Chris Clark’s oldest memory of the late John Chaney and the Temple basketball program stems from the Midtown Church on 7th and Norris Streets in North Philadelphia.
Clark played in the church’s basketball league when he was growing up, which was fortunate enough to have the Hall of Fame coach drop in periodically to speak with the kids or to give out tickets for upcoming games.
Clark, who went on to play at Temple from 2004 to 2008, would round up all his friends. But before heading over to McGonigle Hall to see Chaney’s early 90s teams play in person, they would stop by the Pizza Hut that used to be at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Ave. while admiring the walls full of Temple basketball decals.
After games, Clark would head over to the playground and play pickup with his friends, pretending to be some of the Temple greats he grew up watching like Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones or Rick Brunson.
“Those are my childhood memories,” Clark told OwlScoop.com.
His uncle, Dana Clark, played for Chaney at Cheyney State College in the late 1970s and used to share stories all the time. Chaney’s reputation, along with growing up right by the campus and developing his game through Philadephia’s Sonny Hill League, made Clark’s decision to play at Temple an easy one.
In 2006, two years into Clark’s college career, Chaney announced his retirement and was succeeded by Fran Dunphy. Clark had a breakout year his senior season, leading the Owls in 3-point shooting percentage and helping lead the team to an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, as well as being named the Philadelphia Big 5 Most Improved Player.
After his playing days and after assistant coaching stints at St. Francis and Campbell, Clark eventually found his way back to his alma mater as an assistant coach , serving as the video coordinator in 2015. He left for an opening at Drexel in 2016, only to return to Temple shortly thereafter when Dunphy had an opening on his staff following the departure of Dwayne Killings. When McKie succeeded Dunphy, he retained Clark as one of his three assistants.
Many of Chaney’s teachings, Clark said, have stuck with him to this day.
Here are some excerpts from OwlScoop.com’s interview with Clark.
Clark on his favorite memory of Chaney:
“My favorite memory is probably, honestly, the day that I committed to Temple. It was right after my senior year. We had just won the Catholic League championship and I remember getting the call from him. I had just gone on my official visit and we ate at Ruth’s Chris, it was on Broad Street at the time. Me and Mark Tyndale, we had the same official visit. I just remember sitting in his office during that official visit and him talking about Temple basketball and his life.
“He already had a relationship with my family because my Uncle Dana actually played for him at Cheyney State. So he knew my family. I grew up in the Sonny Hill League and I grew up going to his basketball camps. He was always around my family. ... I knew a lot about him, but receiving a scholarship offer and being able to play for him was a huge deal. That was a special moment in my life. Being able to sit down and realize I’m going to be a Temple basketball player and I’m going to be a part of his family, that was a special moment in my life.”
Clark on the first time he met Chaney:
“The first time I met Coach Chaney, he came down to the church. That was actually the first time I met Aaron McKie, too. On 7th and Norris, there’s a church where my family used to go when we were living in North Philly. Midtown Parish is the name of the church. Midtown Parish had an after school program. When I was a youngster, I must have been like seven or eight, we had a basketball league in the church and he used to come down to speak to us. We used to get tickets to the games. Aaron McKie actually did his senior internship at Midtown Parish. That was the first time I was really introduced to Temple basketball.”
Clark on Chaney’s lasting lessons:
“I would say the biggest thing is helping people that are less fortunate than you. Always giving someone, if you can, an opportunity to further themselves in life. It’s funny, my uncle used to always talk about Coach Chaney, especially when he was at Cheyney State, being a pass master. ‘The shot is in the pass’ is something that I heard all my life. You got to be able to pass the ball, and that’s one of the most important things you can do out on the court and in life. It’s being able to pass and assist someone to help them further themselves in life. Through education, through basketball, whatever it may be. There’s plenty more. Always being in a ready position. I heard that 1,000 times. No turnovers, because a turnover is a wasted opportunity. You don’t want to have any turnovers on the court or in life. You don’t want to ever waste an opportunity. Another one was, ‘No deposit, no return.’ You got to put money in the bank to get money out, right? You got to come into work and you got to put something into it every single day. You gotta put something into practice every day working on your game or working on your skill. Same thing with me being a father. I got to come home and be a father, I got to be a husband. I got to give them my energy. I got to put stuff in there. I got to work that stuff to become a better father and a better husband.”
Clark on Chaney’s legacy:
“For me, I think he touched so many lives of his players. He cared about so many players. And he told you the truth. I think that’s the biggest thing for me. He gave you the truth. He gave you an opportunity to further yourself in life. Just think about all the guys, if they didn’t have Coach Chaney in life, where would they be? That’s what I really take from it.”
