Q&A With Gary Clark
11/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2010
This article was originally published in the Nov. 6 edition of Kickoff, the official gameday magazine of Wake Forest football.
Q: Why did you choose to come to Wake Forest?
A: When I came on my visit, I think it was in the springtime, it was beautiful weather; the campus was gorgeous and it just kind of put me in a trance. I just couldn't say no to a school like that.
Q: What has been your best memory during your first three years at Wake Forest?
A: It had to be probably the first time that I came to summer school. I met my fellow classmates James [Johnson] and Jeff [Teague], you know, best friends for life.
Q: What is your major and what do you want to do after your basketball career is finished?
A: My major is math. Eventually I'll probably get my MBA or a master's degree in something, and hopefully I'll go into the corporate world or the business world.
Q: What has been your favorite class at Wake Forest?
A: I'd probably say `Race in the Courts' with Dr. Hopkins, it's a great class.
Q: What are your goals this season, both individually and as a team?
A: I worry about what the team's going to do more so than myself. Of course you want to finish high in the ACC, you definitely want to finish on a high note, whatever that may be, and we just really want the freshmen to experience success.
Q: As the only senior on a young and inexperienced team, how have you taken on a leadership role?
A: I definitely understand that I'm being looked up to as the oldest on the team, so you just try to do everything the right way. You want to make sure that you have no slippage in what you do, you want to work your hardest. You just have to be on your P's and Q's.
Q: Describe the atmosphere of playing at the Joel Coliseum.
A: The Joel gets rocking. Any time you have the lights on you and thousands of fans looking at you, your adrenaline's pumping. The Joel is just a great place to be when you're playing basketball.
Q: What is the toughest road venue to play in and why?
A: The toughest that I've been to are probably BYU and Gonzaga. Their fans are so die-hard and loyal. I'm not saying that everybody else's fans aren't, but BYU is one of the biggest stadiums I've ever played in. It was thousands and thousands and thousands of loyal fans at Gonzaga, and the students are so crazy. It's probably the best crowd I've ever played in front of besides the Joel, and I just love to play in front of people like that.
Q: Describe your game. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
A: You know, people know me as a shooter, which I can do. I take pride in my shooting, but I try to do other things as well. Hopefully I'll be able to show that. Weaknesses, you know, I don't want to harp on my weaknesses and tell everybody my game, so I'm going to keep that to myself.
Q: What is the toughest thing about playing college basketball?
A: The intensity. The intensity at this level is high, it's very high. Everybody has that goal to go and play at the next level, so we're all fighting for those spots, those select few spots.
Q: What is the most enjoyable thing about playing college basketball?
A: The teammates. At this level you're around each other so much on all the trips, practices, eating lunch, your roommates, so it's the teammates that make the experience.