Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 | 2 a.m.
KeJuan Clark grabbed a pen and piece of paper and started writing.
Clark, then the new Mojave High School basketball coach, jotted a list of goals his program would achieve and how to accomplish them.
He shared his thoughts with everyone — his wife, administrators, players and coaches.
All the benchmarks in place led to one goal: being the best team in the state’s highest classification. In Nevada, that means one thing — beating perennial power Bishop Gorman.
Today, the Rattlers will have that chance.
Mojave takes on defending state champion Gorman at 8:15 p.m. at Cox Pavilion for the Class 5A title. Gorman won nine consecutive state titles through 2022; its coach Grant Rice is a 14-time large-school champion.
“This is where we planned to be,” said Clark, who took over the program for the 2019-20 season.
The growth, Clark stresses, extends beyond the court. To play for the Rattlers, athletes have to achieve in the classroom.
The Clark County School District requires students to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade-point average to be eligible for athletics and other school-related extracurricular activities. Mojave upped that requirement for basketball players, first to a minimum 2.3 GPA. Each year since, the academic requirement has stiffened — it’s now a 3.0 average.
And each year, the players rose to the occasion. This season, the team’s 16 players combined for a 3.5 grade-point average, Clark said, making them the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association’s academic state champions.
It’s believed to be the first time a North Las Vegas school has won the academic award, Clark said.
“If you give the kids an expectation to reach and believe in them, they will reach it,” the coach said. “Everyone is not going to get a college scholarship to play basketball, but you can still go to college. You just need to have the grades.”
On the floor, the improvements have come each season, starting in 2020 when the Rattlers won the regular season league title and a playoff game in Class 3A.
Two years later, Mojave continued its run with the addition of a player Clark says is one of the best to play in Southern Nevada history. Senior guard CJ Shaw earlier this season became the 14th player all-time in Nevada to surpass 2,000 career points.
He led the Rattlers to the Class 4A state championship as a freshman and sophomore. He can cement his legacy today against Gorman.
“You can’t plan for the kind of success he’s had,” Clark said. “He locked into the gym and put the work in.”
It’s the championship Clark envisioned his program winning against the opponent he knew it would face.
And the Rattlers won’t be intimidated.
They were defeated 70-67 on the road at Gorman in the regular season despite having a lead in the fourth quarter. Mojave couldn’t overcome missed free throws and turnovers, Clark said.
“The kids took ownership over what happened,” he said. “You can’t make those types of mistakes and expect to win.”
To win, Mojave must play its style of basketball — fast-paced, stingy defense and with a confident mentality, Clark said.
It will also take efforts from the entire roster. Shaw, the coach stresses, is far from Mojave’s lone option.
Guard Zacarrion Jackson is averaging 13 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and guard Curtis Coleman is scoring nearly in double figures.
“Keep the pressure on them. That’s what we need to do,” Clark said. “Play to win; don’t play to lose.”
Mojave’s football team won the Class 4A state championship in the fall. Having a chance to add a basketball title in the same school year is an opportunity not lost on Clark.
He grew up in the North Las Vegas community where the school is situated and takes great pride in helping Rattler athletes achieve.
Winning state, Clark said, “would be great for Mojave and the community we live in. (It would be) just an amazing accomplishment. No matter what people say about the area and where we are from, we are proof of the good things that are happening. We have a great staff and administration who believe in our vision for the athletes and program.”