Orillia’s Hannah Clark was named female athlete of the year at Lakehead University last month, after a terrific season in which she led the women’s basketball team to three tournament championships all while mentoring new players and helping build the rapidly evolving Thunderwolves women’s basketball program.
The game of basketball has always been a major part of her life.
“My dad coached at Hillcrest Elementary and I would go to practice with him as young as three years old,” Clark recalled.
“I would be on the bench with him watching the girls. Since I was really little, I’ve always been involved.”
The now 27-year-old has had a long and successful journey on the court.
She represented her elementary school at Couchiching Heights, played during all four years of high school at Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute (ODCVI) and played rep all the way through with the Orillia Lakers.
“I made some really close friends playing the game and it became a big part of my life. With the travelling and being on the road, it was a big commitment,” Clark reflected.
Over the years, Clark had the privilege of being coached by her dad for many of her years playing in Orillia.
“It was fun. We never had any issues. I was always able to respect him as basketball coach and a former athlete. We spent a lot of time together and bonded a lot with the game of basketball,” Clark said.
Clark’s most successful years of her youth came in high school where she contributed to the ODCVI basketball team that won the consolation championship at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association tournament during her Grade 11 year.
After the successful run in high school, the next chapter of Clark’s life unfolded at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, where she attempted to make the team as a walk-on.
“I was really nervous and had no idea if there was going to be a spot for me out there but I did make the team on an understanding that I wouldn’t get any playing time which ended up being the case,” Clark said.
Despite not playing a key contributing role in her first year at the post-secondary level, Clark had another terrific basketball experience and made great connections with her teammates, and shared in their success.
“I was always happy to be a part of it and to be included in it even though I wasn’t playing much; it was an experience I feel so fortunate to have,” Clark said.
In year two out east, a new coach took over the women’s basketball program and brought in his own recruits. If Clark wanted her spot on the team, she would have to go through the process of trying out all over again.
Clark decided to stop her basketball career to focus on her studies, and for the first time ever, transitioned into life without basketball.
“I didn’t know if I would ever play basketball again. I had the opportunity to play my whole life around really supportive people and that’s all I’ve known," Clark said.
Things changed when Clark returned home to Orillia to finish her education at Lakehead University.
“That’s when I realized the opportunity to play basketball again might be there, which I didn’t expect to happen,” Clark recalled.
Clark made the difficult decision to get back into the game and try out for the women’s basketball team.
“I was tentative because I wasn’t sure what to expect from my own level of play. I wasn’t quite sure what was going to be expected and if I was going to be able to make those expectations after not playing for so many years,” Clark said.
To prepare herself for tryouts, Clark found a scrimmage league being run by Georgian College in Barrie to shape up her game; she also found opportunities to scrimmage with the Georgian College women’s basketball team.
Unfortunately for Clark, it seemed like it wasn’t meant to be, as there was so little interest in the Lakehead women’s basketball program that they didn’t have enough players to make a team.
The following year, with the leadership of player-coach Gia Spiropoulos, the women’s basketball program gained enough interest to piece together a team of five ladies.
Clark and her few teammates put everything they had into that season, building a new team from scratch. They made it to the semi-finals in their first tournament.
Clark and her teammates got busy after the initial tournament success and built a roster of eight.
“I’ve had a lot of positive experiences with basketball, but I can definitely say this will be my proudest memory,” Clark said.
“We went from being really short on players going to the first tournament with five girls to building momentum and transitioning the program. It means a lot to me.”
The Thunderwolves team that was on the brink of folding one-year prior went on to being the most dominant team in the Ontario College Recreation League, finishing 12-0 and winning three straight tournament championships.
Clark was a huge contributor to the program's success as she re-discovered her game with a little help from her former high school coach, Dan Fournier, who joined the Lakehead program this past season.
“It was an amazing opportunity to have him coach. He brought all his skills, knowledge and support and it helped me a lot,” Clark said of Fournier.
Clark’s success on the court was acknowledged by the Lakehead athletic department, as she was named Thunderwolves female athlete of the year.
“There are so many great female athletes at Lakehead, especially on our team who stepped up this season and deserve the same recognition. I feel very honoured,” Clark said.
She credits her teammates for the award.
“I was a part of a team that was taking the season and the opportunity seriously. We showed up to practice and extra workouts and we never had a negative experience. Everyone showed up with a positive attitude and we expected that from everyone. It was a team effort,” she said.
The even greater achievement for Clark is knowing that she was a trailblazer at Lakehead who has helped pave the way for the future of Thunderwolves women’s basketball.
“To know that women in the future will have a team to play on and might not need to walk away from the game of basketball for as long as I did and come back with hesitancy, it means a lot to me as a female and a local basketball player,” Clark said proudly.
Clark will be returning to the Thunderwolves for the 2020 season as a master’s student.
