Emma Clarke is just getting started
Despite battling injury all WNBL season, Clarke remained one of the league's best three-point shooters, and her best is yet to be.
Credit: Daniel Pockett / Getty Images
In her second season with the Sydney Flames, Emma Clarke was a constant presence and someone that opposition defences needed to be fully aware of on the perimeter.
The 24-year-old forward shot an efficient 39% from deep and undoubtedly the highlight of her season was a ridiculous shooting effort where she connected on 5/7 shots from long range as her Flames trounced the Melbourne Boomers, 86-58, back in December.
In a recent chat with The Pick and Roll, she praised Sydney’s coaching staff for giving her the confidence needed to deliver in her role.
“We had Guy [Molloy] come in, after Shane [Heal] the year before,” she said. “Guy and the coaching staff, Renae Garlepp, they just instilled a lot of confidence in me and the things that we worked on in practice and in our individual sessions, they were fully backing me to do in a game setting.
“You can get situations sometimes where you work on stuff with coaches, but then in the game, it's like, ‘oh no, you can't do that’, but they fully backed me. It was good that I was surrounded by a lot of talented players, like Lauren [Nicholson] who could really facilitate well and it was my job to knock the shots down.”
Whilst Nicholson played at a near-MVP level all season long, she wasn’t the only superstar in Sydney. With Opals Cayla George and Tess Madgen joining over the offseason, Clarke took the opportunity to learn from some of the best to do it.
“I was obviously on a two-year contract and when I saw Guy had been appointed and then I think Lauren was one of the first announcements, then Tess and then Cayla and I was like, ‘oh my god, it's going to be so cool’.
“Actually being able to play and train alongside the current Opals; they bring lots of energy, really love the game, love their teammates and pour so much energy into it. It was just cool to be surrounded by players that have been to the Olympics and World Cups, because I have the same goals and aspirations to make those teams.
“I was trying to be a sponge and just soak up everything they had for me; feedback, direction from the leaders and a better perspective on how they conduct themselves.”
Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Clarke’s season, where she averaged seven points and three rebounds in 22 minutes of play per game, was the fact she was unknowingly playing through a serious injury.
Initially diagnosed as a calf strain, it wasn’t until the season wrapped up that a Grade 3 stress fracture of the tibia was discovered.
“It was pretty tough for the medical staff to figure out exactly what it was because I love being in the gym and I keep thinking of how I was feeling and it was never enough pain to actually get me out of training or playing - it was just what I thought was a little niggle.
“Then the doctor said, ‘you're in a lot of pain but because you've had it for so long, you just don't register it - you have a very high pain tolerance’.”
Injuries are a part of every athlete’s journey, and Clarke spoke about how she’s been able to find the silver linings in it all.
“The initial period was pretty tough,” she said. “I hadn't really had a break in quite a long time, so it was good to just step back a little bit - my body needed a break, my mind needed a break. I've been able to push really hard in the gym, especially with my upper body strength and core, doing a lot of pilates as well and I'm also seeing the sports psych and nutritionist regularly.”
Having been sidelined since the end of the WNBL season, Clarke has been a leader off the court for her new NBL1 team, the Joondalup Wolves.
“When you watch from the sidelines because you're not able to play, I feel it gives a different perspective,” Clarke shared. “I've taken on quite a big leadership role in my NBL1 team and trying to mentor some of the younger girls and give as much advice as I can.
“It just makes me so grateful for basketball. The biggest thing I’m taking away is how important a balanced workload is and managing it all.”
Credit: Supplied
Another key to Clarke getting the most out of herself is nutrition, and she’s taken that aspect of her game to a new level, having recently signed on as an ambassador for ATHENA Sports Nutrition, which is not only made by female athletes, but focuses on needs for athletic women.
“I'm incredibly privileged to be a part of a company that advocates for female sports nutrition,” she said. “I love being fit and healthy in general, so to be able to represent a company that shares the same passion as me is really cool.
“The products are just so different to anything else on the market right now that you see and the extra benefits that you get out of the supplements is the iron, the collagen, the calcium and electrolytes, which is all designed to support women with what they need to optimise their performance.
“Some women I feel can be turned off by what is a male-dominant area, so to actually have something where women can know the product is made for them, it's not just a chalky protein or got a bulky man on the front, it's actually designed for good taste and to help women.”
Clarke’s journey to becoming one of the top three-point shooters in the WNBL wasn’t exactly natural in the beginning, but through hard work and dedication, she stayed the course and is reaping the rewards.
“It’s funny because as a junior in WA, I was nearly the tallest on each team I played on, so it wasn't really a specific skill that I locked into when I was a kid, but I remember going to an Under 15 Southern Cross Challenge Tournament and I was really challenged to get my shot off against a lot of other taller athletes from other states,”
“I remember coming home quite upset thinking that was such a hard tournament, and I didn't perform how I wanted to but my dad and I just sat down, went to the drawing board and broke down my shot and changed it completely.
“I guess I've just kind of stuck with those things that I was focusing on and it's turned out all right for me.”
It certainly has.
Clarke’s rise through the ranks saw her accept an offer from the University of Colorado, where she played two seasons from 2018-2020. Her mind was made up on going to college, knowing the WNBL could be an option down the track.
“I really wanted to go to college, and I guess you have a smaller window of opportunity; you're straight out of high school basically, whereas I feel like the WNBL and pro level, it's always kind of going to be there,”
“I really wanted to try the college pathway and if it didn't work out, I knew I could always come home and compete for a WNBL contract. I'd rather say that I went than I didn’t.”
Her basketball journey has continued on an upward trajectory since her time at Colorado. Whilst she wasn’t apart of the squad that clinched Olympic qualification last month for the Australian 3x3 Gangurrus, she’s been heavily involved in the program and has cherished every moment.
“I love being part of that squad,” she said. “The culture is great and there's something about having a smaller group where you can truly build and maintain authentic relationships,”
“The squad really gets after it and seeing those four girls compete [Anneli Maley, Lauren Mansfield, Mareena Whittle and Ally Wilson] - even though the road to the Olympics was quite challenging in terms of opportunity for women's series tournaments and funding - I was so overwhelmingly excited by their efforts in qualifying for the Olympics and I'm going to be cheering for them from home.”
Like most who dive into the world of 3x3, Clarke believes that format has helped improve her five on five game too.
“I really think it has, especially there's obviously the fitness component to it, but there's a lot of one on one that you have to play - offensively and defensively - and there's no hiding in the corner, you’ve got to be constantly on,” she said. “Also I feel like for me, there's no time to think in 3x3, you can't get down on a play if you make a mistake, it's just so quick and you’ve got to bounce back right away.
“I feel like 3x3 is the core of me, it brings out the best of me and then I take those qualities to, five on five and give it a good crack.”
Clarke’s basketball story continues to be written, and we’re looking forward to what comes next.