Call him Cevin; Southwestern College basketball star leads nation in scoring

WINFIELD, Kan. (KSNW) — The Southwestern College men’s basketball team is 16-2 (11-2 in the KCAC) and ranked in the Top-10 in the NAIA national rankings. The motor that runs the Moundbuilders is a 5-11 guard who currently leads the nation in scoring.

His name is Cevin Clark. Yes, his name begins with a “C”.

The lights are dimmed inside Stewart Field House for the introductions of the starting five. He emerges from the dark huddle, appearing as any ordinary small college basketball player.

But he’s not.

Clark is a prolific scoring machine. Through 18 games this season, the senior is averaging 27.2 points per game. That’s the highest scoring average in the entire nation in the NAIA. Higher than anyone in NCAA Division I.

“Everyone knows the fact Cevin is a dynamic scorer. You can just look up the stats. Most impressive about him, as good of a scorer as he is, he’s an even better teammate. He’s really easy to play with. He’s easy to coach, and he’s all about winning,” said Southwestern Head Coach Matt O’Brien.

“I know for me he takes a lot of pressure off of us just making a lot of shots. Making a lot of difficult shots to help us get over the edge,” said senior guard Jarvis Jennings.

The senior from Arkansas City lit up Evangel last Saturday afternoon for a season-high 42 points.

“I saw a couple of shots go in, and I credit my teammates for trusting me enough to make those tough shots that I shoot,” said Clark. “And they were finding me in transition, and they were finding me in the half-court.”

Teammate Andrew O’Brien says Clark has always been a baller.

“He’s just a competitor. Some would call him a dawg. He’s gonna do whatever it takes to win. People rave about his scoring. His ability to hit tough shots, but I’ve been playing with Cevin since we were seven or eight years old, so that’s nothing new to me,” said the senior guard from Halstead. “He’s been doing that for the last 15 years. So, when he makes those crazy fade-away threes or tough lay-ups, it’s no shock to me.”

Clark is an Ark City legend. His first college stop was at Cowley County College, where he played in the NJCAA National Championship game in 2021. Clark credits his father, who’s the head coach of the women’s basketball head coach at Cowley County, and his current Southwestern coaches and teammates for his success.

“It’s one of the best teams I’ve ever played on. We have a chance to do great things and keep on believing in each other and trusting each other. I think we’re gonna do that,” said Clark.

“The only thing he’s really concerned about is winning and trying to be a good teammate, and I think that’s one reason why this team is really special,” said the head coach.

After scoring 19 points against in Southwestern’s victory at Tabor Wednesday night, Clark is only 44 points shy of 2,000 points scored in less than three full seasons in Winfield.

So, keep your eye on Cevin with a “C.”