CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Clarksville Academy has announced the hiring of its new girl’s basketball coach.
Charles Clark will take over the reins to the program after Carrie Daniels stepped down from the same position to continue her coaching career in Indiana.
Clark shared how the entire hiring process played out and how he feels about Clarksville Academy athletic director Jake Peterson and company giving him the opportunity.
“I’m very excited. I was shocked obviously when Coach Daniels stepped down, but then when I found out the reason behind it as far as her having the opportunity to go back home, then it all made sense. I think maybe as soon as that happened, the process started on the CA end. I think more than anything,” Clark said.
“I felt like I was maybe someone who they felt confident in being the next person to lead the program and maybe even take it to the next level,” he continued. “The reason I say that is because throughout our conversation, the win-loss record at Kenwood never really came up. I guess that in itself and just the fact that I try to do things the right way, stand by my girls and promote our program maybe won out in this case.”
Clark spent the previous two seasons as head coach of the Kenwood girl’s basketball program where he recorded a 12-39 record.
Before the announcement was made, Clark was able to address his former team for the final time.
“When that process happened, the number one thing I wanted to do when I was offered the job was to make sure that I had a chance to let the admin know at Kenwood and obviously the team before any media got a hold of it,” Clark said. “I was able to let my coaches know and the players via Zoom. Obviously anytime you leave it’s challenging and tough.
“I met with my current players and their parents also on Zoom and they were very welcoming. Last night, was actually the first time we were able to get in the gym in our small groups, so I met about five of them. That went well and I have another group coming in actually tomorrow, so yeah so far so good with that.”
Clark will inherit an ideal situation at CA after Daniels helped turn the Lady Cougars into serious contenders in DII-A District 4 play.
Last season, Clarksville Academy set a program-record with 31 wins and made it to the semifinals of the DII-A state tournament where they fell to Trinity Christian Academy.
The Lady Cougars will look to fill the void left by their leading scorer Syndneey Boykin, as she continues her athletic and academic career at Mercer University.
“You don’t really replace a Sydneey Boykin just because of the type of player she is and that’s alright because we have four seniors who I’ve been very impressed with,” Clark said. “They have a mindset that they’re not going to have any slippage and that’s the culture I’m looking forward to being in where we just hit the ground running and continue to keep going. I think as far as talent and depth goes, we have a number of underclassmen who will contribute. There’s definitely some talent on the roster and we look forward to continue to develop, build those ladies up and keep the program rolling.”
Clark is glad to be able to have the proverbial keys to the car handed over to him by Daniels.
“We’ve always kept a good relationship,” Clark said. “We had a Thanksgiving tournament at Kenwood, summer camps that our girl’s program had started and she participated in both of them…I think we’re both respectful of what each other does. We’ve talked a couple times and of course she’s moving off, so she’s really just tried to stay out of the whole process and get ready for her new challenge as well.”
Starting over from scratch isn’t new for Clark as he’s made two stops previously at Clarksville and Rossview as an assistant coach and also served as head coach in the past at Houston County and Kenwood.
According to Clark, it’s the knowledge he’s compiled over the years from the bench and on the court that has better prepared him for this next journey in his career.
“If you look at it, I’ve worked and played for a guy in Ted Young at Clarksville where we were one shot away from winning a state title together,” Clark said. “That would’ve been pretty special, but I’ve learned a lot from him just from practice management and took away a lot of things as far as he never let family suffer throughout the basketball season or put them second.
“I tell people this all the time, but there’s not a better coach down two or three with the ball and 10 seconds to go than Johnny Jackson. I learned a lot from him as far as the offense and schemes go. He was also big on relationships. They’ve both been influential, so it made both of my stops a little bit more unique at Kenwood and at Houston County. I’m very thankful for my previous opportunities, but I’m really looking forward to this new adventure.”