Renita Clark earned a set of wings last Friday.

The Ridgeland senior guard, who averaged over 17 points per game for the Lady Panthers over the last two seasons, signed a letter of intent last Friday to continue her basketball career at NAIA school Reinhardt College.

Clark, a go-to player since her sophomore year as a Lady Panther, was recruited hard by schools such as Covenant College, Shorter College, Chattanooga State, Augusta State, and North Georgia before deciding to become a Reinhardt Lad y Eagle.

“I felt comfortable there,” Clark said. “I like the campus and the coach. I met my new teammates and we got along great.” She will also continue to wear her familiar number 23

A crowd of close to 50 family, friends, and school administrators celebrated the signing with a party at the Ridgeland High School media center. Several of her Lady Panther teammates were on hand, as well as the seven current and former coaches that Clark has played for since her early days with the Rossville Recreation League.

One of those coaches in attendance was her newest coach, Reinhardt women’s head coach Jerry Pruett. Pruett believes Clark can make a fast contribution to the Reinhardt program.

“Her shooting and her quickness will allow us to do some things we weren’t able to do last year,” Pruett said. “She can play at the one and the two position, and she can also play the three as well. She’ll probably see time at all three, but we’ll see where she fits in best.”

Clark was primarily a shooting guard her junior and senior seasons, when she averaged over 17 points a game in both campaigns. She ended her Ridgeland career with 1,229 points.

She also holds a school record, as she made 10-of-10 free throws in a game two season ago.

Renita was named to the Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of Preps Team in 2001, and was named on two occasions as female Athlete of the week by the Walker County Messenger.

The Northwest Georgia Tip Off Club also named her as their girls’ Most Valuable Player for the 2000-2001 season.

She also improved her defense greatly during her high school career, becoming one of the best defenders on the team, and was routinely asked to guard the opposing teams’ best scorers.

That defensive improvement was evident during a home game against Murray County, when Clark defended Lady Indians’ all-region scorer Crystal Kendrick. Clark held the Murray sharpshooter two just two points for the game.

While it was a proud day for Renita, it was an equally proud day for her father Daryl. Mr. Clark spent many hours teaching Renita the fundamentals and helping to polish her game. Seeing his daughter sign a college scholarship was the ultimate reward for all the work.

“This is the payoff right here,” Mr. Clark beamed. :I think she’s ready. I think she can go in and make a definite impact.”

Renita says she will miss her teammates and all the great fans at Ridgeland High School and wishes them well for next season. She also thanks God for all He has done for her. She says one of her only regrets is that she only got one year with current Lady Panther head coach Craig Parrott.

“Yeah, me too,” said Parrott.

She will enroll at Reinhardt in August and plans to study nursing. An honor roll student at Ridgeland, Renita carries a 3.3 GPA and is a member of the Beta Club, Future Business Leaders of America, and Young Democrats