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Ogden • In the midst of an early-week, full-court practice at Ogden, one player stumbles over his own feet, hitting the floor as an entry pass sails out of bounds. Fourth-year coach Shawn MacQueen chuckles. He'd tried to hold his laughter but failed once the gymnasium filled with giggles, including from the player resting on his backside.
The Tigers can laugh about mistakes these days, a few years removed from an 0-22 season — when nothing was funny.
"I had never experienced a season like it," said MacQueen. "We had lots of games where I thought we were going to break through and have some success, but it was just a season, in the end, [that] was difficult for us to get a win."
Ogden High is not known for athletic prowess. The boys' basketball program last won a region title in 1993. MacQueen can't even remember the last time the Tigers won in the postseason. The program has registered two winning seasons since 2001, and since making the transition from Class 3A to 4A in 2013, Ogden was collectively 6-39 before this year, with two last-place region finishes.
"It's hard to play when you feel like you're going to lose," said junior Hunter Clarke, who saw limited playing time as a freshman during the winless 2013 campaign. "You never feel like you should go 0-22 heading into a season, and during the season, you always feel like you have a chance to win. Then when that does happen, and it's all over — it's not a good feeling."
MacQueen recognized the talent percolating in the younger classes in 2013, but he also understood the then-seniors earned an opportunity to prove themselves at the varsity level. Juggling minutes between underclassmen and seniors evolved into a complicated dynamic, especially after inserting the future of the program into the doldrums of a historically depressing season. MacQueen needed to develop a system to highlight success without the ability to pinpoint actual wins to avoid younger players slipping into the mindset of accepting defeat.
"We tried to narrow our focus to say, 'Forget the score right now. We want to win this quarter,' " MacQueen explained. "We had to find little success stories along the way that we could show we are getting better, we are improving, we are getting more competitive against a higher level of competition."
The preseason of 2014 provided five wins, albeit against much smaller opponents, but for a program starved for success, it was concrete data MacQueen could use to illustrate faith in the process. The Tigers snapped an 18-game losing streak in Region 5 that season, too, with a win against Bonneville.
"I felt like every night you'd get a good game from Ogden. We'd give you a half, but we couldn't sustain it," MacQueen said of the 2014 season. "We didn't have enough experience, but our younger players have improved and they've matured. That experience is paying off."
Behind Hunter and his brother Jaxon Clarke, two juniors collectively averaging 30 points per game, Ogden is 8-8 overall and 3-3 in league play this season, with wins against two-time defending champion Bountiful and East. The Tigers challenged Woods Cross and Highland, which occupy the top spots in the Region 5 standings, into the fourth quarter, but could not overcome poor second-quarter performances in both games. Yet, the fact those games were undecided with eight minutes remaining is a testament to how far the program has grown.
"It shows our potential. It shows we can battle with anybody," Jaxon said. "... Obviously, we've known what it feels like to lose. Now that we're learning how to win — it's amazing. I just want to keep doing that."
The first round of the 5A and 4A boys' postseason tournaments are split between Weber State and Utah Valley University because of ACT conflicts in the morning this season. The top overall seed from Region 5 and the fourth-seed are slated to play at Weber State, while the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds travel south.
The Tigers, who currently own the third seed but are still in contention for the region title, are eyeing the possibility of playing in the postseason minutes from their campus at the Dee Events Center.
"That would be huge. I would love to be able to play in front of the Ogden community. They would deserve an opportunity to see Ogden High playing in the postseason," MacQueen said. "I don't think anything would make me more proud."
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