Clark ready to push the pace

Playing with pace is nothing new for Melbourne United.

Head Coach Dean Vickerman empowers his group to get out and run the floor, and by the looks of it, that will be no exception this season.

Having completed his first few days on the practice court, import guard Ian Clark says he’s excited to implement this style of play when he makes his United debut on Saturday evening in MU's preseason Throwdown preview against the SEM Phoenix.

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“We’re playing fast, and I like that,” he said. 

“We get up and down but we’ve got a lot of guys that can play different positions so I think we’ll be versatile on the starting five and guys coming off the bench.

“I’m liking what we’ve got right now… We have many ball handlers that can get it off the glass and push it and get us right into our offence. That’s one of the advantages that we have and we want to exploit that.”

Clark joins a star-studded contingent in Melbourne looking to propel the side back into championship contention.

Looking at all the talent surrounding him, including the pair of Chris Goulding and Shea Ili, who both recently returned to practice following their time at the FIBA World Cup, Clark is bullish when touching on what this team will be able to produce on the court.

“We have a stacked team. We have a lot of guys that have won before and have that experience so I just want to bring whatever I can to help us win,” he explained.

“We know what those guys can do… it’s good being on this side with them, especially CG, he can shoot it, being able to have that guy to space the floor.

“And then with Shea, being able to push the ball and find guys. It was our first full day together, but the earlier we do this I think we’ll be better off when the season starts.”

Melbourne United will face South East Melbourne on Saturday evening from 7pm at Casey Stadium. 

Tickets to the game are sold out, however fans can tune in via the Melbourne United YouTube channel.

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