“Me and my dad go all the time,” said Chadwick senior Clayton Garrison. “So it’s something I can do with my dad and we enjoy it together.”
Hunting is a lot like his other escape.
“It’s just a peaceful thing, just like basketball,” Clayton said. “So whenever I’m out sitting in a tree stand, you know, it’s just like playing basketball. It’s just peaceful. I can be myself there.”
The Chadwick senior shows his true self on the court. Especially in the final four last year, where he totaled 35 points, 24 rebounds and 11 steals.
“It was just a crazy experience for all of us,” Clayton said. “I had one of the most fun times in my life.”
He put on a show at Mizzou Arena. Showing his selfless side to him in the final seconds of the semifinals.
“It was just insane. Everybody was screaming and everybody expected me to hit the shot. But you know, I trust my teammates, so I knew he was going to hit it.”
His fed the ball to Tristan Smith who drained the triple, advancing Chadwick to the state final. The Cardinals went on to make history and took home gold.
“When that final buzzer went off that state championship game, I just literally stood there and watched them enjoy everything that they had put their heart and soul into for the past six months,” said Chadwick basketball coach Shawn Guerrin. “Or you could even say the last five to six years because they’ve worked hard, they earned it.”
It was five years ago when Clayton first realized that he could ball and his coach Guerin noticed it too.
“I mean 7th grade, you just knew that he had that. He was just a little different.”
Everyone sees Clayton shine offensively, but To coach Guerin, it’s his defense that doesn’t get enough credit.
“He alters so many shots he he’s able to change what defense we run,” Guerin said. “You know, we can we can switch things around because of him and and we can run different lineups in because of him.”
Clayton is versatile, as happy with a a 10 point buck as he would be with a 30 point game. But basketball is where he’s leaving his legacy for now. When it’s all said and done he may be the best to every come out of a Chadwick program rich in basketball history.
“There’s been a lot of good players come through this school,” Guerin said. “A lot of good players, but as far as overall basketball player, he’s the best player that’s ever come through this school in the last 100 years.”
