Coaches

HEAD COACH - Mike Clarke

womensbball@laurentian.ca

Born and raised in British Columbia, it would come as little surprise that Mike Clarke would go on to star, as a player, at UBC, leaving the school as the fifth leading scorer in Thunderbirds’ history.

Clarke would suit up with the Junior National team, competing at the 1987 World Junior Basketball Championships. after playing one year of pro basketball in South Africa, Clarke would make the move to the coaching ranks, joining the staff of the Langara Falcons men’s basketball team.

But his big break would come when he stepped in to take on the ladies team mid-season.
In the following campaign, his first full year at the helm of the Lady Falcons, Clarke guided Langara to a provincial championship, quickly garnering recognition within the college ranks.

In 2002-03, Clarke made the jump to the CIS basketball, accepting the position of head coach with the Laurentian Lady Vees. In his rookie year on the bench, Mike Clarke leads his new team to an undefeated regular season (20-0), earning OUA East Coach of the Year honours in the process.

During his eight years in Sudbury, Clarke has accumulated an overall record of 115-59, his teams winning more than 70% of their games. He prides himself on being approachable, but also expanding the players’ knowledge of the game, focusing on a more cerebral approach to basketball.

Clarke has worked with the provincial basketball associations in both British Columbia and Ontario, often devoting valuable time during the off-season to working with high-school students.