Clear Lake Falconhoops

The large United States flag hanging in the Krueger Field House during the 2006-07 basketball season was flown on the Space Shuttle and presented by Johnson Space Center Director Michael Coats at the dedication of the Field House on November 14, 2006.

The flag was purchased by Clear Lake High School. Its size is larger than the one originally specified due to unavailability of the requested size. The flag is significantly larger than any flag ever flown in space (after all, this is Texas). Due to the size of the flag, notably exceptional approvals were required by NASA.

The flag was provided after the absolute deadline for the Shuttle manifest contents was finalized. Because of the late date the flag was provided, exceptional permission was also necessary to get the flag included in the cargo to be carried in space.  As anyone familiar with the manned space program knows, this was no small accomplishment.

As best I can determine the flag was removed from the gym during the decoration of the room for the 2007 graduation ceremony. Someone felt the flag clashed with the decor of the ceremony or was too imposing or something. Later it was decided to avoid the same "problem" in the future the flag would not be rehung. It would be placed in the trophy case and another, smaller flag would be hung in its place.

There are those of us who are not pleased with the decision to replace the flag hanging in the gym.

 

 

 

This "MEMORY LANE"  Section consists of three parts:

Player Honor Roll

Team Honor Roll

Wall of Fame.

PLAYER HONOR ROLL

The following players have been selected by ClearLakeFalconHoops.com as the all time best varsity players ever produced by Clear Lake High School.

The criteria used to select each player include:

   -high school accomplishments and perceived potential

   -college and/or professional accomplishments

   -overall record of their Lake team and the strength of the competition faced

   -how far their team advanced in the playoffs

   -how strong my memories are of the player during his high school years.

No members of the coaching staff nor former players were consulted in compiling this list.

 

Player	Year
Billy Carlisle*	1973
Steve Sylestine	1976
Rex Johnson*	1977
Russ Capps	1981
Bernie Lang	1981
Greg Singleton	1981
Brad Meyer	1983
Glen Puddy	1984
Michael Hobbs	1986
Troy Valentino	1988
David Buckner	1989
Mike Moten	1989
Tim Glover	1990
Nathan Law	1998
Richard Law**	2002
Connor Atchley	2004
Kendrell Thompson	2007
Jimmy Witten	2007
Rob Lewis	2012
Chris Stenerson	2015

*deceased

** Only player to be designated MVP for 3 years 

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Coach McDonald was born in San Marcos, Texas on October 31, 1954. His father, Vernon McDonald, coached basketball at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) from 1952 to 1977. Lynn's mother, Dolores, taught elementary school.

Lynn attended San Marcos High School where he started on the varsity basketball team for three years. His junior year he was selected second team all district and his senior year he was chosen first team all district. Lynn was chosen team captain his junior and senior year.

After high school he attended Southwest Texas State where he lettered in basketball four years, two as a starter. He was first team Academic All Conference his junior and senior years and was selected Honorable Mention All Conference his senior year.

On May 17, 1975, he married Amy Evans, now his wife of 33 years. Amy and Lynn have two daughters, Kacey and Abbey. Kacey has her Bachelors and Masters degree from Texas A&M and is married to Jamie Bryant. Kasey and Jamie reside in Spring, Texas and have one daughter, Karys Jane. Abbey received her degree from Southwest Texas State in August 2005 and teaches at Clear Lake High School.

Lynn joined the Clear Creek Independent School District in 1977 when he started at Seabrook Intermediate. He coached basketball and football and helped with girls basketball and track. After the '79-'80 school year Lynn moved to Clear Lake High School. At CLHS he coached Sophomore and JV basketball. He also coached Freshman, Sophomore and JV football prior to becoming the JV and Varsity Assistant basketball coach in 1988. Lynn became the Falcons head basketball coach in 1996.

"A lot has changed in education since 1977. That can also be said in coaching too. The one constant that I have seen at CLHS is that the players are extremely competitive and they want to carry on the tradition of excellence in basketball that Clear Lake has enjoyed for so many years".

Among the recent major milestones in Coach McDonald's life:
- the McDonalds had their first grandchild, Karys Jane;
- the 2006-07 varsity team finished the season ranked 6th in the state of Texas;
- In May 2007 Coach McDonald was selected 5A Outstanding Coach of the Year in Texas by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

- In November 2008 Coach McDonald was inducted into the Texas State University Hall of Honor alongside his father who is also an inductee.

Coach McDonald retired in May 2009

FYI: Lynn's brother, Donny, is the head Girls basketball coach at Hays High School and their sister, Lola Folkes,is the principal at an elementary school in San Antonio. Lynn's father, Vernon, was college head basketball coach to former Clear Lake head coach Bill Krueger when he was a student at Southwest Texas State. Krueger provided baby sitting services for Lynn when he was in his crib.

 

TEAM HONOR ROLL - FALCONHOOPS GREATEST TEAMS

The following teams have been chosen by clearlakefalconhoops.com to be the top varsity teams ever produced by the school. Although only four of these teams made the trip, each of these teams was unquestionably good enough to play in the state tournament. In most cases, untimely illnesses and/or injuries during the playoffs denied the trip to Austin. 

