New coach, new culture

A veteran team and a young, energetic coach looks to change the culture surrounding Clarke boys basketball this season, turning it from a team that opponents are excited to play into a team they dread playing.

A class featuring eight seniors, the group has won eight games throughout the past three seasons. As freshmen, they were part of Clarke’s only winning season (14-8) since going 19-3 in 2006-07.

In a year that has the potential to be postponed due to rising cases of COVID-19 throughout the state and country, first-year head coach Michael Fischels said he wants to leave past seasons in the past.

“Clarke basketball of the past is no longer Clarke basketball,” Fischels said. “We need to look forward because Clarke basketball is not 2-20. That’s not what Clarke basketball does, in terms of where I want to go.”

The Indians’ key contributors are returning seniors Umar Bulis, Dalton Stubbe, Taylor Henry and Casey Kindred. Another key player, now-junior Spruceton Buddenhagen, is also going to be a big piece of the puzzle for Clarke.

After reviewing game film from a year ago, Fischels said the group wasn’t a great outside shooting team, but that’s what the offense was tailored toward. Now, he’ll focus on using the athleticism and length of the group.

Umar Bulis, Stubbe, Henry and Buddenhagen are all over six-feet tall, with Kamis Bulis and Jacob Jamison coming off the bench last season, also over the six-foot mark.

“I think all good offenses run from the inside out, so I would be silly not to utilize what we have in front of us,” Fischels said on how he’ll use the length of the team. “It’s no secret that Spruceton is a big player or a big presence inside. It’s no secret that Umar is an athletic presence on the perimeter that can do some damage down low. So, why would we shy away from things that everybody knows we could do great?”

Umar Bulis, Stubbe and Henry led the team in scoring as juniors, combining for 789 of Clarke’s 1,092 points. All three were selected to All-South Central Conference teams.

Bulis averaged 17.3 points per game, shooting shot 50.7% from the field, second in the conference among players with a minimum 100 shots made. He was a second-team all-conference selection.

Henry scored 190 points with 26 rebounds and assisted on 25 scores. He was the steals leader for the team, finishing with 30. Stubbe was the scoring leader with 262 points on 38.2% shooting. He had 120 rebounds, led the team in assists with 51 and had 18 steals. Both Henry and Stubbe were honorable mention selections to the all-conference teams.

“What it is, is putting these guys in a spot where they can succeed because we have the talent to be a great team,” Fischels said. “But, last year looking back, in the film, you can see it in the stats, we didn’t shoot the ball well. ... We’ve got to take what we’ve got with the talent that we have, and it’s all about putting the guys in the right spot.”

Fischels plans to utilize the group’s ability to its best, but said success needs to change mentally. He has a plan, and it’s been implemented since he took over as Clarke’s head coach.

“What we’ve said from day one is to go 1-0 every time we step on the floor,” Fischels said. “So, regardless of who is in front of us, we play our tails off, we do our best to go 1-0 on a given night and we reevaluate, reset and prepare for our next opponent.”

The Iowa High School Athletic Association allowed practices to open for boys basketball around the state Monday. The feeling of where the group will end up in the South Central Conference is still unknown for Fischels, who said it’s too early to tell after one practice.

But, the expectations for the group remains on improving from a 2-20 record a year ago.

“I’d say the big hope of this year moving forward is just to change the narrative of Clarke basketball,” Fischels said. “We’re trying to communicate to the guys right now that we’re a beatable team and it’s just plain and simple. You go 2-20 and teams want to play you, so when we talk about, ‘oh that’s what Clarke does,’ we want it to be in a positive light.

“We want people to look at Clarke and say, ‘wow, that’s what Clarke does,’” Fischels said. “Not, ‘well, that’s what Clarke does.’ There’s a huge difference there, especially if you’re around the guys, around the moment. We’re ready to change the narrative.”

Clarke boys basketball opens up the season Tuesday at home against Martensdale-St Marys. Tipoff will come after the girls’ 6 p.m. game.