The Badger's Den: A sneak-peek at Brock's varsity athletes

John Matisz
Assistant Sports Editor
Clinton Springer-Williams is quite simply a man on a mission, as he is determined to bring the CIS Championship back to Brock University.
The 19-year-old is the present and future cornerstone of the Brock Badgers men's basketball team. His phenomenal rookie season has given him the drive to elevate a team that desperately needs a leader.
The 6'4" London, Ontario native is a first-year player who saw Brock as the ideal institution to get the most out of his undergraduate years in both the academic and athletic realms.
Unfortunately, with a 2009-2010 record of 8-14, the Badgers failed to make the OUA post-season. A rare bright spot was Springer-Williams, as he emerged as an integral part of their club moving forward.
After a lackluster effort by the Badgers in a contest versus McMaster on Feb. 6, head coach Ken Murray raved about his new star's ability to step up when his team does the opposite.
"[Clinton] is the one guy that will always give that extra effort. He's playing until the final buzzer [.] He's just a great offensive talent," said Murray. "He's very difficult to stop. The only one who stops Clinton is himself."
The young man, who accredits Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat as his main basketball influence, put up Wade-like numbers in his freshman campaign. Springer-Williams led the Badgers in three major offensive categories: points per game (21.2), field-goal percentage (45.7), and rebounds per game (6.2). His points per game total ranked him third in the province and sixth in Canada.
This year's CIS Rookie of the Year trophy is likely to be Springer-Williams'. His head coach sees endless potential in the first-year stud's game.
"He's getting tougher mentally and I hate to think what he's going to be like in his third year," said Murray. "He's just scratching the surface right now. I wouldn't be surprised at some point if he's player of the year in the country [.] I'm happy he's on our team, I wouldn't want to coach against him."
Surprisingly enough, Springer-Williams wasn't completely sold on basketball as his sport until his later years in high school. His main interests before were baseball and soccer. Nevertheless, he has found a great compliment to his curiosity in psychology, his major at Brock.
"I hope to play pro someday, wherever it may be," said Springer-Williams. "But school is always first. I can get injured at any time and then your education will have to save you. I like psychology right now. I use it towards basketball as well too - how everything works - you can use that to your advantage."
When school is slow and the team has an off-day, the rookie standout relaxes with friends by watching TV, hanging out and playing ping pong.
On the court, Springer-Williams is counted on to produce night in and night out. However, as a 19-year-old with a lot to learn, he has leaned on veteran teammates to provide direction to his game.
When asked about who he looked up to on the current Badgers squad, Springer-Williams pointed towards guys who know what its like to be on top.
"Some of the older guys like Mike Cruickshank, the senior leader, because he is more mature," said Springer-Williams. "Guys like Jay Fleming as well because they've won a CIS Championship so they know what it takes and they know how to conduct themselves."
This said CIS Championship was won in 2007 by a Badgers team that went into the CIS Final 8 ranked as the seventh best team. Much improvement is needed next year if the Badgers plan on making it to the big dance anytime soon.
Thankfully for the coaching staff and veteran players, they have a budding superstar who is ready for any challenge.
"When I committed here I told them 'I want to help the team get to and win CIS National Championships," said Springer-Williams. "'Let's just make it happen'.