THE CLARK FILE

Personal Information

Full Name: Roderick L. Clark Jr.
Born: Jan. 6, 1993, in Kansas City, Mo.
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
High School: Lee's Summit West
College: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), 2015
Wife: Alexis
Children: Zara and Zuri

Coaching Experience

2017-19:
Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.), assistant coach
2019-20:
Illinois-Chicago, assistant coach
2020-21:
Austin Peay, assistant coach
2021-25:
Tennessee, assistant coach

CLARK'S NBA DRAFT PICKS

Year	Name, Pos	Round (Overall)	Team
2022	Kennedy Chandler, G	2nd (38)	San Antonio
2023	Julian Phillips, F	2nd (35)	Chicago
2024	Dalton Knecht, G	1st (17)	Los Angeles Lakers
2025	Chaz Lanier, G	2nd (37)	Detroit
2025	Jahmai Mashack, G	2nd (59)	Houston

Clark signed or coached each player listed above.

Rod Clark, then 28, was handpicked by Rick Barnes to join the University of Tennessee men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in April 2021. A young and energetic rising star in the profession, Clark has helped the Volunteers to a 109-36 (.752) record through his four years with the team.

“We had an opportunity to be very selective in making this hire and I couldn’t be more excited about adding Rod to our staff,” Barnes said when Clark was hired. “We weren’t the only high-major program who wanted him, but thankfully he wanted to be at Tennessee. He fits everything we prioritize in our program culture, and I know he is going to connect with our players in a special way.”

Before even arriving on Rocky Top, Clark played a role in developing players such as Kennedy Chandler (an eventual Volunteer), Shaq Harrison, Tyrese Maxey and Drew Timme. While at Tennessee, he has helped at least one Volunteer hear his name called in the NBA Draft each year.

Tennessee has appeared in every AP Top 25 poll through Clark’s four years on staff, including thrice finishing a program-best fifth. The Volunteers have made the NCAA Tournament each year, claiming three Sweet 16 bids and two Elite Eight appearances. Clark has also helped the team claim two conference titles, as Tennessee won the SEC Tournament in 2022 and earned the regular season crown in 2024.

During Clark’s first year at Tennessee, 2021-22, the team went 27-8 (14-4 SEC) and won the SEC Tournament for the first time since 1979. The Volunteers knocked off four AP top-10 foes, tying a program record, and made the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.

In 2022-23, Tennessee posted a 25-11 (11-7 SEC) ledger and reached the Sweet 16. It went 5-1 versus AP top-15 foes, including defeating third-ranked Kansas to win the Battle 4 Atlantis title, taking down top-ranked Alabama and beating No. 12 Duke in the NCAA Tournament. The Volunteers finished first nationally in KenPom adjusted efficiency.

During the 2023-24 campaign, Clark helped Tennessee go 27-9 (14-4 SEC) and advance to the Elite Eight for the second time ever. The Volunteers won the outright SEC regular season championship and tied a then-school record with seven AP top-25 victories, equaling the mark set during his first year at Tennessee, 2021-22. Dalton Knecht, whom Clark served as the lead recruiter for and worked closely with throughout the season, was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Awards, won SEC Player of the Year, claimed the Julius Erving Award and was a consensus First Team All-American. He was then selected No. 17 in the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Most recently, in 2024-25, amassed 30 victories and reached the Elite Eight in the same season for the first time ever. Tennessee finished 30-8 (12-6) and earned a second straight NCAA Regional Final appearance, as well as tied a program record by finishing fifth in both major polls. The Volunteers spent the entire season in the AP top 12, including earning 18 consecutive top-eight rankings and claiming a quintet of No. 1 nods. Tennessee logged 10 AP top-25 wins, including seven over top-15 foes, both new program bests, plus tied the school record with four top-10 triumphs. Chaz Lanier and Zakai Zeigler formed the lone All-America teammate duo in the country, while Zeigler won SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and joined Jahmai Mashack among the four Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalists.

Through four years on Rocky Top, Clark tutored six players to nine total All-SEC honors. In addition, two individuals have earned SEC All-Freshman Team accolades and two players have combined for six SEC All-Defensive Team plaudits, including Zeigler becoming the first four-time honoree in league history.

A native of Kansas City, Mo., Clark spent the 2020-21 season as an assistant coach at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn. The Governors posted a winning record and led the Ohio Valley Conference in offensive rebounding while ranking second in rebounding defense, third in turnover margin and fourth in scoring. Terry Taylor won OVC Player of the Year, finishing the season as the only player to rank among the Division I top 10 in both scoring (eighth, 21.6 ppg) and rebounding (seventh, 11.1 rpg).

Clark’s first stop as a collegiate coach came in the Horizon League as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019-20. The Flames posted impressive defensive statistics, leading the league in field-goal percentage defense, 3-point defense (No. 14 nationally) and blocks per game. UIC finished the season with an impressive run to the 2020 Horizon League Tournament championship game.

For a two-year span from 2017-19, Clark honed his skills in player development, video breakdown and scouting as the top assistant coach at Sunrise Christian Academy, a national prep basketball powerhouse in Bel Aire, Kan.

In 2017-18, Sunrise Christian went 24-2 and finished the season ranked second nationally according to USA TODAY and MaxPreps. The 2018-19 squad followed with a 22-5 record, a year-end No. 10 ranking and the program’s first-ever appearance at GEICO Nationals.

Clark also spent time as a coach with the prestigious MoKan Elite program on the Nike EYBL circuit. MoKan Elite posted a 30-7 record in 2018 and reached the semifinals at the Nike Peach Jam. He built on that experience to guide MoKan Elite to the Peach Jam championship in 2019 with a roster that included Chandler, whom he later coached in 2021-22 at Tennessee.

As a collegiate player, Clark spent his first two seasons at the junior college level, first at Neosho Community College in Chaunte, Kan., and then Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla. He concluded his career at Lindsey Wilson College, an NAIA school in Columbia, Ky., from which he received a degree in communications in 2015.

Clark and his wife, Alexis, reside in Knoxville, Tenn. They welcomed their first of two daughters, Zara, in July 2021 and their second, Zuri, in March 2025.