PITTSFORD, Mich. (AP) - Pittsford’s Maddie Clark has been named The Associated Press 2017 Class D all-state girls basketball Player of the Year.
Clark is a top-10 student in her class with a 3.98 GPA, a state champion in discus and three-time all-state volleyball player.
The 5-foot-10 forward averaged 17.0 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game. She did so despite rarely seeing the court in the fourth quarter due to an average margin of victory of more than 40 points.
After a 61-36 victory over Hillsdale Academy in Pittsford’s Class D regional championship game on Thursday, Clark is now 100-2 in her four-year career.
“She’s a great player but she’s also the nicest kid I’ve ever coached,” Pittsford coach Chris Hodos said. “And I’ve been coaching for 20 years. She’s so talented that she could score at will but she gives up a lot of shots for other people because she’s so unselfish.”
Hodos, a fifth year coach at Pittsford, was named the unanimous AP all-state Class D Coach of the Year after leading Pittsford to a second consecutive undefeated regular season, conference championship and regional title.
“To be coach of the year is a great honor,” he said. “I’m extremely humbled by it and I just can’t believe it.”
Clark was named the Southern Central Athletic Association MVP in both her freshman and junior years, while teammate Jaycie Burger, also named to the first-team all-state, earned the honors as a sophomore and senior.
Fruitport Calvary Christian’s Allyson Richards, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ Kayla Sanders, Lansing Christian’s Grace Haley, Frankfort’s Cecelia Schmitt, Gaylord St. Mary’s Alex Hunter, Michigan Lutheran’s Emily Wikowski, Bay City All Saints’ Shannon Bates and Mount Pleasant’s Sacred Heart’s Sophie Ruggles and Scout Nelson were also named to the all-state first team.
The goal for Hodos and Clark is to make her high school record 104-2, which would mean a second state championship. According to Hodos, Clark usually plays her best ball at Breslin Center.
As a junior, Clark scored 26 points and added 15 rebounds in a state semifinal game against Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes before a 22-point 12-rebound effort in a 48-30 state championship victory over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
Clark has signed her letter of intent to play volleyball at Hillsdale College but not before one final run with the Wildcats.
“She cares more about everybody else on the team than she does about herself,” Hodos said before the regional championship game of Clark’s motivation to go out on top. “Just four more to go.”
The senior was selected as the top player in Class D by a panel of nine Michigan sportswriters.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.