New Faces, Strong Starts: Clarke Basketball Begins Its 2025–26 Run

The 2025-26 men’s and women’s basketball season has officially kicked off with both teams winning their separate home opener games giving a look at their promising seasons. The men’s team set the tone on October 28 when they took on Emmaus Bible College, winning 94-71 with Sophomore Forward, Sunny Parker, leading the Pride with 24 points.  The women’s team kept the energy with their win over Trinity Christian College the following week on November 4, with Junior Guard, Zoe Kennedy, leading with 17 points.

Prior to the first game of the season, both the men’s and women’s teams worked with the Clarke Association of Student Athletes (CASA) to organize an event to generate buzz and excitement among the student body about their upcoming seasons. The event was titled “Clarke Chaos,” where both basketball programs hosted and participated in a slew of contests including Freshman Karaoke, Men’s Dunk Contest, Men’s and Women’s 3-point Contest, and Skills Challenges. The men and women were divided equally into two teams, Team Blue and Team Gold, ending the night with a four-quarter scrimmage. Fans were encouraged to pick sides and wear their team’s colors in support. The first and third quarters were Women’s Gold Team vs Women’s Blue Team, and the second and fourth quarters were Men’s Gold vs Men’s Blue. The final minutes of the fourth quarter featured both men and women playing on the same team, generating intense fan enthusiasm as the teams battled for the win. With Team Blue ultimately pulling away with the win, the night of friendly competition created an exciting environment for not only the players, but also for fans as the programs begin to head into their seasons. 

Coming into the 2025-26 season, the women’s team has welcomed seven new freshmen and two transfers from Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota, and Missouri. The team’s coaching staff has also expanded this year with returning Head Coach Adam Hocking, new Assistant Coach Justin Smith, and Head JV Coach and Varsity Assistant Coach Mallory McDermott. The team also welcomed back former players Lilly Schiling as a Graduate Assistant and Anisha Vondenkamp as a Student Assistant. Going into each season, the coaching staff picks a hashtag to serve as a reminder to keep grinding and to motivate the team to continue reaching forits goals. This year’s team hashtag is #EDGE, which stands for Effort, Discipline, Grit, and Enthusiasm. Hocking says, “That means we want to have a big emphasis on team chemistry, work ethic, and holding ourselves to a high standard both on and off the court.” He is excited for what’s to come this season as his goal for his team this year is to “grow and progress every day together, and to certainly compete for a conference championship come February.” 

According to this year’s Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, Clarke WBB came in ranked at a hopeful sixth place out of fifteen teams. The team uses these rankings as motivation to improve and move up on the conference’s radar. Captain and Senior Guard, Hailey Walters, wishes to end her final season on a high note saying, “Since it’s my last year, I really just want to leave everything out there – no regrets. I’ve grown so much with this team, and it means a lot to finish strong alongside people who have become like family to me.” With a high level of commitment and desire to win, Clarke Women’s Basketball is ready to make a statement this season.  

The team began its month-long preseason the first week of September with a rigorous schedule that included weightlifting three times a week, morning conditioning every day, and open runs in the afternoon twice a week. This level of training helped the athletes prepare for the season ahead, and officially starting practices at the end of September on the 29^th. The first game of the season took place on October 30^th at the College of St. Mary Hospitality Classic where the team went 1 and 1 in the event, winning 85-58 against St. Mary and falling short to Doane 71-58. So far, the women’s team is 3-4 in the overall season and began conference play on Saturday, November 15^th, where they took on Missouri Baptist. The team is hopeful that this year will be a great season, as they have found their groove and gel well together. Captain and Junior Guard Josie Potts says, “Our team chemistry has been great throughout open gyms in the beginning of the year,” and she knows that this connection will only grow more throughout the season as they continue to compete in practice and work together in games.  

The men’s team has welcomed a new freshman class of six players and six transfers from Texas, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Missouri, Florida, Washington, and Croatia. Continuing to be coached by Head Coach Jim Blaine and Assistant Coach Marion Miller, the team also adds Drew Latterell as a Graduate Assistant, as well as Joe Andrew and Austin Treece as Student Assistants.  

With a similar preseason preparation to the women’s team, the men’s team kicked off their season with a home game win versus Emmaus, 94-71. They are currently 3-6 in the overall season; they also played their first conference game versus Missouri Baptist on November 15^th. Senior Guard, DeMarco Clayton, says the team looks very different this year as their recruiting class adds to the team in the aspect that they “have guys that can guard and play all positions,” and that the team as a whole has shifted in the sense that their “biggest advantage this year is our mindset to buy in and work together as a team.” The team is confident in their work ethic and dedication to chasing wins this season.   

In this year’s Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, the team was ranked at number twelve out of fifteen. The team uses this ranking as motivation to show that they deserve to be seated at a higher ranking. When reflecting on the rankings, Sophomore Point Guard, Jonovan Howard, says, “Everyone on the team are gym-rats and that’s our greatest strength coming into the season; we’re still learning how to win but we look good, and I am confident we can do so.” The team is dedicated, hardworking, and ready to take on any obstacle that comes their way and prove other teams wrong.