D.J. Clark liked the opportunity to be a part of history.
It didn’t matter to Clark that his hometown of Indianola was more than two hours away from the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus.
Despite the distance, Clark knew The W was a co-ed school and that the 2017-18 school year was going to feature the initial offering of men’s intercollegiate sports.
A year later, Clark plans to make the most of a chance to be one of the first members of The W’s inaugural men’s basketball team.
“I knew it would be exciting having men’s sports for the first time,” said Clark, a 6-foot-5 athlete who played basketball and baseball at Indianola Gentry High School. “I am just looking to win games, to make the community proud, and to have fun.”
Clark said several of his classmates at Gentry High told him about The W and that it was a great school. He said he has been playing basketball since he was 7 years old, including two years at Blue Mountain College prior to coming to The W.
Clark is one of 22 players listed on the team’s roster on the school’s athletic website. Senior Josh Skinner and junior Keith Harris (Starkville), freshman Quin Williams and junior Justin Perryman (Columbus), and Antavious Belgrave (Macon) will provide the local flavor.
Brian Merkel will get his first chance to be a head coach of a men’s basketball team at The W. Prior to coming to Columbus, Merkel spent five seasons as assistant men’s basketball coach at NCAA Division III Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. He also spent one season as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country programs and four years as an assistant coach for the men’s golf program.
At Hendrix, Merkel assisted with all facets of the basketball program, including recruiting, opponent scouting, on-court practice, and skill development.
Prior to becoming a coach, Merkel was a three-year starting point guard at Millsaps College in Jackson.
“We have only been together for three weeks, so none of these guys really played together,” Merkel said Thursday before practice. “Whether you know somebody or have played with them doesn’t take away the ability to play hard. We’re going to make mistakes. Chemistry issues are going to arise on the floor, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t play hard and get after it for 40 minutes. The guys have really responded to that.”
Merkel said he was part of teams at Hendrix that played the saw way. He said the Owls have work to do on the Xs and Ox, but he said the effort he has seen from his players has exceeded his expectations. That’s a good sign, especially with 22 players on a roster that should mean plenty of competition for playing time.
“We have a lot of guys from around here, so the name wasn’t as big of a hurdle as I thought it was going to be,” said Merkel, who was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “You find this a lot at the Division III level. This is where I coached and where I played. There are a lot of guys that kind of fall through the cracks. People that don’t understand, it’s very good basketball. You come to a game at The W, you’re going to see high-level basketball.
“A lot of the guys I contacted or who contacted me just wanted a chance. The academic reputation The W has helps in that. It makes my job easy that when you bring a kid on campus not only are they going to get a chance, but they also are going to get a great education. They are going to set themselves up for life after basketball. All of that has made for a fun deal here.”
Merkel’s mother is from Columbus, as are his grandparents. He said his mother and father met at Lee High School in Columbus and then went to Mississippi State, so he knew the potential in The W.
Clark, a power forward, saw that potential, too. He said Merkel will bring an up-tempo style to the court, and that he feels things will click once everybody buys into the system.
“I know we are going to play hard and it is going to be an exciting brand of basketball,” Clark said. “Once we stepped on campus we just came together and formed a brotherhood. I feel like our bond is pretty good and we get along with each other. We have a great coach who always has our back.”
The W will play host to Blue Mountain College at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at Pohl Gymnasium. The game will be part of a doubleheader (5:30 p.m. start) with the women’s basketball team. On Saturday, The W prepared for its debut season with an exhibition game against Tougaloo College in Jackson.
With a chance to make history each time it steps on the court, Clark hopes the Owls will take advantage of their chances and make every game count.
“I want people when they look at playing MUW to know they are going to be in a dogfight,” Clark said. “We are going to play the whole 40 minutes, and we are going to play tough and get after it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
READER FAVORITES
Related Photos
D.J. Clark