Teams that played in the state tournament are in bold print.

*****1976 - One of the very best teams until the playoffs.

*****1981 - The best team ever, truly impressive in almost every game. Also the year the UIL went to classifications 1A - 5A.

*****1985 - Fans helped define Clear Lake as one of the surliest high school basketball crowds in the state. Bill Krueger established as one of the most dreaded coaches (by other coaches and especially referees). Gym was almost always packed.

*****1988 - Perhaps the highest scoring Lake team ever;  certainly one of the very best teams. The year the three point shot was implemented.

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*****1989 - STATE CHAMPIONS

Long overdue state champs. Well balanced team, played truly outstanding ball in the state tournament. Clear Lake ran off 22 unanswered points against a talent laden team that was 38-0. WOW!  It was something to behold.  To the keen observer the preparedness of Krueger's team was astonishingly thorough and complete. For some high school boys basketball aficianados like myself, it actually changed the way we watched the game of basketball. By the way, this state finals game was selected the basketball game of the decade in Texas by Texas sports writers.

Coach Bill Krueger took his teams to the Regionals 8 times in 16 years before 1989 but did not win the region until 1989. The Falcons had lost in the Regionals to the eventual state champions four times.  During the 1988-89 regular season Clear Lake started slowly by losing its first two district games (losses to Clear Creek and Dobie I believe) and entered the playoffs as the District runner-up (the first year two teams went to the playoffs in 5A). In the playoffs the Falcons defeated Galveston Ball 93-89 in overtime and then Beaumont West Brook, 43-36, to reach the Regionals where they defeated Madison, 104-78, and Houston Washington, 80-76, to qualify for the state tournament. In Austin Clear Lake defeated Fort Worth Southwest 84-67 in the semi-final and previously unbeaten (38-0) San Antonio John Jay 86-69 in the state finals. Clear Lake finished the year 36-4.

In the state semifinal Clear Lake overcame an 11-point deficit in the first half with superior shooting (54%) and rebounding (43-35) to defeat Fort Worth Southwest by 17 points.  In the finals the score stayed close throughout the first half with the Falcons ahead by 5 at halftime. Coming from behind late in the third quarter the Falcons led by 22 at one point and won by 17 largely due to impressively accurate outside shooting from the field (55%), from 3-point range (55%) and free throws (75%).  All season Clear Lake relied greatly upon the 3-point shot (begun by the UIL in 1988) hitting 40% from long range during the year.  Clear Lake scored 28 points off 16 Jay turnovers and held Jay to 37% from the field to hand the previously undefeated Mustangs their first loss.

Clear Lake has made four appearances in the state tournament. The Falcons won the title in 1989 and lost in the finals in 1990 to Dallas Kimball. In 1995 Lake was defeated in the semifinals by Dallas Carter 67-58. In 2015 the Falcons were defeated in the finals by a buzzer beater by Plano West. West had what many believed to be the most talented team to ever play in the state tournament.

Bill Krueger's 1989 win of the state championship was his second (he also won a title in 1965 at San Marcos).  During the 1989 season Coach Krueger became the all-time leader in most wins in Texas with over 900 for his career. By his retirement in 1996 he finished with a 1096-250 record (in 39 years), the winningest high school coach in the United States at that time. He is currently 5^th on the all-time national list as of January 2017.  Coach  Krueger was elected to the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 and is a member of the National High School Athletic Hall of Fame (see Coach Profiles for more).      

The 1989 Clear Lake players were: 

10 Brad Bruce, 5’11” Sr;

12 Tim Glover, 6’1” Jr;

14 Scott Boykin, 6’4” Sr;

20 Robert Henson, 5’10” Sr;

22 John Easterly, 5’11” Jr;

24 Eric Valentino, 6’4” So;

30 Eric Henderson, 6’1” Sr;

32 Mike Simmons, 6’1” Jr;

34 David Buckner, 6’3” Sr;

40 Mike Fultz, 6’4” Jr;

42 Steve Rasmussen, 6’4” Jr;

44 Brian Williams, 6’7” Jr;

50 Derrick Lormand, 6’4” So;

52 Paul Cooper, 6’6” Jr; and

54 Mike Moten, 6’8” Sr.

Clear Lake senior David Buckner led all scorers in the semi-final game with 30 points and Moten had 17. In the final game Buckner led all scorers with 23 points, Robert Henson with 19 (career high, certainly the best game of his high school career),  Mike Moten with 17 (9 rebounds) and Tim Glover with 13.   Jay's Calvin Thomas was almost unstoppable as he led Jay with 22 point while Charles "Bo" Outlaw had 17 rebounds.  The 1989 5-A All State Tournament Team included:

6’3” Sr David Buckner and 6’8” Sr Mike Moten of Clear Lake;  

6’8” Sr Charles “Bo” Outlaw of SA Jay;  

Sr Sidney Baker of FW Southwest; and

Sr Alfredo Porter of Dallas S. Oak Cliff. 

Bo Outlaw later played at the University of Houston and in the NBA from 1994-06 and was elected to the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Lake's David Buckner played at Fordham University. Mike Moten played at Rhode Island before going to Europe for his professional career. 

