Sports Update
Stairway to Kevin: Clark takes over Wolfpack as English heads to TCA
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Plano West baseball had to adopt that mantra as just one year after Don English took over for Kendall Clark in what essentially served as a job swap with Clark moving to Coppell, English is moving on as well. English has accepted the head baseball job at Trinity Christian Academy, where he will also be the middle school athletic director.
"Coach English is a great coach and a great person," said Mike Hughes, West head football coach and cluster athletic director. "We didn't want to lose him, but he got an opportunity he felt he couldn't pass up."
West didn't have to look far for English's replacement as assistant coach Kevin Clark will take the reigns. The new coach Clark, no relation to the old one, has been with the team for eight years, a run that included two trips to Round Rock and a state title.
"Obviously we are excited about moving Kevin into this position," Hughes said. "He has been loyal to us for some time and deserves this opportunity."
Clark joined West, the only school he has coached at since college, in 2005.
Prior to that, Clark attended school at West Texas A&M.
"I was chasing my dreams of playing college baseball," Clark said before slyly adding, "turns out I wasn't the best baseball player."
With his focus now primarily on academics, Clark planned to complete his degree at Texas Tech. But when his girlfriend at the time (now wife) Lupita graduated and got a job in Dallas, Clark transferred to UNT to finish his teaching degree.
While teaching at Renner Middle School, Clark became a volunteer assistant at West in 2005. He moved up to head assistant coach two seasons later.
"At that point, I knew they had a lot of faith in me," Clark said.
West made the playoffs for the first time in 2007, following up with a Class 5A State Championship and MaxPreps National Title in 2008 and a run to the Class 5A State Tournament in 2010. Kendall Clark stayed on one season after that last state appearance, taking the head coaching job at Coppell in 2011.
Kevin Clark was considered a lead candidate for the West opening, but was passed over for English.
"I was frustrated at first that I didn't get the job, but at the end of the day I looked at it from the perspective that I was still getting the opportunity to work with the same kids as if I had gotten the head job," Clark said. "Last year was a humbling experience, but everything happens for a reason, even if you don't understand what that reason is at the time."
And having English at the helm did pay dividends for Clark.
"I learned a ton this past season," Clark said. "I'm definitely a better coach now than I was a year ago."
TCA reached out to English last month, shortly after the season had ended.
"I was really shocked when I heard [coach English] was leaving," Clark said. "When he got here he said he was staying until he retired and I really do believe he meant that; he just got an offer that was a huge opportunity for him and couldn't turn it down."
That in turn led to an offer the West assistant couldn't turn down.
"I talked with coach Hughes, [Plano ISD athletic director Gerald Brence] and [West principal Kathy King] and told them immediately I was interested in the job," Clark said. "They said, 'we believe you are the man for the job too,' so that was really exciting and flattering."
Paperwork still had to be finalized and Clark didn't get the official call until Monday.
"I had been running baseball camps at the school for the past couple weeks and coach Hughes called and said to stop by on the way in," he said. "I did, he told me everything was in place and I went to go finalize things with coach Brence once the camp was over.
"It was kind of the A-ha moment ... I can't really put into words how I was feeling at that moment because this is something I have wanted since I was playing in high school. I wanted to be a head coach and to reach that goal is so exciting and maybe a bit overwhelming in the moment."
Clark will have help along the way as he is promoting Matt Garver to be his assistant.
Those two will have their work cut out for them with a West team that missed the playoffs the past two seasons.
"Technically I am a new coach, but the kids know me and they know what I expect," Clark said. "My goal is to stick with what we know has worked in the past and to build on that. We want the kids to have fun playing baseball everyday because that is a great way to reenergize the program.
"Just talking about it has me excited ... I wish we were starting today."
Plano West baseball had to adopt that mantra as just one year after Don English took over for Kendall Clark in what essentially served as a job swap with Clark moving to Coppell, English is moving on as well. English has accepted the head baseball job at Trinity Christian Academy, where he will also be the middle school athletic director.
"Coach English is a great coach and a great person," said Mike Hughes, West head football coach and cluster athletic director. "We didn't want to lose him, but he got an opportunity he felt he couldn't pass up."
West didn't have to look far for English's replacement as assistant coach Kevin Clark will take the reigns. The new coach Clark, no relation to the old one, has been with the team for eight years, a run that included two trips to Round Rock and a state title.
"Obviously we are excited about moving Kevin into this position," Hughes said. "He has been loyal to us for some time and deserves this opportunity."
Clark joined West, the only school he has coached at since college, in 2005.
Prior to that, Clark attended school at West Texas A&M.
"I was chasing my dreams of playing college baseball," Clark said before slyly adding, "turns out I wasn't the best baseball player."
With his focus now primarily on academics, Clark planned to complete his degree at Texas Tech. But when his girlfriend at the time (now wife) Lupita graduated and got a job in Dallas, Clark transferred to UNT to finish his teaching degree.
While teaching at Renner Middle School, Clark became a volunteer assistant at West in 2005. He moved up to head assistant coach two seasons later.
"At that point, I knew they had a lot of faith in me," Clark said.
West made the playoffs for the first time in 2007, following up with a Class 5A State Championship and MaxPreps National Title in 2008 and a run to the Class 5A State Tournament in 2010. Kendall Clark stayed on one season after that last state appearance, taking the head coaching job at Coppell in 2011.
Kevin Clark was considered a lead candidate for the West opening, but was passed over for English.
"I was frustrated at first that I didn't get the job, but at the end of the day I looked at it from the perspective that I was still getting the opportunity to work with the same kids as if I had gotten the head job," Clark said. "Last year was a humbling experience, but everything happens for a reason, even if you don't understand what that reason is at the time."
And having English at the helm did pay dividends for Clark.
"I learned a ton this past season," Clark said. "I'm definitely a better coach now than I was a year ago."
TCA reached out to English last month, shortly after the season had ended.
"I was really shocked when I heard [coach English] was leaving," Clark said. "When he got here he said he was staying until he retired and I really do believe he meant that; he just got an offer that was a huge opportunity for him and couldn't turn it down."
That in turn led to an offer the West assistant couldn't turn down.
"I talked with coach Hughes, [Plano ISD athletic director Gerald Brence] and [West principal Kathy King] and told them immediately I was interested in the job," Clark said. "They said, 'we believe you are the man for the job too,' so that was really exciting and flattering."
Paperwork still had to be finalized and Clark didn't get the official call until Monday.
"I had been running baseball camps at the school for the past couple weeks and coach Hughes called and said to stop by on the way in," he said. "I did, he told me everything was in place and I went to go finalize things with coach Brence once the camp was over.
"It was kind of the A-ha moment ... I can't really put into words how I was feeling at that moment because this is something I have wanted since I was playing in high school. I wanted to be a head coach and to reach that goal is so exciting and maybe a bit overwhelming in the moment."
Clark will have help along the way as he is promoting Matt Garver to be his assistant.
Those two will have their work cut out for them with a West team that missed the playoffs the past two seasons.
"Technically I am a new coach, but the kids know me and they know what I expect," Clark said. "My goal is to stick with what we know has worked in the past and to build on that. We want the kids to have fun playing baseball everyday because that is a great way to reenergize the program.
"Just talking about it has me excited ... I wish we were starting today."
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