Men’s Basketball Blog – Part 14
This is another great article on the SRU men’s basketball program that was in the Butler Eagle this weekend. See the full article below.
Coach Reynolds
Taylor, Clark heading for Luxembourg
Follow path of former SRU star
By Jason Orfao - Eagle Staff Writer
SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University men’s basketball program has blossomed into a perennial contender. Its growing reputation has opened doors for players when their college careers have closed. Following the footsteps of a former SRU star, Devin Taylor and Darious Clark have signed contracts to play professionally overseas. Taylor — a 6-foot-6, 205-pound New Castle native who averaged a double-double in his final season with The Rock — signed a deal May 15 to play for Etzella Ettelbruck in Luxembourg’s top professional circuit, the Total League. A familiar face will join him in the small country sandwiched between Germany, Belgium and France. Clark, a 6-foot-3 guard from Clinton, Md., inked a contract June 12 with Luxembourg’s secondary league for BBC Gréngewald Hueschtert.
“Almost every kid that grows up and plays basketball wants to be a professional player at some level,” said SRU coach Kevin Reynolds. “It’s nice that the guys have been rewarded. The dreams and the hard work has been fulfilled.”
Former Slippery Rock standout Denell Stephens also plays in the Total League and recently signed on for a fifth year. Taylor credited Stephens for creating a path to Luxembourg. “Denell had a lot to do with it,” Taylor explained. “He had a successful career at Slippery Rock, went there and was even more successful. With him having a relationship with them, I think it made them more willing to take a chance on me. It’s a great opportunity to get my foot in the door. “I’m really excited now that Darious is going, too,” Taylor added. “He’s going to be living about 20 minutes away from me and he was one of my closest friends at Slippery Rock.”
Clark played one season for The Rock after transferring from Illinois State and quickly became a consistent contributor for the most successful team in SRU history. Slippery Rock was a PSAC finalist and reached the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. “I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’s a good opportunity for me,” said Clark. “I’ve been playing basketball my whole life and now I’m getting a chance to go overseas and play basketball for money. “I’m eager to see how far I can take this,” he continued. “I’ve always been a hard worker. I feel like I have a chance to really show how good I am and we’ll see what I can make of it. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”
Searching for professional opportunities is an annual exercise for Reynolds and his staff.
“At the end of every year, we contact different basketball agents that we know and give our guys an opportunity. The agents evaluate the different game films that we send them and they determine who they like,” said Reynolds, who is hopeful Gerald Brooks will also be signed this summer. “We have the reputation as one of the elite teams in Division II and we have good players.”
He praised agent Misch Engel of Pro Partner Sports for helping Taylor and Clark find a new basketball home. “A lot of credit goes to him,” said Reynolds of Engel. “He’s done a good job marketing the guys. He also represents Denell.”
Taylor and Clark will set out for Luxembourg in August. But first, they will first finish up classwork to leave SRU as graduates, an accomplishment Taylor described as a “humbling experience.” “By the end of this summer session, all the guys will have their degrees,” said Reynolds, referring to the six Rock seniors from last season’s squad. “They’re all going to be SRU graduates, which is just as exciting.”
“We tell the guys it’s a three-part component when they come,” Reynolds elaborated. “One, you want to be a good student here and leave Slippery Rock with a degree. The second part is you want to have a good basketball experience, win a lot of games and hopefully get to play after college. The third part is to integrate yourself with the campus community.”
Reynolds credited the senior class of Taylor, Clark, Brooks, Luiz Santos, John Bayardelle and Aubin Reeves for earning the respect of fellow students on and off the court, which led to a steep rise in the program’s following on campus.
“Kids go to games at this level because you win a lot of games, but the other reason they go is because they like the guys on the team,” Reynolds explained.
Taylor and Clark both had high praise for their time at SRU. The Rock will soon be in the rear-view mirror, though, and they hope to be stepping stones for the next crop of SRU standouts. “Hopefully, I can do what Denell did for me,” said Taylor. “I hope me and Darious can open doors for other Slippery Rock players.”
