Alysha Clark

Classroom

Clark sets an example for her fellow student-athletes by maintaining a solid 3.7 grade point average since transferring in one of the college’s most prestigious majors: mass communications. Overall, including her two years at Belmont University, her GPA is 3.3. When she is not on the court, Clark can be found in study hall, the student-athlete enhancement center or the library conducting school work to further her education. She is always willing to learn new techniques to understand the concepts relating to her major. She also completed an internship in the sports department of the NBC affliate in Nashville last summer, getting more on-hands experience relating to her degree.

Character

Clark, despite all the awards that have come her direction, remains one of the most down-to-earth and humble student-athletes to walk the Middle Tennessee halls. She is always deflecting the praise off herself and instead redirecting it to her teammates, whom she credits for her success. She often says she could not do it without the assistance of her supporting cast. Her maturity often is shown non-verbally and it allows her younger teammates to learn from her. During practices, she is teaching her teammates the fundamentals to help them become better players.

Community

Clark uses her personality to reach out to people of all ages, from reading to school-aged children on Read to Succeed Day to visiting underprivileged groups throughout the community. She is a constant presence at team functions, from We-Haul where the Blue Raiders help the move-in process on campus to the March of Dimes to Special Olympics. Clark always is at the forefront of these events, leading the group and being the first to extend her hand.

Competition

Clark will complete her two-year career at Middle Tennessee as one of the best players in school history. She was named an All-American by three different organizations after her junior campaign and already has received preseason honors on the Wade Trophy Watch List, the Naismith Trophy Watch List and as the Sun Belt Player of the Year. She led the country in scoring as a junior with 27.5 ppg, including a national-best 50 points at Troy in February. She was selected as the Sun Belt Player of the Year, Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt, Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player and All-Sun Belt Tournament Team honoree. Clark participated in USA Basketball’s World University Games Team Trials in May and set a league record by being named the Sun Belt Player of the Week six times. Her 935 points scored rank fifth in NCAA history for a single season, while also being the subject of an ESPN.com feature story and listed among the six Faces in the Crowd in the February 11, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated.