The Return of Clark: Inside the Prep’s Basketball Coach’s First Season Back

In his first season with the Prep, Chris Clark ‘04 proved he was unlike any other coach. It was about more than running plays and making shots; it was about improving as a team, taking accountability, and wearing the Prep jersey with pride.

After an upsetting loss against Father Judge at the Palestra, St. Joe’s Prep made the decision to move forward to a new era in the program. On June 5th, 2025, Clark and the Prep agreed it was time for him to come home. 

In a statement, the Prep’s Athletic Director, Bryan Ghee, said, “We are extremely excited to welcome Chris back home to help us fulfill the mission of creating well-rounded student-athletes.”

In early July, Coach Clark and his new team got to work. Through social media, Prep fans saw the team in the gym putting in work day in and day out. 

“Well, I think it starts in the summer. I think anytime you can get guys together to learn from each other, work on their skills, lift, train, you start to build camaraderie. The summertime is where you start to grow as a team,” Coach Clark explained.

The Prep continued to work as the school year began and attention shifted toward tryouts. The team had lost three key senior leaders—Jordan Ellerbee ‘25, Jaron McKie ‘25, and Olin Chamberlain ‘25— along with Mehki Robertson ‘27, who transferred. 

The newest varsity addition was sophomore transfer guard Luke Maransky ‘28. The lone newcomer to the program was transfer guard Luke Maransky ‘28, who arrived at the Prep after spending a year at St. Augustine Prep. 

When asked how the Hawks would manage after losing four key players and adding just one, Coach Clark acknowledged, “We knew we weren’t very experienced, but that's no excuse. Anytime you have the chance to go out there, compete, and wear the Prep jersey, you have to wear it with pride. That’s what we talked about. We knew there would be some growing pains early on.”

The Prep entered the season with uncertain expectations. On one hand, they had a coach widely regarded as outstanding because of his college level experience; on the other, the roster was young and inexperienced. The team opened the season with four sophomores, two juniors, and one senior in the primary rotation.

“You just try to help these guys out as much as you can. You try to help them grow and get better as players, as people,” Coach Clark shared about his mindset entering the season with an inexperienced. 

Unfortunately, the Prep got off to a rough start. The Hawks dropped their first four games of the season, falling to Upper Dublin, Benet Academy (IL), Coatesville, and Georgetown Prep (MD). 

After the loss to Coatesville, Coach Clark remained confident heading into the annual Gonzaga Classic, saying, “It’s all about us, and we have to continue to get better. We’ll be okay, we’ll be fine.”

At the Gonzaga Classic, the Prep earned two straight wins. Upon returning to Philadelphia, they added three more victories, including their first Philadelphia Catholic League victory against Conwell-Egan. 

Coach Clark expressed optimism after the close 69-62 win over Egan, stating, “It was a good one for us. () It was our first one— my first one. But again, it was just another opportunity for us to learn and to get better.” 

The Hawks then lost three games to Gonzaga College High School (DC), Bonner-Prendie, and Archbishop Wood. Offensively, the Hawks struggled, which was a major contributor to their defeats. In addition, they committed numerous turnovers over that stretch. 

Even through the tough stretch, Coach Clark remained confident in his squad while admitting that there was plenty to improve on. After the loss to Bonner, he said, “We just have to keep getting better. We still have a lot of games to play. It was a tough loss today, but you learn from it. We always talk about seeking the truth, so we have to look at ourselves in the mirror and get better.”

The Hawks responded with back-to-back wins two over West Catholic and Cardinal O’Hara. Their next matchup came against Neumann-Goretti in South Philly, and although the Prep led for most of the game, a late surge from the Saints secured the victory. 

While the wins proved that the Hawks could compete, they had not yet earned that signature win against the PCL’s top teams— something that remained many fans hoped for.

This did not concern Coach Clark, however, emphasizing, “There is no pressure at all.  I've tried to beat everybody, not just the top teams. It's really for me just having these guys grow and get better and develop. We have to figure out a way to put 32 minutes together.”

After several strong performances, the Hawks barely escaped Lansdale Catholic with a three point victory over a team not expected to make the playoffs entering the season. Coach Clark was nearly speechless about the Prep’s come-from-behind victory, managing only to say, “I don’t know.”

The Prep faced Roman Catholic in the next game, and a troubling pattern had started to build. The Prep led for the most of this contest, but a late push from Roman secured the win. 

Even with a roaring student section, Roman walked away with the win. 

However, the Prep followed with a huge win over Archbishop Carroll, a team who entered on a six-game winning streak.

Even with the win over Carroll, Coach Clark believed the team was capable of more, as he stated, “Anytime these guys can get a win at home in front of our crowd— especially against a really good team— I'm happy for them. But, they know, and I feel like, we didn't play as well as we could have.”

After the huge victory against Carroll, the Hawks faced adversity again when star forward Julain McKie ‘28 was not in the lineup against Devon Prep. The Hawks felt his absence in this game as they lost by 22 points to the Tide. However, with many doubting the team, the Prep travelled to La Salle College High School and scored a pivotal away win.

Coach Clark was pleased with the way the team played against La Salle, especially with loose balls and being aggressive, saying, “I think when we focus on the right things—when you focus on 50/50 balls and rebounding—the ball somehow goes in the basket for you.”

The season was gradually winding to an end and the Hawks had two final games against Father Judge and Archbishop Ryan. Against Father Judge, the Hawks battled throughout the game but the Crusaders overpowered the Hawks in the final minutes. In the final game against Archbishop Ryan, a poor third quarter led the Prep to not be able to recover. 

The Hawks suited up for a playoff game as the eighth seed in the PCL and hosted West Catholic where the team suffered a heartbreaking 3OT loss to West Catholic. With questions surrounding whether the morale for the team will remain high, Coach Clark stated, “We have to figure it out, it’s win or go home. If you don’t compete and don’t play as a team, then the season is over.”

The Hawks suffered a heartbreaking 3OT loss to West Catholic, finishing the season with a 10-13 record and 6-8 in the PCL. While this season did not have the regular season outcome that many hoped for, the Hawks will return key players next season such as Julian McKie ‘28, Justin McKie ‘28, Maransky, Alonzo Ellis ‘28, Jayden Howlett ‘27, and Myles Peterson ‘27. 

This season will be remembered for its highs and lows, but for Clark, it is only the beginning. The culture that the two-time PCL champion is building at the Prep won’t be defined by one season, it will be defined by what he does next.

The Hawks finished 10-3 with a 6-8 record in the PCL. While the end result did not favor the Hawks, the culture that the two-time PCL champion is building at the Prep as head coach won’t be defined by one season; it’ll be defined by what he does next.