For this year’s high school seniors, the clock is ticking.

There are big decisions to be made about life after graduation, and for many they concern futures both academic and athletic.

Some aspire to the highest athletic level possible, armed with great hopes and expectations. Some are realistic, others aren’t.

Andrew St. Clair knows all about such decisions. Five years ago he was a standout basketball player at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, trying to balance the things people told him because that’s what they thought he wanted to hear with a more realistic assessment of what he wanted out of his college experience.

St. Clair ultimately chose Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H., and what has followed over the last four years is an experience few can match.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound center became the first player in Chargers’ history to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. He holds school records for rebounds (1,007), steals (206), and blocked shots (142) and ranks third in points scored (2,043).

He was named a second team Division III All-American this year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and he’s also a first-team Academic All-American, the result of a 3.68 grade point average in sports management.

St. Clair may have dreamed about a scholarship-level basketball career during his high school days, but he certainly has no regrets about becoming one of the best in the nation’s small college ranks both on and off the court.

“I came out of high school really wanting to get into a program where I could play and win games and compete for conference championships,” said St. Clair, a three-time Commonwealth Coast Conference player of the year. “Obviously the education was extremely important to me, too. I wanted sports management and they had it here.”

One key to St. Clair’s athletic and academic success has been remaining disciplined in both disciplines.

“Time management is huge,” said St. Clair. “During the season there’s more pressure, especially with road trips. A lot of them are on the weekends, but there are others during the week when you’re on the road eight, nine, or 10 hours. You just have to make time to study between classes and any other time you can, but it’s definitely workable.

“If you’re disciplined in life in general, then you can make it work for athletics and in academia.”

St. Clair will graduate from Colby-Sawyer next month and currently is exploring a professional basketball career in Europe. He has already begun sending out game tapes and hopes to participate in several talent showcases that will provide him even greater exposure to professional scouts and coaches from overseas.

And whether his competitive basketball days are over now or later, law school looms in his future, leading to a career as a lawyer or perhaps a sports agent.

Just a few more decisions as a new graduation day nears, but it seems like Andrew St. Clair has chosen pretty well so far.

“A lot of kids coming out of high school look at Division III and say, OK, it’s Division III, and they might feel a little disappointed,” he said. “But Division III is really a high level of competition. It’s a big step above high school, and for me it was the perfect place.”

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net