MADRID (Olympics) - It’s not been an easy three and a half months for Dan Clark, the 23-year-old Great Britain forward who spent most of the first half of the Spanish Liga Endesa season on the Estudiantes bench.

Pepu Hernandez has turned to Clark the past couple of games and the Brit has delivered solid performances.

Against surprise package Lucentum Alicante, Clark had 14 points and five rebounds, and then on Saturday night at Valencia, he had 11 points in the first half.

He’s played a total of 47 minutes in Estu’s last two games.

“Last week and this week, I've played a lot more than coming up to this stage of the season, so I'm happy about that,” Clark said to FIBA.com.

“It comes in bits and pieces, but it's getting there.”

This was supposed to be his season to stand out, though, the year in which Clark would shed the prospect tag and become a sweet-shooting power forward getting a lot of minutes in the best domestic competition in Europe.

Clark believed that a good EuroBasket, and the return of Hernandez – the coach that first brought him to Estudiantes in Madrid a decade ago who returned to the club in the summer from Joventut Badalona – meant he would have a bust-out season.

But in his first 16 games in 2011-12, it was more of a bust.

Clark played nine minutes or less in 12 of those games.

When asked by FIBA about Clark, whether injuries or a lack of rhythm might have led to Clark not getting as much time on the court as he’d expected, Hernandez said: “I don’t really know what happened.

“Maybe it was a mix, physical troubles, because he had a real good summer (with Great Britain) and sometimes (there were) physical problems, injuries, not big injuries but injured. And then, he was trying to get into the rhythm but now, he’s in a good moment.”

When asked if he is optimistic about Clark’s development, Hernandez said: “Yes, he’s in the right moment. He’s ready now when German (Gabriel) is not in the team, so he’s helping a lot.”

Gabriel, the veteran, had played the lion’s share of the minutes for Estu at Clark’s position but got hurt.

“I don’t want to say anything against the coach,” Clark said.

“(But) Physically, I felt great coming into the season.

“I don't think we understood each other and that's what it came down to.

“It wasn't physical, or mental - I was really confident.

“I felt great.

“I was really looking forward to the season and looking forward to playing, but something happened and it didn't work out.”

Clark looked inspired on Saturday, both with his play and his voice in trying to keep his teammates’ spirits up.

“It's one of those things you have to put behind you,” he said of the tough start.

“If I keep thinking about it, or keep dwelling on it, the only person it's going to affect is me.

“So it's just one of those things I have to put behind me and look forward.”

The Olympics

When he does look forward, Clark sees an opportunity of a lifetime.

He is just months away from becoming an Olympian, with the Summer Games to be held in London.

“Everyone is thinking about it,” he said.

“Everyone that has anything to do with British basketball is anxious for it to come along.

“We've been waiting for it for I don't know how many years now.

“Everyone is looking forward to it, but first things first - we need to finish the season off properly the way we should do and then, everything should be focused on the Olympics.”

Britain didn’t advance from their first round group last summer at the EuroBasket, but with Spain, hosts Lithuania and Turkey in the same pool along with Poland and Portugal, no one had expected them to.

They did win two games, beating Portugal and then Poland, an important result because it prevented the Poles from progressing.

“I think we took a step forward,” Clark said.

“That's been one of the goals is to take a step forward every year and I think we did that.

“We won two games at a EuroBasket, which has never been done by a British team. Maybe we could have won more.”

If Clark is trying to establish himself at Estu, that is not the case with Britain.

He has cemented his role as one of the team’s most important players.

In the qualifying campaign for EuroBasket 2011, he averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds and then in Lithuania, Clark poured in 8.2 points and grabbed 7.2 boards per game.

He started the tournament with a bang, pouring in 15 points and corralling eight rebounds as Britain led the Lithuanians into the fourth quarter, only to run out of steam and fall 80-69.

Clark also had 14 points and 12 rebounds against the best team in the tournament, Spain, which the Brits lost 86-69.

Injury woes

Britain were without Pops Mensah-Bonsu at the EuroBasket while he recovered from a shoulder operation.

At EuroBasket 2009, they Mensah-Bonsu but were without an injured Luol Deng.

Deng and Joel Freeland have missed time of late with their teams.

“It's one of those things,” Clark said.

“The fitness side of things, the injuries - it's luck.

“We're hoping everyone is fit for the Olympics so we can pick our best squad. That's our main goal and that's what we want to do.”

Clark is in regular contact with good friend Freeland, who plays for Unicaja Malaga in Spain.

When asked about his ankle injury, Clark smiled for the first time in the interview.

“Yes,” he said, “Joel always has something wrong with him, unfortunately, but he's a big strong guy and always gets over it, so I'm sure he'll be raring to go come summer time.”

Clark knows he’s not the finished article.

A player’s flaws can be magnified in an unforgiving league like the Liga Endesa.

Clark is known as a big man with a very soft touch that can score in bunches.

To last in Europe’s top leagues, though, power forwards have to be combative in the lane.

He was combative all over the floor against Valencia.

“I think I have to develop other aspects of my game to help me get to that next level that I want to be at,” he said.

“Hopefully keep a steady base of minutes, give a few more things to the team like today (Saturday), scrapping and shooting well to open the floor a little bit.”

Hernandez is hoping for big things from Clark for the rest of this season.

He predicts he’ll be a hit in London.

“Of course,” he said, “because he has a real important role with his (national) team but the problem is, maybe it’s not the same role that he has in this team.

“But he’s clever enough to understand different types of basketball and he will be ready (for the Olympics), I’m sure.”

FIBA