Bobcats' 'Odd Couple' Leads the Way
1/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Clark will never remind a person of Jack Lemon. Yet, whenyou see the two together, you can’t help humming "The OddCouple" theme to yourself.
Erickson and Clark, best friends from disparate backgrounds,erstwhile competitors at the point guard position who havefound success playing in the backcourt together, are the oddcouple of Bobcat basketball. And although no one knows whyMontana State got suddenly hot when the two moved into thestarting lineup together against powerful Hampton, it’s easy toagree that the change brought dramatic results.
"I’m not really sure why it’s been like that," says Erickson, asophomore who was Clark’s backup throughout the 2000-01season. "With two point guards, it’s not supposed to work thiswell. Both of us are pretty versatile, we both played the one and the two in high school, so we
both have experience at both positions. We’ve lived together, we know each other, we know
how the other one plays, we find each other, and we’ve always wanted to play together. This
is a lot of fun for us, and we’re taking advantage of it."
MSU was 4-6 when 12th-year head coach Mick Durham, himself part of a similar tandem
with Craig Finberg as a Bobcat player in the late ‘70s, first played Clark and Erickson
side-by-side. Since then, the Bobcats have not lost, reeling off non-league wins against
Hampton, San Diego and Portland, and Big Sky road wins over Weber State, Portland State
and Eastern Washington. The Bobcats now stand at 10-6, 3-0 in conference play.
According to Clark, the skill set of MSU’s two guards cause problems for opposing defenses.
"It’s kind of hard for teams to match up with us. Most two guards don’t like to play full-court
defense, if their team does play full-court, so if the point guard’s pretty good pressuring the ball
I can bring the ball up."
Even entering the Holiday Stores Classic, the idea of playing the two point guards together was
not new to Durham. "I thought in the off-season there was a chance that we could play them
together a lot, and after about a month of practice I thought they were our best two guards.
We were still searching for combinations, but I think that the idea (of playing Erickson and
Clark together) was always there. They just have great chemistry."
That chemistry doesn’t manifest itself only on the court. "(Our backgrounds) are completely
opposite, but we hit it off from the very beginning when we first met and stepped into that
dorm room together," Erickson said of his former roommate. "It started from there and has
continued on. We knew we’d be good friends. We do all kind of things together on and off the
court, and we really enjoy each other’s company. We can talk about anything off the court, we
trust each other on the floor and off the floor, and we know we’re there for each other."
Clark agrees, and says that the players’ differences -- Clark is from inner-Chicago, while
Erickson grew up in suburban Anchorage, Alaska -- has brought them together. "If we were
the same, we would clash, but since we’re different we look at things in different ways. It’s like
a relationship, if you and your girl are too much alike it’s not going to work."
When the two began working the backcourt together, Erickson was running the show. "When
we started the two point guards playing together James was a little more offensive-minded, so
we thought, let’s put James as the two guard on offense and defensively we can switch it
around. Right now, with Jason scoring like he is, we’ll mix and
match during the game, have them switch positions, which I
think puts a little more pressure on the other team’s defense."
That relationship has not produced conventional results. Clark,
designated as the two guard, has averaged 5.5 assists a game in
the previous six games, while Erickson is averaging 16 points a
game, six more than his season average. "It’s kind of wierd,"
Clark says. "I’m playing the two guard and my assists have
gone up. Most of my assists are coming off of penetration, and
plus we’re making shots now." Erickson says situations have
dictated what the two have taken. "My shot is there, so I’m
shootin’ it," Erickson says. "He’s getting the penetration and
dropping the dime, so we’ll take tha, too. It’s kind of an odd
situation. We’re maybe the only team in the contry playing two
point guards that are flip-flopped like that. But it’s working, so we’re not going to change it."
Among the unusual aspects of the alliance, Durham said, the most interesting may be that Clark
and Erickson essentially battled for playing time from the first of last season. "It’s very unique
that two guys at the same position battling for minutes are good friends. There’s no selfishness,
they’re happy for each other, they look out for each other, they’re trying to help each other,
regardless of the fact that they’re both point guards. That’s what you want in your starting
guards."
Durham said the ability for Clark and Erickson to click has positively affected the entire team.
