NC State basketball forward Jack Clark is injured again. When will he return?
N.C. State was warming up Wednesday before the game against Wake Forest at PNC Arena and the Pack’s Dusan Mahorcic constantly was in the ear of forward Jack Clark.
Mahorcic had a few words for Clark before each jump shot. Clark would listen, smile and pop.
“Man, Jack’s my guy and we’re really close,” Mahorcic later said. “I’ve just got to make sure he’s ready for the game and he’s locked in. I’m not playing but I’m trying to be the ultimate teammate and give him some confidence.”
Mahorcic, a transfer who suffered a knee injury early in the season, offered support to Clark when the 6-8 forward sat out 10 games after a groin injury Dec. 30 against Clemson, pushing Clark in rehab. Clark returned Feb. 11 against Boston College and was playing his fourth game Wednesday before a nasty fall against the Demon Deacons
Clark crashed to the court early in the second half of the Pack’s 90-74 win, hanging on to the rim after a fast-break dunk, losing his grip and falling at an awkward angle. Mahorcic was among those who rushed to him under the basket.
Helped off the court, Clark later returned to the Wolfpack bench with his left arm in a sling.
“He’s tough. He’ll be fine,” Mahorcic said after the game.
N.C. State faced Clemson on Saturday in its final home game and Clark was not in uniform. NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said after 96-71 loss that he believed Clark might be able to play but that he received a text from the trainer Saturday morning that Clark would not be able to go.
Wake Forest forward Damari Monsanto, also injured in Wednesday’s game, will undergo knee surgery for a torn patella tendon, the school announced Thursday.
Clark, who transferred to the NCSU program from La Salle before this season, has “patience” tattooed behind his right ear – and fittingly so. He has had two ACL tears, including one as a high school senior.
Clark said he suffered a groin tear in the 78-64 loss at Clemson. Once cleared to play, he has had limited practice time, Keatts said.
“It was tough being out, but when I was gone the guys held it down and went on a winning streak, rose in the ACC rankings and got in the AP poll,” Clark said in an interview last week.
In Clark’s first game back, he came off the bench and played 10 minutes in the Pack’s 30-point road win at BC.
“That’s my roommate, my guy,” Joiner said after the game. “He was so ready to come back, itching for it.”
Clark played 31 minutes against Syracuse, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds in the 75-72 road loss, and then was a part of the Pack’s emotional victory over North Carolina at PNC Arena on Sunday.
A 3-pointer by Clark in the second half pushed the Pack ahead 55-54 just when it appeared UNC might be building momentum and had moved into a lead.
The Wolfpack, with Joiner scoring 29 points, took a 77-69 victory. Clark had six points, a team-high eight rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.
“He gives us another dimension with his ability to pick and pop,” Keatts said of Clark. “You have to respect it. When Jack’s on the floor it makes it a little bit easier for DJ. (Burns) because now you have four shooters around him when you throw the ball inside.”
Clark said last week that he still was dealing with the groin injury and was “playing through it.”
“I’m just working with that daily, going to treatment every day,” he said. “Just getting back out there and getting in shape and playing with my guys every day. I love it.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 7:45 AM.
