Clarion’s Christian Simko Taking New Role Seriously for Young Bobcats

CLARION, Pa (EYT/D9) — Christian Simko left the sweltering gyms of summer leagues fearing a long, frigid winter. 

The Clarion boys basketball team, gutted by graduation, did not look good. 

Not at all.

“I was definitely panicking,” Simko said, laughing. “There were some games where I was getting really nervous for the season.”

Something changed in the months that followed, however. While Simko was playing football, the young players the senior had left behind — including 10 sophomores — were honing their skills. 

When Simko returned after football, he noticed a radical change. 

“There was a noticeable difference,” Simko said. “I’m the only basketball player who played football this year, so a lot of those kids had time to play basketball while they were waiting for the season to start. I think that helped. They also matured, I think.”

Simko knows what it’s like to take a big leap in a short period of time. 

Last year, surrounded by four seniors — including stars Cal German and Beau Verdill — Simko was merely a cog in a wheel. 

This year, Simko has emerged as the go-to option, averaging nearly 20 points per game. 

Simko’s emergence has helped a young team play well out of the gate. 

“I’m definitely happy with where we’re at right now,” said Clarion boys basketball coach Scott Fox. “As the season goes on, we’re definitely looking to improve. We’ve definitely improved from summertime.”

Simko has scored nearly a third of Clarion’s points so far this season after averaging 10.7 a season ago.

He’s done it with a physical, slashing style. He’s getting to the hoop wit regularity. 

“He’s pretty much carried the team early in the year,” Fox said. “They key is going to be developing that young talent around him. 

“What makes him such a threat is his athleticism,” Fox added. “He has a decent shot from outside, but he’s really good off the dribble. He has a great first step and his body is strong, so he can finish inside.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Simko has been a streaky shooter from the perimeter — something he is working on. 

He’ll shoot lights out, and then go inexplicably cold. 

Getting more consistent with his shot is his top priority going forward. If he can show he can hit from the outside with regularity, it will open up even more room for him to slash to the rim. 

“Sometimes I’ll have like great days where almost everything is going in, and sometimes I’ll be not shooting very well,” Simko said. “So far in the games, I haven’t really shot the three consistently enough for me.

“I get told by my coaches all the time that sometimes when I shoot, I’m leaning backwards,” Simko aded. “So, I’ll short the ball and I’ll miss off the front of the rim. It’s a work in progress.”

In many ways, the 2021-22 version of Clarion is a work in progress, too.

Last year, the Bobcats knew exactly what they were. With four seniors starting around the junior Simko, it was “district championship or bust,” as Simko put it.

This season, there were a litany of unknowns.

“The approach is entirely different,” Simko said. “Last year we had Cal and Beau averaging 20 and 15 or something, and when we worked well together, we were really hard to beat.”

So hard to beat, in fact, Clarion went on to win the District 9 Class A title in overtime over Johnsonburg and then went out and won a state playoff game to reach the PIAA semifinals where its run ultimately ended.

“We have to work harder for our wins this year,” Simko said. “But I think we can be pretty good.”

Soon, Simko may have to work harder for his points. Word is bound to get out about Simko and opponents are guaranteed to try to devise ways to slow him down.

Simko said he is ready for that.

“The rest of our guys are going to have to step up then,” Simko said. “If I can’t go out and score 20 points a game, all the other guys are going to have to step up and fill in where I can’t. They can do it.”

Simko doesn’t care how many points he scores. All he cares about is wins.

That’s why he has also emerged as a team leader this season, even though he isn’t the rah, rah type.

“I don’t try to purposely be a leader,” he said. “I would rather do that through my actions rather than pulling someone aside and explaining to someone what we need from them. I don’t think that’s how leadership works. If I can go out and prove it through how I play and get the team inspired that way, I think that means more than me saying it with my words.”