Clark Godbold of SCVC 17s tops VolleyballMag.com club All-Americans

In recent iterations of VolleyballMag.com’s boys indoor youth awards, one name continued to pop up in terms of a player who falls into the “future star” category.

Clarke Godbold.

Now, however, Godbold isn’t a future star. The clock already is ticking on his stardom, evidenced by his key contributions in helping the SCVC 17s team win gold at the USA Volleyball junior nationals in Dallas.

Godbold’s exploits on the court this club season also have landed him the honor of being named the 2019 VolleyballMag.com boys club player of the year.

So how exactly has Godbold moved his game to the next level in recent times? He had plenty to say on the subject.

“It’s been a lot of reps,” the Long Beach State recruit said. “My coaches specifically have taught me how to block better and reach over further and get the angle first. I’m trying to improve my passing. I can hit myself out of a lot of situations now by hitting the high balls from the back row and the front row.”

But the passing aspect is something that has specifically been at the forefront of Godbold’s mind of late.

“Working on passing and serve-receive is a big deal,” said Godbold, the MVP in the 17 Open division at USAV nationals. “I definitely take pride in playing all the way around and not getting subbed out in the back row.”

Godbold’s rise to prominence on the high school, club and USA Volleyball high-performance scene, has been somewhat meteoric, considering this is only his fourth year playing the sport. He previously placed himself in a rare category of being named twice to the prestigious VolleyballMag.com 25 underclassmen to watch list as a sophomore and a junior (freshmen and sophomores rarely make the list) and was named a VolleyballMag.com high school All-American earlier this year.

“I started my 14s year,” said Godbold, a right-side hitter. “I’ve loved it ever since. My dad (Bryan, who walked on at Pepperdine) played when he was younger and threw it at me as a possibility. When I started playing, I instantly fell in love with it and I’ve kept on going.”

The 6-5 Godbold noted he used to play football, basketball, baseball and soccer before transitioning to volleyball. “I got burned out on all of it,” he said. “Volleyball was the only sport I enjoyed playing.”

Success, however, wasn’t exactly instant. “At first, I was tall and I could hit,” he explained. “Over the years, I learned how to pass and set better. When I started I was kind of raw, but I practiced a lot and worked on my game a lot. I’ve learned a lot in four years, but when I started I was pretty bad.

“I didn’t think I would ever be this good, quite honestly. I’m surprised.”

Godbold, who preps at Peninsula High School in Palos Verdes, California, said playing on the beach also has helped take his game to the next level. “I have spent a lot of time on the beach training and that has helped me with my passing and serving,” he said. “I work very hard to try and get better.”

Godbold added his time in the USAV HP pipeline has paid major dividends. He was part of the U.S. boys youth national team that recently played in the FIVB U19 world championships in Tunisia.

“I have gained a lot of experience from it,” he said. “You are out there playing a bunch of kids who hit harder and jump higher. You had to find ways to score points against them. It’s great experience. It’s very interesting to see and watch how good these players from other countries are.”

Godbold attempted to deflect credit for what SCVC accomplished this season. “We were good all-around,” he said. “Our team was super-consistent. If one guy was playing bad, another one was there to pick them up. We had a consistently good team. I played a pretty big role, but we had a three-headed monster on the pins. I helped hit us out of situations when we got in trouble.”

In terms of committing to Long Beach State, Godbold said there was too much good going on there to pass up. “I love the culture there,” he said. “I saw a couple of practices and loved the culture and the coaches are awesome. It’s also close to home so my parents can watch me play a lot.”

He also has some longer-term goals in mind. “My goal is to get to the Olympics,” he said. “I know that will take a lot of hard work, but that’s the goal.”

In his spare time, Godbold enjoys playing the popular Fortnite video game. “I like how you can continue to get better at building,” he said.

Just like he’s done with his promising volleyball career.

Note: VolleyballMag.com’s other 2019 boys’ awards include Balboa Bay 16 Blue receiving the nod for top club team.