The statistical part of this summary of the 1989 team provided by the legendary Billy Wilbanks, PhD.

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*****1990 (kooky bunch of kids who could really play ball, not the most talented of the teams listed here but driven by a winning legacy and expectations)

*****1995 (not the most skilled but the most heart; this team exceded almost everyone's expectations; they went farther with less overall talent than any Lake team)

*****2007 (you could sense this was a special team; really great bunch of kids, big man only 6'5" but probably the best inside player for his size ever to play at Lake; best overall three point shooting team and free throw shooting team in the state; best individual three point shooter and best free throw shooter in the state (not the same player). Played their best in the playoffs; a coin toss made a world of difference)

 

*****2015 State Finalist

 In 2015 in San Antonio Clear Lake represented 6A Region 3 at the state tournament. This was the first year of 6A classification and the first year the state tournament was held outside of Austin. 

For over four decades when most people who know basketball in this region think of Clear Lake basketball, they think first of a class act that plays well coached team basketball. This 2015 team personified a Clear Lake team -- good team basketball - unselfish team players who take pride in working hard together to achieve their mutual goals and a real class act.

This was a team which surpassed most people’s expectations. This team was not picked to win their district. They were not even ranked in the preseason top 25 in the state. There was no one dominant player that carried the team throughout the season. Instead they took care of business as a team. They each stepped up when it was needed.  Each of the five starters scored more than 20 points in at least two or more games in the 2014-15 season.

2015 State Tournament

In the semifinals Clear Lake defeated Shertz Clemens out of San Antonio. Clemens had scored 90 or more points in 20 games and 100 or more in 8 games. They had won 4 of their 5 playoff games by 40 to 50 points. Clear Lake defeated them 78-69.

In the finals Clear Lake faced Plano West High School. The entire season Plano West, with an enrollment of 5531, was ranked #1 in the state and nationally ranked among the top 15. Plano West had stacked the team with some talented players who would be the dream of any D1 coaches.. Among the five seniors starting for Plano West were four D1 players: two headed to Texas A&M, one to Ohio State and one to UCLA (football). Their starters' heights were 6’8”, 6’8”, 6’7”, 6’4, and 6’10”. This team of noticeably talented athletes was as tall as the starting lineup of the San Antonio Spurs! More than a few long time state tournament goers said that this Plano West team might be the most talented team they had ever seen at the state tournament.  Obviously Clear Lake was “David” and Plano West was “Goliath”.

In the first half against one of the most talented teams in the nation, Lake outplayed Plano West in every aspect of the game; shooting, rebounding, points in the paint, free throws, transition, defense, hustle, execution, everything. At the half Lake led 31-26. In the third quarter it was still pretty much the same. At one point Lake led by 10. With all that height advantage you would think PW could score at will. But so could clever Clear Lake. At the end of the third, it was Lake leading 40-34.

Lake led the game until the final 2 minutes and 14 seconds of the game. David outplayed Goliath the entire game with one exception: Plano West’s 6’8” guard Dennis “DJ” Hogg (bound for A&M) hit four three pointers in the fourth quarter. In the final four minutes Lake would score and then Plano West would score to tie the game. It was like watching a chess match as the lead bounced back and forth. With 36 seconds remaining a layup by PW tied it at 54 after Lake’s Chris West hit two free throws (he went 4 for 4 and the team went 10 of 11). On Lake’s next possession Chris West was called for a charge which gave PW one last chance. Much of the crowd was probably thinking overtime at this point. With time running out DJ Hogg, who scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, launched a successful 18 footer an instant before the buzzer sounded. Thus Plano West (33-2) claimed the first 6A championship on a buzzer beater. Lake finished the season 35-3.

In front of a crowd of 10,781 and against one of the premier teams in the nation, this demonstration of Lake’s team basketball was something to behold. Many regulars at the tournament felt that this game was one of the very best games they had ever seen at the state tournament. Quite a testament to a team that was not projected to even win their district. This team’s accomplishments will proudly serve as a reminder to many of what Clear Lake basketball is all about. Among high school boys basketball aficianodos the near perfect coaching job done by the Clear Lake coaching staff against overwhelming odds will be talked about for decades.

 

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In the final meeting of the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches for the 2006 - 2007 season, the association selected Clear Lake Head Coach Lynn McDonald as the 5A Outstanding Coach of the Year in Texas. With a narrow 8 point loss to rival powerhouse Kingwood in the regional finals, Clear Lake's final ranking in the state was 6th. Not bad for a team unranked statewide until the final month of the season. With Lake's post man at only 6'5", many underestimated the skill and tenacity of the Falcon squad.

By the way, eight points was the narrowest margin of victory for Kingwood in any of their playoff games leading to the state tournament and was the fourth closest score of any Kingwood victory of the season. Imagine how close it might have been if Clear Lake's big man, Jimmy Witten, had not gotten his front tooth knocked out in the first 40 seconds of the game.

Clear Lake's team ranked first in the state in three point baskets and free throws and had the highest free throw  percentage shooter (Armie Lewis) and the leading three point shooter (Kendrell Thompson) in the state.