Towering Bulldog powerhouse on basketball court, humble off it

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

BURNET — When the Burnet High School boys basketball team takes the court, fans immediately know who will be guarding the basket.

At 6 feet 8 inches, senior post Clayton Baumgart takes the role seriously. He relishes the chance to muscle an opposing post on the low block in order to grab rebounds. It takes at least two defenders to contain the towering Bulldog.

He is a preseason all-state selection by Texas Basketball Magazine for 2013-14. And while the his teammates might not be shocked by the honor, Baumgart expressed surprise.

“I knew I had a good year (last season), but I didn’t think it was good enough to be all-state being my first year on varsity,” he said.

Baumgart helped the Bulldogs finish 7-3 in District 8-3A last year before the team lost 76-59 to Alvarado in the first round of the playoffs.

Burnet head coach Roy Kiser summed up Baumgart’s contributions, noting the player stood 6-1 as a freshman before growing into the reigning District 8-3A Offensive Most Valuable Player last season.

“He means a great deal,” Kiser said. “Clayton has the knack to score anywhere on the floor, so that alone is incredibly valuable. He is also a great kid who we love to coach.”

Baumgart began playing basketball in the third grade and immediately fell in love with the sport. He credits his father, Keith, for teaching him to play. His mother is Kim Fluke.

Baumgart was diagnosed with melanoma, which is skin cancer, at age 5 on his left calf. He endured a skin-graph surgery and two more surgeries “to get it cut out.”

“I was in and out of the hospital for a while,” he said. “All in all, it was for a month or two.”

When doctors told him the diagnosis, his response was, “That’s cool.”

“My mom was crying,” he said. “She said that’s not cool. It was hard for my parents to watch the effects. When they did the surgery, there was a big hole in my leg.”

He couldn’t walk for three months and missed some of kindergarten.

As a result, he has six-month checkups and wears a large amount of sunscreen in the highest protection available. The senior post also participates in Relay for Life fundraisers in which participants walk around tracks to raise money to help fight cancer.

He counts the 53-51 victory against Liberty Hill last season as his favorite game, though he only scored nine points. Teammate and point guard Colton Stevens, who he counts as his closest friend on the team, led with 16 points.

“We all played as a team and kept fighting and came back from being 10 down,” Baumgart said. “It was the best.”

He joked that, as a post, it’s always a good idea to be great friends with the point guard. Still, Stevens has a few traits Baumgart admires.

“His hustle, his speed and his mindset to win,” Baumgart said. “He never gives up. It makes it easier on me. He knows I can score. And I’m always trying to kick it out to him, so he can get points, too.”

When the post is not playing for Burnet, he suits up for the Texas Thunder, a select team coached by Marquette Wilkins, which has helped him catch the eyes of several college coaches.

Those colleges include Texas A&M University, Kansas Wesleyan, Montana University, Air Force Academy, Shriner University, Concordia University, Arizona State, University of Texas-Dallas and University of Texas-San Antonio.

“It’s a whole other level,” Baumgart said. “(Amateur Athletic Union) kids are so athletic. It’s faster, they can jump higher.”

Baumgart plans to be a business major and credits his father for teaching him to be humble.

“Always be a team player, play hard,” he said, “and always leave your heart out on the court.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com