Aug. 30, 2010

LONG BEACH - As the 2010-11 school year begins, freshman Ella Clark took some time out of her day to chat with longbeachstate.com Clark, a 6-foot-3 forward, who hails from London, England, has been a member of the national team since 2006.

longbeachstate.com: Tell us about your family.
Clark: Well, we're not the typical family. Besides all being over 6-foot, we're also an extreme basketball family with my mum being an ex-Great Britain international and my dad an ex-international coach. Then there's my brother who plays professionally over in the top league in Spain and who is currently on the Great Britain men's team. One of my cousins is also here in the U.S. at Houston Baptist and my aunt also played for the England national team.

longbeachstate.com: When did you start playing basketball?
Clark: Properly from around the age of seven, but I've been around basketball since basically birth.

longbeachstate.com: What other sports did/do you play and at what level?
Clark: I did the normal multi-sports thing when I was a kid, so tennis, mini rugby, swimming, etc., but I've mainly focused on two sports for about the last four years - basketball, which I've played for the national teams since I was 14 and in the top league over in England, and a sport called netball, which not too many people know about. I played in the top women's national league (Superleague) and for the national team competing in the U21 world youth championships last year.

longbeachstate.com: What exactly is netball?
Clark: Most people describe it as a mixture between basketball and handball. There's a lot more restrictions, like you can't move with the ball and no dribbling, and you can only hold the ball for three seconds at a time. The court splits into thirds with two semi-circles at either end. Only certain players are allowed in certain areas and only two people are allowed to shoot from each team. The ring is the same height but there's no backboard. Since a player cannot move while holding the ball, the game is a lot about movement off the ball. The sport is mostly played by countries in the commonwealth but the U.S. does have a national team.

longbeachstate.com: What are some of your honors with basketball?
Clark: I played for the England national teams at the U16 and U18 levels from the ages of 14 to 17, and then I played for the Great Britain U20 team this summer. We won the European B Division championships and got promoted to Division A. I was named the U18 Player of the Year for all of England during the 2008-09 season. My club team also won the championship three years in a row and I was the MVP of the National Championships Final Four.

longbeachstate.com: Why did you decide to come study and play here at The Beach?
Clark: On my visit here, I felt it was the right school, I felt comfortable here. The place is really nice (and good weather), and I believe the program is going somewhere and had great ambitions with good teammates and coaches. I also asked some former Long Beach State students who played on the men's team and discussed it a lot with my parents and brother. After what seemed like a long time, I decided to come here because it will give me the chance to be a better basketball player and I can help a team win in a great place to live and study.

longbeachstate.com: What countries have you visited? Did you have competition in these countries?
Clark: Finland, Italy, Bulgaria, Israel and Macedonia are places where the FIBA European Championships have been held. I've also been to prep tournaments in Spain, Portugal, France, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Also, for netball I've been to Barbados, Trinidad, New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

longbeachstate.com: How did you spend this past summer?
Clark: Mainly preparing for my European championships with the U20 team, so straight after exams, I was in camps. We traveled to Bulgaria to play their national team three times as prep before driving down to Macedonia for the championships. We ended up only losing one game the whole tournament and winning by one in the final which made us the first-ever age group national team from Great Britain to win the championships and get promoted, which is pretty special. Then the rest of the summer has been attempting to prepare for preseason and spending time with friends and family before I came here.

longbeachstate.com: Who flew out with you to Long Beach? Tell us some of the things you did on your Southern California vacation?
Clark: My mum, dad and grandma came with me. We had a week by the beach before I had to come to school so we mainly just relaxed by the beach as we had no car for a few days. We did venture around Long Beach by bus a few times, visiting local towns, which was easy. Once we got the car, we took a trip to Universal Studios and went to the shops and other stuff.

longbeachstate.com: What do you hope to accomplish here at Long Beach?
Clark: Personally, to get better and more consistent in more areas of my game and to get a good degree at the University. I want to help the program win and be a championship team.

longbeachstate.com: What are you most looking forward to?
Clark: Playing and meeting new people.

longbeachstate.com: What are your basketball ambitions?
Clark: To hopefully go pro, but just to continue playing at the highest level possible.

longbeachstate.com: What would you like to do after your playing days are over?
Clark: Not much. Just relax somewhere nice.

longbeachstate.com: Describe your game to us.
Clark: Versatile, but predominately a small forward. I'm more of a shooter than a penetrator. I use my length on the defensive end and I love to block shots.