March 5, 2012
WASHINGTON - Georgetown University senior men's basketball Jason Clark (Arlington, Va./Bishop O'Connell) was named the recipient of the BIG EAST Conference Sportsmanship Award on Monday afternoon. The award was voted on by the league's coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
This is the second day in a row that Clark has been recognized by the league, as he was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team on Sunday afternoon and was one of three Hoyas to earn all-league honors. Senior center Henry Sims (Baltimore, Md./Mount St. Joseph) was named to the league's third team and junior forward Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles, Calif./Loyola) was an honorable mention selection. Clark's selection to the first team marks the second-straight year a Georgetown guard has earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors, as Austin Freeman earned that honor in 2010-11.
A three-year starter and a team captain, Clark has been a steady leader throughout his Georgetown career. He leads Georgetown in scoring with 14.3 points per game, which ranks 17th in the BIG EAST, is fourth in rebounding (4.2 rpg), third in assists (1.8 apg) and leads the team with 1.7 steals per game. Clark is also third on the team in field goal percentage, connecting on 47.8 percent of his shots.
Off the court, Clark has worked with Hoya Dreams and Grassroots Hoyas, student-led community service organizations on campus.
In 126 career games, Clark has scored 1,317 points - a 10.5 per game average - and ranks 21st all-time, needing 23 more points to pass Jeff Green (2004-07) for 20th place. Clark also ranks fourth all-time in three-point field goals made (179),fourth in three-point attempts (489) and 16th all-time in steals (166).
Clark's selection as the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award is the 21st time a Georgetown player has earned a major conference award, as six have been named Player of the Year (seven times), six have earned Rookie of the Year, four accumulated 11 Defensive Player of the Year honors, two were named the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year and one apiece earned the Most Improved Player and BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year.
Under Head Coach John Thompson III, the Hoyas have had 15 All-BIG EAST selections, including six first team selections, four second team honorees, three third team nods and two honorable mentions.
Clark being named to the All-BIG EAST first team gives Georgetown 24 all-time selections to that squad. Sims' third team recognition marks the 16th time a Georgetown player has been placed on that squad. Since the BIG EAST was formed in 1979-80, Georgetown players have earned 78 all-conference honors.
The Hoyas finished the 2011-12 regular season with a 22-7 overall record and 12-6 mark in the BIG EAST, tying for fourth place overall. Georgetown is the No. 5 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and earned a first round bye. The Blue & Gray will play the winner of a game between No. 12 seed St. John's and No. 13 seed Pittsburgh on Wednesday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
