Top basketball recruit ‘giddy as heck’ ahead of his first Kentucky visit this weekend
For star basketball recruit Skyy Clark and his family, a much-anticipated visit to Kentucky has been a work in progress.
The Los Angeles-area standout was originally supposed to be in town for the Wildcats’ home game against Vanderbilt on Jan 29, but they were so excited to plan the trip that they didn’t realize Clark’s high school team had games on the day before and after that date.
Then, Clark and his family were planning to see Lexington on Feb. 10, but his team was scheduled for a playoff game on that day, and they had to postpone again.
It’s looking like the third time will be the charm for Clark, who is now set to be at UK this weekend, a visit that will include seeing the eighth-ranked Cats play in Rupp Arena against No. 15 Auburn, a matchup that should bring out the best in Kentucky’s home crowd.
“We get to see the biggest game of the year. It’s perfect timing,” Kenny Clark, the player’s father, told the Herald-Leader this week. “We’re excited, man. I know the place is going to be electric in there. It’s going to be rocking and rolling, and to be able to witness it in person, it’s going to be phenomenal. Everybody is excited.”
That includes Clark, still just 16 years old but already building a reputation as one of the best perimeter scorers in all of high school basketball.
“Oh my gosh, he’s been like a little kid in a candy store,” his dad said. “He’s been giddy as heck trying to just wait to get out there and soak up the atmosphere.”
Back in October, the elder Clark — a former NFL wide receiver — said getting to see a game in Rupp Arena amounted to a “bucket list” item for he and his son. On Saturday afternoon, they’ll get to check that one off the list.
“We watch the games on TV,” he said this week. “And we see the excitement from the crowd, and the excitement from the players. And just point blank, it’s Kentucky, man. We all know the history with Kentucky and Coach Cal and his crew. How can you pass that up?
“We want to see the town. And the campus. And just see how the coaches interact with the players in person. You can hear about it, and you can watch it on TV, but there’s nothing like being there live and in person to see how everything goes down.”
Recruiting Skyy Clark
In the fall, UK assistant coach Joel Justus traveled to California to see Clark and meet with his family. The 6-foot-3 combo guard was one of the first recruits from the class of 2022 to get a visit from a Kentucky coach, and Justus found a receptive audience already well-versed in UK’s tradition, especially its most recent successes under John Calipari.
Even when the college basketball season began — and the Wildcats’ coaching staff obviously turned its full attention to the current team — the communication with the Clarks didn’t waver.
“They’re definitely letting us know how important he is,” said Kenny Clark. “Coach (Justus) says the whole staff is freaking pumped that we’re coming out there.”
Clark averaged 26.1 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game as a sophomore at Heritage Christian (Calif.) this past season, putting up 48 points in one playoff game and shooting close to 40 percent from three-point range on the season. Those numbers came despite constant double-teams — and sometimes even triple-teams — from opposing defenses.
His season also featured early scholarship offers from the likes of Kansas, UCLA, Michigan, Memphis and Texas Tech, among others. UK hasn’t extended an offer yet, and Clark’s father said there’s no pressure on their end to issue one this weekend. Both sides are pleased with how the relationship is progressing so far.
“We’re not expecting anything,” he said. “But, yeah, they’ve told us, like, ‘He’s good.’ No worries with Kentucky. An offer will come sooner or later.”
Two major moves?
The next few months should prove to be an eventful stage in Clark’s basketball journey.
This spring, he’ll step up in competition and play at the highest level of the AAU travel circuit, suiting up for the Oakland Soldiers program in the Nike EYBL, which will pit him against the best prospects in the country — many of whom will be a year older.
Clark is ready for the challenge. He was recently ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 17 overall player in the 2022 class, and his stock is seemingly on the rise among national recruiting analysts. Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi watched Clark again shortly after those new rankings were released and implied that he might be due for a bump up the charts — praising the young guard’s “skill and feel for the game,” his versatile scoring ability and range, and his unique way of reading defenses and setting up teammates. He also projects as a versatile defender.
“He just keeps getting better and better,” his father said.
Kenny Clark also told the Herald-Leader that the family is contemplating a move to the Nashville area, something that could happen as soon as this year and would obviously put Clark in much closer proximity to Lexington, a setup that could more easily facilitate future visits to UK’s campus.
And that might not be his only move.
Clark has long been rumored to be a candidate to reclassify to 2021, which would make next season his final year of high school basketball.
His father acknowledged that it’s a possibility, but no final decision is expected anytime soon. Clark noted that his son would be young for the 2021 class if he were to make that jump — he doesn’t turn 17 years old until late July — but he was confident it could work.
“A lot of these guys that reclass — they’re just going back to their normal grade, because they had already reclassed down. But Skyy has never reclassed. So he’d be losing a year of growth and maturity and everything. But, if he did, he could handle it. … The conversation has come up.”
