LaMelo Ball's Drew League Coach Gary Clark Praises PG's Leadership Qualities

If NBA teams interested in drafting LaMelo Ball are looking for a reference about his skills on and off the court, the star point guard's Drew League coach has a lot of positive things to say. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner, Gary Clark believes Ball's greatness applies to his on-court ability and leadership qualities:

"When it's time to win, you feel confident in his decision-making. He makes plays. It's just as simple as that. I don't think he's going to have a problem getting the keys to whichever organization he ends up going to. He's going to be able to have a good player-coach relationship. He's great in the locker room with the guys. He's got leadership qualities about himself that are going to show up immediately. He's going to be running the show for whichever organization he goes to, and I don't think it matters who's there."

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 2020 draft will be held Oct. 16 as part of the NBA's adjusted schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Ball ranked as the top player in this year's draft class, writing the California native has "one of the draft's (few) All-Star ceilings and a reasonable path to get there."

Clark was the coach for No Shnacks in the Drew League last summer, when Ball was a member of the team. Ball won the league's Leader of the New School award before traveling to Australia to begin his professional career with the National Basketball League's Illawarra Hawks. 

Ball only played in 12 games for the Hawks because of a foot injury. He averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game before opting to return to the United States in January to prepare for the draft.