Bela Clobes, a senior from SHAPE High School in Belgium, shoots a layup during the DODEA-Europe Boys Basketball All-Star game at Vilseck High School in Germany on Feb. 24, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
VILSECK, Germany – When Bela Clobes was a child, his German parents would drive him the 80 miles north up Interstate 44 East in Oklahoma to what is now called the Paycom Center to watch former Oklahoma City Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook play basketball.
Clobes, 18, now a senior at the Department of Defense Education Activity’s SHAPE High School in Mons, Belgium, would mimic his favorite player’s moves on the court near his home on Fort Sill, where his father, Sgt. Maj. Michael Clobes, served as a liaison to the U.S. Army.
“I love (Russell Westbrook),” Clobes said Saturday as he prepared to play in the DODEA-Europe Boys Basketball All-Star game at Vilseck High School. “I was young; I was new to basketball. When I would see him jump and dunk, it was something I aspired (to do). He gave me motivation to play.”
Clobes was one of 20 players selected to participate from defense department schools across the continent. The silky 6-foot-5 guard-forward hybrid not only won the three-point competition and was a finalist in the dunk exhibition, but also contributed nine points to Team Piggé’s resounding 101-83 victory.
The team was named for its coach, Baumholder skipper Dewayne Piggé.
“He played within the flow of the game,” event organizer and Vilseck coach Adrian Crawford said of Clobes after the final buzzer. “He could have very easily went and been like, ‘Alright, every time I touch it, I’m going to get mine,’ but he made sure he passed the ball; he did all the little things right because that’s what type of player he is.”
Clobes was born in Germany and hails from Münster. The family moved to Lawton, Okla. when he was 6, and back to Germany when he was 12. He has been attending SHAPE since his sophomore year.
SHAPE fell short his senior season, faltering just prior to reaching the DODEA European Division I semifinals with a last-second loss to Ramstein. Clobes, who played with the practice squad for Belgian professional outfit Belfius Mons-Hainaut over the summer, was named to the all-tournament team.
On Saturday, more than 100 spectators filed into the stands in the Vilseck gymnasium. The program of events was meant to not only celebrate some of the top basketball players in Europe but also provide a showcase for those with collegiate aspirations.
Barkale Johnson, a senior from Vilseck High School in Germany, attempts a two-handed jam during the slam dunk competiton at the DODEA-Europe Boys Basketball All-Star game at Vilseck High School on Feb. 24, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Brandon Goins, a senior from Vilseck High School in Germany, pops a floater over Stuttgart senior Ryan Stevenson during the DODEA-Europe Boys Basketball All-Star game at Vilseck High School in Germany on Feb. 24, 2024. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
Team Piggé’s victory was punctuated by 23 points from Vilseck’s Brandon Goins and 32 from Stuttgart’s Ismael Anglada Paz. Wiesbaden’s Jordan Thibodeaux and Vilseck’s Barkale Johnson contributed 22 and 21 points in defeat for Team Jackson, named for Stuttgart coach Christopher Jackson, respectively.
Despite his seemingly muted performance, the coaches sang Clobes’ praises.
“He’s the most talented player in DODEA Europe,” Jackson said before tipoff. “He has a very fluid game; he controls the pace and makes everybody on his team better.”
Crawford believes Clobes is a better shooter than his hero, Westbrook. Clobes hopes to play ball at Southwestern Oklahoma State, a Division II program, in the fall.
For Clobes, his swan song as a high school basketball player was bittersweet.
“It’s kind of sad but it had to happen anyway,” he said after the buzzer, his shaggy brown hair matted with sweat. “I’m ready for the next step and I’m going to keep playing basketball.”