Clarke appointed Lakers head coach

Former St Paul’s star Brian Clarke will coach the Scotts Lakers for the 2023/24 season, the club has revealed.

The Killarney native takes the reins from the outgoing Jarlath Lee, who steered the team throughout the past two seasons. In a statement, the club thanked Lee for his service. “His dedication and commitment to the role has helped establish the Lakers as a solid force in the division and we thank Jarlath and wish him well for the future.”

Clarke was an integral part of the popular St Paul’s National League teams of the 1990s and 2000s. A highly skilled and durable player, he could turn a game in an instant and his guile and craft marked him out as one of the finest players in the county.

His link-up with Vince Daly, Pat O’Shea and Cormac O’Donoghue, alongside leading Americans like Terry Smith, Corey Jackson and Billy Gilligan, heralded an exciting era for Paul’s – ‘HOUSE FULL’ signs were a regular sight in the Pres Gym during this era.

Clarke also won an All-Ireland with the Kerry footballers in 1997.

After retiring, he turned his attention to coaching. Most recently he took charge of the St Paul’s U18s last season. This team, with players likes of Jack O’Sullivan, Eoin Carroll, Mark Sheehan and Oisín Spring, will form the backbone of the National League squad going forward and this creates an exciting dynamic for the club.

The Lakers will be completing their squad in the coming weeks with the season pencilled in for a late September start. A new rule change permitting teams to play two Americans at the same time should make things interesting and this week the club also announced the signing of 6’7” Texas native Braden Bell for the upcoming season.

Bell has experience of playing Division 1 college basketball with the Marist Red Foxes and more recently the Prairie View Panthers. Although he is essentially an inside player, he is also adept from outside and his versatility and mobility are seen as beneficial qualities for this young Lakers side.

The club are also working on another high-level American signing and a deal is thought to be very close.