The Edmonton Stingers begin their inaugural season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League next month. A new group of players have joined the team, and one player is rising to the challenge.
Brody Clarke, a forward for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, joined the Stingers last month in the CEBL draft. Clarke has spent four years playing for the Golden Bears, appearing in three national finals and winning a Canada West title in his second year.
The 22-year-old Toronto, Ont. native graduates from the school’s engineering program this Summer. He says that he is relishing the chance to play at a higher level.
“I’m going to get an opportunity to learn from and play with guys who are bigger, stronger, better, faster than I am. And so for me, that’s probably going to be a difference in roles for the most part,” Clarke said.
“It’s just an opportunity to focus on other parts of my game, focus on developing and trying to be as equipped as I can for next season.”
Clarke is not the only Golden Bear to join the Stingers. Teammates Mamadou Gueye and Jordan Baker have been key parts of the university’s basketball program. Gueye was a Canada West all star, and Baker is the Golden Bears’s all-time leading scorer.
Having familiar faces in the locker room will help Clarke to settle in better, but he is happy to make new friends when he starts training camp.
“Jordan Baker is one of our assistant coaches at the U of A, so I have a really good relationship with him. I played with Mamadou for three years and it’ll make the social side of things easier,” Clarke said.
“You go on the court and compete with guys on a day-to-day basis. You don’t really need to know them or not, because basketball will bring you all together.”
The Stingers begin their season on May 10th, where they will host the Niagara River Lions at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
