Shake up the routine

As the final seconds ticked off the warmup clock, Karter Clark huddled the 12 members of the Lakewood Ranch girls basketball team together and offered his support. 

The Mustangs assistant coach told them their path to being great players was about to begin.

Then it was showtime. 

The 22-year-old Clark took a position on the court and greeted each player in the starting lineup after the public address announcer called out their names. 

Sophomore guard Sarah Fazio trotted on the floor and Clark met her with a pair of high fives, a fist bump and, of course, his trademark smile.

The process repeated itself, although with a different set of gestures, as Kailyn Scully, Kyra Klarkowski, Elise Spiller and LaDazhia Williams made their way onto the court. 

Once all of the players had been introduced, he then traded handshakes with all the coaches before returning to the bench for business as usual. 

“Coach Tina (Hadley) doesn’t like to admit it, but we have a handshake, too,” Clark said with a grin. 

Clark has his own unique handshake for every player and coach on the team although there’s still some disagreement about just how the idea originated. 

“Twin, who came up with our handshake?” Clark shouted to Fazio. 

“I did,” Fazio laughed. 

“It was totally me,” Clark shot back. “I came up with all of the handshakes, but I’ll give them credit.” 

Looking for a fun way to start things off, Clark decided each player needed her own introduction. What began as a hilarious round of high fives and fist bumps has since progressed into a full-blown ritual. 

It’s just one example of how Clark has used his fun and outgoing personality to bring balance to the Mustangs bench. 

“He’s like a spark plug,” Scully said. “He gets the energy going and pumps us all up to play our hearts out.” 

Clark joined the Mustangs coaching staff in 2012 as a volunteer assistant. An elementary education major at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, Clark was in need of a part-time job and decided to become at tutor at Lakewood Ranch where his mom, Karman Nieto, is a freshman English teacher. 

Hadley was in charge of the tutoring program, and after getting his foot in the door, Clark approached her about volunteering his time to help out with the team. 

It was the first time Clark, who played high school basketball in Michigan and had dreams of playing for the Detroit Pistons, ever thought about coaching.

Clark planned to walk on at the State College of Florida, but when he learned the rosters already had been filled, decided his time would be better spent coaching. 

“It’s a fun way to compete,” Clark said of coaching basketball. “It’s a love-hate relationship and it’s something I’ve always been passionate about. I love to win, and I love to lose because that just shows you what you need to work on in order to win.” 

Lakewood Ranch has reached the regional tournament every year since Clark joined the program.

“Seeing their potential and helping them achieve is the most beautiful thing,” Clark said. “They are willing to put in the work every day.” 

As an assistant coach, Clark sets up the gym before every game, but his biggest role is making sure he and Hadley are relating the same message to the girls. 

There was a time in the early stages of coaching that Clark was hesitant to speak his mind. Clark would sit back and watch practice and whisper to Hadley. 

Finally, Hadley looked at him one day and gave him a piece of advice. 

“She told me ‘What are you waiting for. You need to tell them that,’” Clark said. “I gradually got into it and found my voice in practice.” 

It didn’t take long for Clark to realize that being on the bench was where he was meant to be. A simple dream about practice was all it took. 

“The first time I realized I was into coaching was when I started dreaming about practice and what I was going to say,” Clark said. “That’s how I knew I was into coaching.” 

It’s in practice where Clark has been able to have the most impact.

“In practice, he’s something special,” Scully said. “He’s great to have around because he’s always there to push you.” 

“He’s like that energetic older brother,” Spiller said. “He’s always trying to bring out the best in you and tells you what you can and can’t do.” 

Clark tries to make sure every day is a positive experience and makes sure the girls don’t take the game too seriously.

“At the end of the day, it’s a fun game,” Clark said. “It’s when you get so caught up in winning that you’ve got a problem. If you take it too seriously then you’re not enjoying this (special) time. 

“There are definitely times when we’re joking around and I say ‘You guys are a pain,’’ Clark said. “I can say with 100% honesty that this has been the best time of my life. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from them in dealing with different personalities and players. It’s been a huge blessing and I wouldn’t trade it.”