It’s his team now.
That may seem strange to say about Newark’s Will Clausel, given the fact he’s a couple weeks into his fourth varsity season as the team’s starting point guard. But it’s true.
Much has changed.
This is the first season Will Clausel isn’t playing alongside older brother Jack, a 6-foot-6 freshman forward at North Central College who was also a four-year starter at Newark for coach Rick Tollefson.
“Even last year he did an awful lot for us,” Tollefson said. “He’s so versatile we can ask a lot of him, but obviously he misses Jack.”
He also misses graduated 6-5 forward Evan Schomer. The two big men combined to average 30.5 points last season as the Norsemen (28-3) reached the Class 1A Normal Supersectional.
“It is different, for sure,” Will Clausel said. “Jack and Evan helped a lot. I facilitated more with them. Now, it’s a lot more responsibility. It’s more on me now. Even scoring, I have to step up a little bit.”
Clausel, at 6-4, is not the typical Class 1A point guard. He handles the ball well against pressure and can drive to the basket and score, dish or stop and pop shots from outside.
“Rebounding and defense are more on me,” Clausel said. “I’m in the same role, playing point (on offense), it’s just sometimes I have to guard bigger people.”
In Newark’s 3-2 zone, he still plays at the top where he can use his long arms to disrupt opponents. When Tollefson switches to a 2-3 zone, Clausel moves down low where he’s flanked by 6-7 senior Cameron Myre and 6-3 sophomore Beau Brown.
While Myre appears to be a prototypical small-school center, he’s actually atypical, like Clausel. After growing 10 inches since starting high school as a 5-9 freshman, Myre’s skills mirror those of a shooting guard or wing.
“He never thought he’d be a post player, but suddenly he grows a lot,” Clausel said. “We figure it out, though.”
Indeed they have.
Newark, the area’s dominant small-school team over the past decade, is off to another strong start. The Norsemen swept their first five games and won the Serena Thanksgiving Tournament, where Clausel was named MVP.
Under Tollefson, Newark (203-71) has won seven regional titles, five sectional titles and a state title in nine years.
Clausel had a team-high 20 points Tuesday at Plano, but the Norsemen (5-1) lost 73-62. They ran out of gas late after cutting the lead to one with five minutes left.
Newark is not very deep. Clausel picked up his fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, but he and three teammates played all 32 minutes.
“A lot of the bigger schools will play physical and beat me up,” Clausel said. “I should be used to it now. I’ve dealt with it for a while. It is what it is.”
This season, he’s averaging 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.5 steals.
“It’s tough to have him leave the floor, especially late in a game that is really physical,” Tollefson said. “He toughed one out.”
In two weeks the Norsemen will again step up in competition at the Plano Christmas Classic, which features mostly Class 2A and 3A schools.
“We enjoy playing the bigger schools,” Clausel said. “We enjoy taking them down. It’s good competition to get us ready for what lies ahead.”
Twitter @RickArmstrong28
