It's 5 p.m. on a random Friday afternoon several weeks after the basketball season, and Sinagua senior Peter Clark is in the Sinagua High gym preparing like he has a game the next day.

His afternoon begins with a leg workout in the weight room with a teammate and concludes with hundreds of jump shots from all over the Mustang gym.

"The main thing with Peter is, if you watch our games with the moves he makes and the shots he hits, wherever they are from on the floor, he's practiced that shot," SHS coach Bryan Hays said. "He's probably made that shot a thousand times. It doesn't matter how deep it is, or where it's from, I guarantee you he has practiced that shot.

"For me, the thing I will always remember about Peter is his incredible work ethic. He always wanted to improve himself on and off the court and that's a very special quality."

Clark's relentless work ethic certainly paid off as he averaged 19.3 points per game this past year and led the Mustangs in rebounds, 3-point field goals, free-throw percentage and was second in assists.

The Mustang co-captain led his team to the Class 4A, Division II quarterfinals, won the Class 4A, D-II 3-point state shooting contest and was named the Grand Canyon Region's Player of the Year. The long list of accomplishments Clark has racked up has made him the Daily Sun's All-City boys basketball player of the year.

"You can find a player that can score, that can do anything on the court, but it's hard to find someone that does it all on the court and is such a positive example for every player in a program," Hays said. "He did it all, and there wasn't a kid in our program that didn't respect and look up to him.

"From all the open gyms he goes to, to all the extra hours he puts in the gym on his own time, he's made himself into the player that he is today. I coached him for four years and there wasn't one practice where he didn't go all out because of the drive he has."

Clark will be the first to admit that he didn't always possess the work ethic that coaches dream about.

As a younger kid, Clark wasn't always big on working his hardest. However, his dad, David, who is a Big Sky Conference football referee, used to challenge his son to work as hard as possible and did it in the way that drove the younger Clark crazy.

"He would just know exactly how to push my buttons," the SHS star said about his dad, who played two years of college basketball at Phoenix College. "He'd just say to me, real casually, 'You know someone out there is working a lot harder than you right now, right?' And I'd just say 'Yeah,' and he'd be like, 'OK, I just wanted to make sure.'

"He wasn't too pushy by any means, but he just knew hot to get to me. Now, I do most everything on my own and he doesn't have to get on me anymore. I definitely owe my work ethic to him."

Not only did Clark's work ethic lead to a brilliant high school career, it also helped land him a chance to play college basketball. Next year, Clark will head to Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.

He took an official visit and got an offer from the University of California-San Diego, a Division II school, and also had the head coach from Division I Army come to SHS and watch Clark participate in a workout. In the end though, Clark chose the Division III school, where he'll not only play basketball, but the 2007 Daily Sun prep golfer of the year will also continue his golf career in Walla Walla.

"I went and visited this past October and I just fell in love with the school," Clark said. "I enjoyed my visit to UC-San Diego, but Whitman is what felt right to me. Also, I can't see golf not in my life. Basketball is more important right now, but being outside on the golf course, that's just something I really still want in my life."

Once in Walla Walla, Clark is hoping that his defensive skills catch up with his offensive ones.

"I would eventually like to become that lock-down defender that always guards the other team's best player," Clark said. "I want that assignment."

Clark is joined on the All-City first team by SHS senior teammates Tyler Howley and Chris Cegielski. Coconino point guard Donovan David and junior forward Justin Russell also made the squad, along with Flagstaff High junior guard Daniel Frost.

Daniel Berk can be reached at 556-2251 or dberk@azdailysun.com.