For former Salt Lake Community College shooting guard Tilar Clark, basketball isn’t just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.
From the sound of a basketball hitting the wooden gym floor to the smooth swish as the ball whispers through the net, playing for the University of Utah is what Clark now lives for every day.
“[The U.] is amazing, it has been a great transition,” she says. “It has the same family feel and the coaching staff is amazing.”
After playing her freshman year at Utah State University, Clark says she was glad she made the decision to play for the Bruins and head coach Betsy Specketer last season.
“Coach Speck is an amazing coach, I don’t think that I would of gotten here today without her,” she says. “The year I spent at SLCC was very beneficial and I learned a lot.”
Clark decided to enroll at the U. because of the coaching staff and the Salt Lake area.
“I really like the way head coach Lynne Roberts coaches; she plays my style of basketball, and she really turned the program around,” she says. “One of the biggest challenges this year is adjusting to the game speed; it’s definitely going to be different than SLCC.”
With the U. now on the rise, Clark has high expectations for her junior season.
“My goals this year are to win the Pac-12 championship and go to the NCAA tournament,” she says.
Clark and her teammates started the 2016-2017 season earlier this month. All U. home games are played in the Huntsman Center.
