UK Athletics Photo
Scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds at South Carolina is an impressive accomplishment for any college women’s basketball player.
However, how Kentucky sophomore center Clara Strack did it against No. 6 South Carolina in Sunday’s 78-66 loss really impressed UK coach Kenny Brooks.
Brooks said after the game that he even contemplated not playing point guard Georgia Amoore and Strack. He thought the rest might benefit Amoore and Strack had a leg issue. Kentucky could also not change its SEC Tournament seeding whether it won or lost.
“She was hobbling. She didn’t even practice yesterday,” Brooks said after Sunday’s game. “She is tough as nails, one of toughest kids I have ever seen. She wanted to be out there.”
Brooks believes Strack, who was 11-for-11 from the field against Tennessee on Thursday and then went 8-for-14 with two 3’s at South Carolina, deserves to be recognized as one of the SEC’s best players and the numbers back him up.
— She has scored 20 plus points in eight games this season and been in double figures in 23 games.
— She has made 15 3-pointers.
— She has had multiple assists in 20 of 28 games this season.
— She has multiple blocks in 20 of 28 games this season, has set a new school single season record for blocks and leads the SEC in blocks.
— She is the first player to have at least 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal against South Carolina since UConn’s Gabby Williams on Feb. 13, 2017.
— She is the first UK player to have at least 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in a game since Rhyne Howard at Ole Miss on Feb. 4, 2021.
— She is the first DI women’s player to have at least 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in a regular-season true road game against an AP Top 10 opponent since Caitlin Clark did so at No. 2 Ohio State on Jan. 23, 2023.
“I’ll say this about Clara Strack. I know she’s probably on the fringe of being an All-Conference selection, but if somebody doesn’t think she’s one of the best players in this league, they need to really double check,” Brooks said.
“I know she doesn’t have a big name, and she’s burst onto the scene, but that kid has played her tail off all year, anchoring our defense.”
2 Responses
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Clara this year. She was mainly a backup for an All American at VT until Kitley got hurt late in the year. She has made tremendous strides and is truly a fantastic one-two punch with Amoore.
That was a great game for about 3 qtrs. Strack has bee the real deal for most of the year, and it is going to be fun watching her move forward. Brooks has same problem Pope has….not much of a bench. Silva has showed a flash or 2 but should be much more dependable with her size and experience. Amelia has to want it more that to settle for 2 points playing a whole game.