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Sports

Take Two? Expectations High For Clawson Boys Basketball Team

The Trojans aim for second straight Macomb Area Conference Silver division title.

How badly does the varsity boys basketball team want to repeat as champions in the Macomb Area Conference Silver division?

"We break every huddle with 'MAC champs!'," senior forward Jalen Harrison said, smiling. "So we are planning on repeating."

Last year, the Trojans won their first title in 16 years. They were co-champions of the MAC silver division with Marysville.

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“It was the highlight of my life,” Harrison said. “I’ll always remember that.”

Harrison and his teammates want to make sure Clawson doesn’t have to wait another decade for a basketball conference championship.

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The senior is one of four three-year varsity players who head coach Bill Shellenbarger said gives the Trojans a shot at back-to-back titles.

Shellenbarger believes Harrison along with Kentrail Holt, DeShawn Gilbert and James Steffen will set an example for the entire squad. “They understand what we need to do,” Shellenbarger said.

He said the senior group’s hard work and leadership will help shape some talented young sophomores, guard Jared Ocampo and forward Marquian Johnson, who are expected to be key contributors.

Clawson’s balance extends to the court

A good mix of upper and lower classmen isn’t the only kind of balance the Trojans will have this year. Shellenbarger has a fantastic combination of size and speed to play with.

Harrison and Steffen give Clawson size in the front court while Holt and Gilbert is one of the fastest pair of guards Shellenbarger has ever coached. 

“We are quicker than we’ve ever been,” Shellenbarger said. “It could be a good catalyst for success, I just have to use it the right way.”

When he gets defensive rebounds, Harrison expects he will be pushing the ball up the court to his guards quite a bit. Johnson, who plays on the wing, will also be a target on those fast breaks. The athletic sophomore is already developing into an impressive scorer.

Even though the Trojans present teams with a challenge on offense, winning will require some toughness on the other end. Last year, Clawson had no problem matching up with physical teams and shutting them down.

Shellenbarger knows it’s early in the season, but he has spent a lot of time stressing his expectations on defense. 

“We won our conference championship last year on the defensive end,” Shellenbarger said. “And that’s where we have to do it again this year. We can be tough, we can be tougher than other teams and more physical than other teams and we have to be on defense in particular.”

Basketball season begins

Clawson opened the season Dec. 6 with a loss against Sterling Heights High School but handily . Next up is Ferndale University High School at 7 p.m. Friday.

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