"There’s no question that’s the case. Players know what’s going on, they can see these things
and sense when it’s going that well."
Erickson and Clark, best friends from disparate backgrounds,erstwhile competitors at the point guard position who havefound success playing in the backcourt together, are the oddcouple of Bobcat basketball. And although no one knows whyMontana State got suddenly hot when the two moved into thestarting lineup together against powerful Hampton, it’s easy toagree that the change brought dramatic results.
"I’m not really sure why it’s been like that," says Erickson, asophomore who was Clark’s backup throughout the 2000-01season. "With two point guards, it’s not supposed to work thiswell. Both of us are pretty versatile, we both played the one and the two in high school, so we
both have experience at both positions. We’ve lived together, we know each other, we know
how the other one plays, we find each other, and we’ve always wanted to play together. This
is a lot of fun for us, and we’re taking advantage of it."
MSU was 4-6 when 12th-year head coach Mick Durham, himself part of a similar tandem
with Craig Finberg as a Bobcat player in the late ‘70s, first played Clark and Erickson
side-by-side. Since then, the Bobcats have not lost, reeling off non-league wins against
Hampton, San Diego and Portland, and Big Sky road wins over Weber State, Portland State
and Eastern Washington. The Bobcats now stand at 10-6, 3-0 in conference play.
According to Clark, the skill set of MSU’s two guards cause problems for opposing defenses.
"It’s kind of hard for teams to match up with us. Most two guards don’t like to play full-court
defense, if their team does play full-court, so if the point guard’s pretty good pressuring the ball
I can bring the ball up."
Even entering the Holiday Stores Classic, the idea of playing the two point guards together was
not new to Durham. "I thought in the off-season there was a chance that we could play them
together a lot, and after about a month of practice I thought they were our best two guards.
We were still searching for combinations, but I think that the idea (of playing Erickson and
Clark together) was always there. They just have great chemistry."
That chemistry doesn’t manifest itself only on the court. "(Our backgrounds) are completely
opposite, but we hit it off from the very beginning when we first met and stepped into that
dorm room together," Erickson said of his former roommate. "It started from there and has
continued on. We knew we’d be good friends. We do all kind of things together on and off the
court, and we really enjoy each other’s company. We can talk about anything off the court, we
trust each other on the floor and off the floor, and we know we’re there for each other."
Clark agrees, and says that the players’ differences -- Clark is from inner-Chicago, while
Erickson grew up in suburban Anchorage, Alaska -- has brought them together. "If we were
the same, we would clash, but since we’re different we look at things in different ways. It’s like
a relationship, if you and your girl are too much alike it’s not going to work."
When the two began working the backcourt together, Erickson was running the show. "When
we started the two point guards playing together James was a little more offensive-minded, so
we thought, let’s put James as the two guard on offense and defensively we can switch it
around. Right now, with Jason scoring like he is, we’ll mix and
match during the game, have them switch positions, which I
think puts a little more pressure on the other team’s defense."
That relationship has not produced conventional results. Clark,
designated as the two guard, has averaged 5.5 assists a game in
the previous six games, while Erickson is averaging 16 points a
game, six more than his season average. "It’s kind of wierd,"
Clark says. "I’m playing the two guard and my assists have
gone up. Most of my assists are coming off of penetration, and
plus we’re making shots now." Erickson says situations have
dictated what the two have taken. "My shot is there, so I’m
shootin’ it," Erickson says. "He’s getting the penetration and
dropping the dime, so we’ll take tha, too. It’s kind of an odd
situation. We’re maybe the only team in the contry playing two
point guards that are flip-flopped like that. But it’s working, so we’re not going to change it."
Among the unusual aspects of the alliance, Durham said, the most interesting may be that Clark
and Erickson essentially battled for playing time from the first of last season. "It’s very unique
that two guys at the same position battling for minutes are good friends. There’s no selfishness,
they’re happy for each other, they look out for each other, they’re trying to help each other,
regardless of the fact that they’re both point guards. That’s what you want in your starting
guards."
Durham said the ability for Clark and Erickson to click has positively affected the entire team.
"There’s no question that’s the case. Players know what’s going on, they can see these things
and sense when it’s going that well."
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