Mar 22, 2015 5 min read

CALIFORNIA – After the regional championship was won in a thrilling overtime game against Bloomsburg, after the students who swarmed the court were ushered back to the bleachers and after the all-tournament selections were announced, the California University women’s basketball team huddled together at Hamer Hall’s midcourt line.

With each player raising an arm, and in a huddle so tight you couldn’t run a piece of dental floss between the bodies, the Vulcans jumped in unison and chanted.

“Shanice! Shanice! Shanice!”

The memories of Shanice Clark, the Vulcans’ senior forward who died in her sleep two months ago, have not faded. The Ontario, Canada, native is still very much a part of this team.

Each California player wears a shooting shirt with Clark’s name and No. 44 in large print on the back. After the Vulcans won the PSAC tournament March 8 with a victory over West Chester, the conference made sure Clark was announced during postgame ceremonies as a team member and Cal’s coaches were presented with her championship trophy. After each game, the Vulcans raise their hands skyward, each with four fingers extended to represent a No. 44.

“Shanice was the one person who could get through to everybody on this team,” California head coach Jess Strom said. “She had everybody’s respect.”

Clark, 21, was found unresponsive early in the morning of Jan. 18, only hours after the Vulcans defeated Seton Hill. She was taken to Monongahela Valley Hospital but could not be revived. Initial reports suggested Clark died from aspirating on chewing gum while sleeping, but Washington County Coroner Tim Warco reported last week sickle cell complications were to blame and the death was of natural causes. The sickle cell trait is a blood cell disorder that can lead to sudden death in very rare cases.

“I believe that was one of the things Shanice was tested for here,” Strom said. “She knew she had it. And we talked about how in some cases it can cause sudden death.

“When something like that happens to one of your players, a season can go one of two ways. You can fall part, and that would be natural and the easy thing to do. But these kids decided that’s not what Shanice would have wanted, they were not going to fall apart and they’re going to be better because of it. Some people say they play for a cause, but this team really does.”

That cause is to win three more games and a national championship for Shanice.

California (29-4), which won the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship last week with a tension-filled 72-69 win against Bloomsburg, will play Tuesday afternoon (1 p.m.) in the Elite Eight against Nova Southeastern (27-5) at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, N.D.

Since Clark’s sudden death, California lost to only opponent (Gannon). And with each victory, the Vulcans heal a little.

“With every day, we’ve been trying to get some normalcy back,” said senior guard Kaitlynn Fratz. “If we can bring some joy back to some lives by winning a basketball game, that’s good. I guess it helps keep the faith that Shanice is still here.”

Clark played in 24 games in the 2013-14 season, her first with California after transferring from a junior college. She averaged nine minutes of playing time and 2.9 points per game. Clark was expected to take on a larger role this season but suffered a freak hip injury Oct. 15, the first day of official practices and was taking a medical redshirt.

At practice, Clark became Cal’s unofficial cheerleader and rebounding coach.

“We scrimmage in almost every practice, and Shanice would pick one team to cheer for every day, the entire practice,” Strom said. “She also would be on the lookout for somebody who wasn’t boxing out on rebounds. I think some players still hear her yelling at them to box out.”

One of those players is senior forward Irina Kukolj, who is the the Vulcans’ third-leading rebounder.

“You didn’t want to let Shanice see you not boxing out, that’s for sure,” Kukolj said. “We’re so thrilled to have won the PSAC and regional championships because we’ve dedicated this season to Shanice. She’s still very much a big part of this team.”

“It hurts us, but I think it teaches us that we have take each day as a gift. We’ve learned as a group that you’re not promised tomorrow,” Strom said. “This is so bittersweet. After every game, the players put up their 44s to show that we haven’t forgotten her. She’s still with us. This whole situation … it’s so surreal.”