It’s been quite the calendar year for Golden Bears Basketball alumni Brody Clarke.
Clarke entered the 2019-20 season as not only a Canada West MVP favourite, but also as the leader on the Golden Bears, a conference and national title contender.
However, a pre-season broken foot derailed the first 75% of Clarke’s season, with the Bears losing in the Canada West Final and U SPORTS Quarter-Final upon his return in the spring.
Despite the early athletic obstacles, however, Clarke’s passion, dedication and commitment to his academic goals never wavered, as he was named an Academic All-Canadian for the fifth-straight year.
The first-year MBA student, and faculty of engineering graduate also excelled upon his return to the court, averaging 18.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Due to his excellence on the court and in the classroom, Clarke was awarded the 2019/20 Mark Goodkey Memorial Trophy as the top Male Academic All-Canadian at the University of Alberta.
“It’s been a goal of mine every year to be an Academic All-Canadian, and receiving this award is pretty special. I felt like that goal allowed me to focus on my academics. It’s a big achievement to be able to do this well in school, while also having the demands of varsity sport.”
Clarke spent the first five years of his Golden Bears career in the Faculty of Engineering, earning AAC honours for four-straight years from 2016-2019.
The Faculty of Engineering was a major factor in bringing Clarke, a Toronto native, to the Golden Bears in 2014. Not only is the faculty highly regarded among Canadian universities, but also has a staff that accommodates the grueling demands of being a full-time student-athlete.
“Engineering was crucial in me making my decision to commit to the Golden Bears. Throughout my time at the UofA, the faculty was very understanding of the commitment I made to varsity basketball. It was basically a full-time job, on top of 25 hours a week of schooling. Everyone was able to get on the same page. It just speaks to the importance the faculty played in allowing me to be successful on the basketball court and in the classroom.”
Clarke also ended his career as a captain with the Golden Bears, a two-time team MVP, and three-time Canada West All-Star.
And if being a full-time student-athlete wasn’t enough, Clarke was also heavily involved in the community, serving as the Bears Basketball team representative on the University Athletics Board. His role with the student-athlete led community service group including organizing all team initiatives such as Read-In-Week, Stollery Bear Hugs, and Gym Class Heroes.
The Bears all-time leader in offensive rebounds was also able to add a Canadian Elite Basketball League title earlier this summer with the Edmonton Stingers.
“It felt like redemption, as I wasn’t able to get everything out of basketball that I had wanted to with my injury last year. It was pretty special being able to start my professional career with a local team, and with players and a coaching staff I was familiar with. It was a strange circumstance with the pandemic, and having a CEBL summer series, but great for us to make a run in the bubble.”
Clarke will now go forward as the University of Alberta’s nomination for the U SPORTS Top 8 Academic All-Canadian award. Since its inception in 1993, 13 Golden Bears and Pandas have earned that honour, with Golden Bears football alumni Ed Ilnicki being the most recent recipient in 2018.