Judy Clark inducted into N-Club Hall of Fame

Judy Clark, coach of the DeQuincy High School girls basketball team, is shown with her college coaches, Edwin Kelly and James Smith, during her induction into Northwestern State University N-Club Hall of Fame.

By Crystal Nix

Congratulations to Judy Clark on her induction into Northwestern State University’s N-Club Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 19.

Singer folks have watched Clark, DeQuincy High School Girls Basketball Coach, play basketball since she was five years at the Singer High School gym. It’s hard to believe that her mother, Helen, had to bribe her with a burger and coke to get her to play basketball in the first place. 

Basketball is a passion of Singer students, and Clark was no exception. She was always a high scorer, an outstanding ball handler, and was no competition for the less ex-perienced ball players. She was awarded the title of Miss Basketball in 1996 by the Louisiana Sports Writer Association during the All-State meetings.

Clark scored 663 points her freshman year in high school and was named District MVP, but Coach Edwin Kelly didn’t let her accept the trophy, encouraging her to stay focused on her game. Her sophomore year, she scored 835 points, and was named MVP Player again, and she was awarded the trophy. Her scoring rate climbed to 35.5 per game her junior year, and as a senior she ranked second on the all-time girls high school scoring list, with a grand total of 4,295 points. She signed a scholarship with Northwestern University and went on to be inducted into their hall of fame this weekend.

She attended Northwestern State University from 1996-2000 on a basketball scholarship. While there, she was named the 1998-99 Southland Conference Player of the Year. Clark ranks among the most dynamic guards in school history.

She scored 1,616 points in 112 games, 14.4 per game, 7th all-time at the end of her career, and finished her career second all-time at NSU in assists (609, 5.4 average) and sixth in steals (238, 2.1 average). She twice led the team in scoring and topped Coach James Smith’s clubs in assists and steals in each of her four seasons.

Clark led the Lady Demons to the 1998-99 Southland championship and a WNIT appearance (loss at Arkansas). NSU was 63-24 in her final three seasons, including a 24-6 record in her senior year. She was one of only four Lady Demons selected first-team All-Southland in multiple years, and only the third to do it in successive years, as a junior and senior, also twice All-Louisiana first-team and Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in 1996-97 when she led a rebuilding team in scoring (13.6), assists (6.2) and steals (1.9).

Clark began a coaching career for the DeQuincy High School girls basketball team in 2009, where she is head coach. She led the girls team in the 2016-17 season to the second round playoffs in the 4AA District Roundup, and they were Bi-District Champions with a 21-9 winning season.

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