranks fourth and second all-time in Harvard history in points and free throws made, respectively, and was selected to the All-Ivy League first team three times.
Her coach, who refers to her affectionately as “Clarky,” praised the co-captain’s impact on the program.
“Clarky is the kind of player you love to coach. Her work ethic is phenomenal,” Delaney-Smith lauded. “Day in and day out, she doesn’t ever take a day off…. There isn’t a piece of the program she hasn’t touched.”
That work ethic should serve Clark well in the coming months, as she will be without formal basketball practices and games before her potential return to organized basketball, this time in the professional ranks.
The senior has been playing pick-up games and lifting to stay in shape, and she will pick up the intensity of her workouts over the summer as she has in previous years.
Despite the prospect of professional basketball looming, Clark has a more immediate focus: final exams and graduation.
“Right now, I think, my primary goal is to get through finals and finish strong academically,” Clark noted.
As she prepares to graduate and leave Cambridge, Clark looks forward to a potential opportunity to continue playing the sport she loves, and hopes that that 63-52 loss to Rutgers in the WNIT is not her last competitive contest.
“I’m really not ready to stop playing basketball,” Clark said.
—Staff writer Phil Delamater can be reached at philipdelamater@college.harvard.edu.