College basketball phenom Caitlin Clark’s dad, Brent Clark, is a frequent presence at her games, and he was her first basketball coach.
He’s occasionally caused controversy. According to The New York Post, he yelled at her to “stop” complaining during a game against Iowa.
He’s also been credited for helping instill the values and fundamentals that have allowed her to succeed on the basketball court at a historic level.
According to his LinkedIn page, Brent Clark is an executive vice president for Concentric International in West Des Moines, Iowa. He was previously Chief Operating Officer and a board member for SPAL Automotive USA, his LinkedIn page says.
Concentric International’s website describes it as a “leader in supplying products and services to the agricultural, construction, industrial, lawn and garden, professional turf and utility equipment industries.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Brent Clark Was Caitlin Clark’s First Basketball Coach & Once Benched His Daughter When She Started Crying During a Game
According to the Post, Brent Clark “was Caitlin’s first basketball coach.”
The publication notes that she “credits him for pushing her to be better at a young age.” That’s especially true when it comes to “developing her patented long-range 3-pointers.”
Caitlin told ESPN, “I give a lot of credit to my dad. He was my first-ever basketball coach, but he was the guy that would never let me shoot threes when I was a young kid because he knew my form would be awful.”
According to Hawk Fanatic, Caitlin “grew up in West Des Moines playing basketball with her two brothers and her cousins,” the daughter of Brent and his wife Anne Nizzi-Clark. Nizzi Clark is the daughter of former Dowling Catholic football coach Bob Nizzi, Hawk Fanatic reported, adding that Caitlin’s aunt played basketball at Dowling.
In addition, her older brother, Blake Clark, was Dowling’s starting quarterback and played for Iowa State, and her younger brother, Colin Clark, is also an athlete at Dowling, the site reported.
Her grandfather told Hawk Fanatic about a long-ago game her dad coached, benching his daughter for crying at age 5 after a stronger boy player edged her out. “Her father sat her down and then he said when you’re ready I’ll put you back in and she stopped crying,” Nizzi said to Hawk Fanatic.
2. Caitlin Clark’s Grandfather Says Her Mom & Dad Did a ‘Great Job With Her’
GettyCaitlin Clark.
Caitlin’s grandfather credited her parents with molding her into the person and athlete she is today, according to Hawk Fanatic.
“Her parents have done a great job with her of recognizing that gift and that ability, and at the same time, they’ve molded that into a young lady that not only enjoys passionately playing the game, she has given so many other people enjoyment and shown what it really feels like to be an athlete,” Nizzi said to the publication.
“She communicates that to the crowd and to the people. She enjoys what she does to the point that other people bring in that celebration.”
Nizzi told HawkFanatic that Caitlin’s parents have created a “normal” life for her at home, saying, “They’ve done a great job of really navigating through all of this,” Wilson said of Clark’s parents. “I know that they shielded her from a lot of things when she was very young recruiting wise because that came early. And I just think they deserve a lot of credit for how this has all worked out.”
3. Brent Clark Was a 2-Sport Athlete at Simpson College
According to his Simpson College bio, Brent Clark was also an athlete.
“Brent E. Clark was a two-sport athlete for Simpson. He was a four-year letterwinner for both the baseball and basketball teams from 1985-88,” the site says.
“He earned Second Team All-Conference honors for the basketball team in 1986-87. He earned First Team All-Conference honors for the baseball team in 1985, 87, 88, and earned Second Team All-Conference honors in 86. He was First Team All-Region in 1988.”
4. Brent Clark Has Been a Vocal Presence on the Sidelines at Caitlin Clark’s Games
Clark appeared to be complaining to the referee about a foul when her dad told her to “stop,” The New York Post reported.
The Post noted that a CBS reporter claimed Brent Clark later told his daughter during the same game, “Take her out, my gosh,” after Caitlin Clark “committed an offensive foul and her sixth turnover of the first half.”
“She’ll look to the stands every so often and I try to give her some reassurance,” Brent told KCRG. “I try to do the best I can.”
Brent Clark told WHO13 that the assist element is an important part of Caitlin’s game, and, when she won an award, he said it was a team effort.
5. The Clark Family Was ‘Always Involved in Sports’ & Brent Clark Knew Early On His Daughter Had Exceptional Talent
Sports has always featured strongly in the Clark family’s life. Brent Clark told WHO13 that he knew early on that Caitlin was exceptional.
“She literally, I would say, would score quite a few goals in soccer and the same way with basketball,” he said. “She would pull up on the free throw line on a 6 or 7-foot hoop and would make it pretty consistently.”
“We were always involved in sports and at home we were always around sports,” Caitlin’s brother Blake said to the Gazette. “We watched sports at night whether we would go to Drake and watch basketball games, or watch cousins play their basketball games, or tournaments, when you’re just around something that much, it’s what you do, too.”
Brent Clark told The Gazette that Caitlin, the middle child, learned from her older brother. “His perspective, I think his patience, receptivity to others ideas and his ability to listen are all real positive traits that I think both Caitlin and our youngest son, Colin, probably certainly notice and probably try to model as best they can,” Brent said to the newspaper.
READ NEXT: Caitlin Clark’s Family.
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