Crimson and silver turned blue and white

The Clark men's basketball team has a roster of 12 players, five of which are almost always the same five to run out onto the court to start the game. By the end of a game the stats sheets are handed out and in the minutes column there might be one or two players with more than 20 minutes and the rest of the time is evenly distrusted.

"Each player is equally important," head coach Mike Arnold said. "From the guy who gets 20 (minutes) to the guy who gets 5 (minutes)."

One of the five starters for the Penguins is Mark Morris High School graduate Austin Bragg.

Throughout high school he grew from being 5 feet 10 inches tall his freshman year to being 6 feet 8 inches tall by his senior year. During the first two years at Mark Morris Bragg played as a guard and a wing on the C team, his junior year he played primarily at the wing on the JV team and then senior year he was on the varsity team as a post.

"Ever since kindergarten and first grade I have been playing basketball," Bragg said. "I was always a little guy, which is hard for people to believe sometimes."

After high school he had a few options to further his basketball career, ranging from community colleges to division-I universities.

According to Bragg, he was recruited by Washington State University as an "invitational walk-on."

"I didn't have to do the tryouts," Bragg said. "When I got there I was on the team, but I wasn't on scholarship."

During his time in Pullman he learned a lot from WSU head coach Ken Bone. Although he redshirted while he was up there he was able to have a first-hand look at the hype of a division-I school.

"It was such a great option for me," Bragg said. "I learned a lot by redshirting there that I am able to carry over to here."

Because Bragg was not on an athletic scholarship, the heavy burden of a four-year university tuition bill was too much to carry.

"It was really expensive," he said. "I feel like I can get the same education here at Clark."

As a Penguin, Bragg is flourishing playing at the post position. In the 16 games he has played this season Bragg has accumulated 196 points and 115 rebounds.

"The coaching staff appreciates (Bragg's) ability to make his teammates better," assistant coach Garet Studer said. "When defenses key on him, he is able to find the open man with the pass, and then chasing down any missed shots for the rebound."

At most of the games this season, Bragg has had a cheering section of his own – making the 45-minute drives are his parents, David and Elizabeth Bragg.

"My parents have always been really supportive," Bragg said. "They drive miles just to go to my games. Even the tournament in Fresno they came down to support the team."

Arnold loves to have such a coachable player on his team.

"He wants to please us coaches over here on the bench almost too much," Arnold said. "Sometimes he just needs to play basketball and not worry about looking at the bench when he messes up. I tell him to keep playing and if I have a problem I will call him over and tell him."

Bragg is enjoying his time at Clark and is focused on the rest of the season being a Penguin.

"Arnold uses the term ‘the boys in blue,'" Bragg said. "I really think it is a big deal to be a Penguin. It not just about one person, it is about being a Penguin, being apart of the team."

Contact Katie Unverzagt at sportseditor@students.clark.edu