For 20 seasons, Mark Clarke passionately coached the girls basketball team at Camp Hill high school. And for 20 seasons, Clarke’s wife struggled to understand why he loved his coaching job so much. As his time at Camp Hill came to an end, Clarke took to school board meetings to fight for his job back, with the help of former players, parents, and peers. When he did this, and Clarke as well as his wife listened to the words said about his program, his wife finally understood why he loved coaching the Lady Lions so much.
Mark Clarke will make his return to the Camp Hill high school on Tuesday night, when the Trinity Shamrocks boys will visit the Camp Hill Lions boys team. Mark Clarke is a new assistant to Larry Kostelac’s staff at Trinity.
It’s fitting that years down the line, Clarke is now an assistant for a boys basketball team, because that’s where Clarke’s roots are, as the assistant for the Camp Hill boys team under Barry Reddish’s staff, some 20+ years ago, and that’s when Clarke was offered the job to coach the Lady Lions of Camp Hill, where he spent a total of 20 years, and won 3 consecutive District championships, and multiple runs into the state tournament. With players like Diamond Bragg, Leah Springer, and more, the Lions continued to rack up success with the team. Both Diamond Bragg, and Leah Springer’s mom defended Clarke in a school board meeting along with other players, parents, and peers.
On April 1st, 2022, when the news of Clarke’s dismissal became public, he told PennLive’s Brian Linder that he doubted he would ever coach basketball again. He said, “I live in Camp Hill. I bleed Camp Hill. Who knows what might happen, but I’m not actively looking for anything else.” But now, Clarke finds himself on the Trinity bench, coaching with Larry Kostelac, and being part of a talented Trinity squad.
“It’s been a blast so far. In games, it’s mostly doing stats, whatever Coach Kostelac needs. It’s been a joy just coaching and not having to come out with a practice plan.”, Clarke said on his new role with the Shamrocks.
Aside from simply getting onto the hardwood again, Clarke was thrilled about the opportunity to learn from the best in coach Larry Kostelac. Kostelac was honored last Thursday with the naming of the court at Trinity named after him, as well as Harry Defrank. This season is Kostelac’s 40th, and Clarke was grateful for the call that he received from Kostelac asking if he wanted to help the team out, even though Clarke had written off this season for him to take the year off.
Tuesday night, Mark Clarke will visit the gym he once called home. In fact, he will be coaching in a rivalry game against the Lions, and a boys basketball coaching staff that he was once on. Clarke says the return home will not at all be emotionally hard.
It has all come full circle for Coach Mark Clarke, from starting out as a boys basketball assistant more than twenty years ago, to traveling down US-15 for 7 minutes to another boys basketball assistant job. Now, he’s grateful to learn from coach Larry Kostelac and coach the sport he’s always loved.
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