30-04-2025
Indiana basketball adds assistant coach who developed NBA talent from Tennessee
Rod Clark is leaving Tennessee basketball after four seasons as an assistant coach on Rick Barnes ' staff, Clark told Knox News.
Clark was hired to join Darian DeVries's staff at Indiana. DeVries was hired in March to replace Mike Woodson. DeVries coached at West Virginia last season after six seasons at Drake.
Clark was on staff for some of the best seasons in Tennessee history. Tennessee won an SEC Tournament title in 2022 and an SEC regular-season title in 2024 with Clark on staff. It also went to back-to-back Elite Eights for the first time in program history in 2024 and 2025. It also reached a Sweet 16 in 2023.
Rod Clark was instrumental in Vols landing Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier
Clark, 32, was instrumental in Tennessee's recruiting efforts, including in the transfer portal. Notably, he spearheaded UT's recruitment of Dalton Knecht and Chaz Lanier.
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Clark headed the recruitment and secured an April 2023 visit from Knecht. The 6-foot-6 guard went on to win the SEC player of the year award and had one of the most impressive seasons in Vols basketball history. Knecht was a first-team All-American, the fourth consensus first-teamer in UT history.
Lanier followed in the 2024 portal class from North Florida. He set the Tennessee single-season record with 123 3-pointers. The 6-5 guard earned multiple All-American honors.
Clark also was essential in UT landing prospects such as Zakai Zeigler, Tobe Awaka, JP Estrella and Amari Evans.
Rod Clark hired by Indiana basketball after four seasons with Tennessee
Tennessee was Clark's first high-major college coaching job.
He was an assistant coach for one season at Austin Peay. He was at the University of Illinois-Chicago for one season before he was hired at Austin Peay. Clark previously coached at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas, from 2017-19.
Clark is a Kansas City native. He played his final two seasons in college at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky. He played his first two seasons at Neosho Community College in Kansas and Redlands Community College in Oklahoma, respectively.
