The fact that Oklahoma State senior Ally Clardy has been playing basketball for a big 12 team since her freshman year is noteworthy on its own.

Ally Clardy

The fact that she came from a small high school like Argyle makes the accomplishment even more impressive.

“For a young lady from a then-2A school to get a scholarship from a school like OSU was really exciting,” said Steve Schmidt, who coached Clardy at Argyle, where she played from 2002-2006.

The guard has been a vital contributor this season for an OSU team that has had a breakout year. This season, the Cowgirls finished with a 21-9 regular-season record and are ranked 20th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. OSU begins the Big 12 tournament today against Kansas.

Meanwhile, Clardy has averaged 1.6 points and been a defensive standout for Oklahoma State this season while appearing in 24 games (including two starts).

Clardy started playing for Argyle as a freshman. During her freshman and sophomore years, Clardy was named a first-team all-district selection and was named to the all-area and all-region team as well in her junior year.

In 2006, she was named most valuable player of the Class 2A state tournament, when she helped lead Argyle to its first state title. As a senior, Clardy was selected by the TABC as an all-region and all-state pick.

In her four years at Argyle, Clardy averaged 15.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. After graduating from Argyle, Clardy went to Oklahoma State, where she began playing as a freshman.

“College is a lot more competitive and physical than high school basketball,” said Clardy. “A lot more learning is involved, studying film and plays to understand what the other team is going to do.”

As a senior looking back on her four years of college, Clardy says that it was her sophomore year that she most remembers. In 2008, Oklahoma State advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to LSU 67-52, and was the runner-up in the Big 12 tournament to Texas A&M.

Clardy, 22, graduated from Oklahoma State in December 2009 with an education degree. She is currently working on getting her master’s in education along with a minor in sports management.

“My future plans are kind of up in the air right now,” Clardy said.

One opportunity that Clardy said she would be open to is coaching. Schmidt thinks Clardy is a perfect fit for the idea.

“She has the work ethic and would definitely be a motivator,” Schmidt said. “I think she would make a great coach.”

Clardy said she wants to stay involved in the game after her playing career is finished, and coaching provides an avenue to do that.

“I know that is what I want to be involved in,” said Clardy. “My passion is to work with kids and I love the game of basketball.”