On Feb. 26 at Leede Arena in Hanover, New Hampshire, Oak Park High School alumni and brothers Wes Slajchert and Clark Slajchert became rivals on the basketball court, playing for Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.

“Playing against my brother was surreal,” Clark wrote to the Talon. “Playing alongside him in high school always just felt right, and playing against him didn’t exactly feel wrong, but it was weird. I mean, he’s one of the few people that I’ll admit can guard me pretty well, so it was kind of annoying, to be honest.”

The game ended with a win in Dartmouth’s books, a score of 84-70. The game also marked Wes’s senior night of his college basketball career.

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“Being there for his senior night was something I’ll never forget — getting to hug it out with him, my parents, my other big brother, and my pseudo big brother AJ Moye (current Asst. Coach at OP — Go Eagles) was truly a dream come true,” Clark wrote. “A couple of things I will do everything in my power to forget: the times he locked me up on defense and the final score.”

Wes and Clark graduated from OPHS in 2018 and 2020, respectively. According to Athletic Director and Varsity Coach Tim Chevalier, the team was “unstoppable” when the brothers were part of the OPHS Boys’ basketball program.

“Wes was a tremendous basketball player, tremendous person, great floor leader, excellent communicator. Just on the floor, he was a pass-first point guard that had multiple triple-doubles, which is really hard to do in a 33 minute high school game,” Chevalier said. “[Clark is] like a walking bucket … he’s an ultra competitor. And it’s probably because he’s the youngest.”

While some aspects of college basketball differ greatly from high school basketball, Clark states that the core of the game remains the same.

“College basketball is more intense; there are people’s jobs on the line night in and night out,” Clark wrote. “But at the end of the day, it’s the same game I’ve been playing my whole life. What you put into this game is what you get out of it, which is why I believe it’s taught me so much about myself and life.”

With the rigorous schedule of college basketball across all schools in the Ivy League, Clark states he could bond with Wes throughout the season despite attending different schools and going on road trips at different times.

“Being so far away from home and traveling so much to play games is not easy, but we did it together in a way,” Clark wrote. 

On Jan. 15, 2022, the Dartmouth Big Green played against the Penn Quakers, with Penn coming out the victor by a score of 78-68. Chevalier believes that Penn “had to come back” from this previous rivalry game, but Dartmouth’s home court advantage proved that to be a difficult task.

“Clark hit some big shots, Wes hit some big shots. It was really fun to watch them, their social media stuff … after the game, pictures of them together half court [as] a family,” Chevalier said. “Clark was up to his usual tricks, tried to outfox Dartmouth, but Dartmouth ended up getting a better home.”

As the coach of Wes, Clark, and J.D. Slajchert, Chevalier reminisces that their time as part of the OPHS Boys’ basketball program was an “incredible decade.” Chevalier also continues to keep in contact with the Slajchert family.

“Watching them all go to their respective colleges — watching Wes go to Dartmouth and Clark go to Penn — they’ve all found their niche; they’ve all found their place,” Chevalier said. “I’m really proud of them and happy for what they’ve done basketball-wise, but more importantly than that, just who they are as people. That whole family, I’ll cherish forever.”