—Photo by Paul DeCoursey Malcolm Clayton has Iowa Lakes competing for the ICCAC title and ranked 12th in the nation with 24 wins. Clayton is a former Fort Dodge Senior High all-stater.

Malcolm Clayton will take his talents to Bethany College in the fall.

Clayton, a former all-stater at Fort Dodge Senior High, spent the last two seasons at Iowa Lakes.

With the Lakers, Clayton averaged almost 12 points, over four rebounds and nearly three assists per game, helping them finish 26-6 overall and 13-3 in the ICCAC. He was named to the conference honorable mention squad.

“I’m super excited,” Clayton said. “Iowa Lakes helped me tremendously. The coaching staff there really helped me step my game up and play at a college pace.

“Everything I felt like I lacked when I first went there, I improved on and gained better skills. They did a great job helping me grow on the court and as a man.”

As a freshman for the Lakers, Clayton posted over seven points per game with 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He finished two-year career with 613 points, 261 rebounds, 155 assists, 46 steals and 20 blocks.

Clayton has big plans for his final seasons at Bethany, and will be joined by his brother, Solomon. The two previously played together at Fort Dodge and Iowa Lakes.

“I still haven’t got a ring yet, so that’s what I’m chasing,” he said. “At the end of all this, I want to be a champion. I’ve never experienced that in high school or college, and several team I’ve been on have had the talent, but just fell short.

“I’m excited to show off what I got at the next level and to chase after a ring for two more years.”

Bethany is an NAIA school based in Lindsborg, Kansas. They are coached by Dan O’Dowd and went 9-19 overall last year.

“I picked Bethany because I felt very confident in the program and the coach,” Clayton said. “When the head coach talked to me, it seemed like he runs a good and winning program. The school also offered Solomon so it was just a great fit.”

A 2018 graduate of FDSH, Clayton finished his career by averaging over 17 points per game as a senior. He is third on the school’s all-time scoring charts with 1,074 points.