Illinois Basketball: Illini showing interest in former Kentucky commit Skyy Clark

The Illinois basketball season is far from over, but that doesn’t stop the program from thinking about the future.

The Illini haven’t had a ton of elite true point guards over the years. There are tinges of that with Andre Curbelo, but I would say the last guards who really brought everything you would want at the No. 1 guard spot were Ayo Dosunmu, Dee Brown, and Deron Williams. All three were elite-level point guards for the Orange and Blue.

Brown isn’t just one of the last great point guards who have come through the Illinois program, but he is also the last five-star recruit to land in Champaign. But that all could be changing if the Illini can do some work on recently available, Skyy Clark.

Clark is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound point guard from Montverde Academy and resides in Montverde, Florida. He is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 27 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 5 point guard in the nation and the No. 7 player coming out of Florida.

The recruitment of Clark was Kentucky-heavy. He was offered by the Wildcats back in July 2020. Clark then took an official visit to Kentucky. He would sign with the program during the early signing period this past November.

But those good vibes have come to an end between Clark and Kentucky. On Sunday, he asked for his release from his letter of intent. Clark is now back on the recruiting market, and he is drawing a lot of interest.

Illinois basketball is in on the latest interest for Skyy Clark.

In a post by 247Sports’ Travis Branham, he says that Clark has already heard from numerous programs including Tennessee, Arizona State, Syracuse, Georgetown, Xavier, and Illinois. Those are the college teams that have been in contact with the star point guard.

There are also other options for Clark. Overtime Elite and the G-League are both pursuing Clark, and the option of going back to Kentucky is still on the table.

It is a pretty big deal that Illinois is trying to get into the mix for Clark. He would be a great addition to the team. Clark’s ability to create his own shot is phenomenal. His ball-handling is what enables him to create that space.

I love how Clark can get in the lane, draw contact, and score the basketball as well. He has a nice big body that would only get stronger as he gets older. The kid is clearly going to be an elite player at all levels he plays in during his career.

Do the Illini have a chance at landing Clark? It is going to be tough considering we weren’t in his top eight during his original recruitment. But Illinois is winning and they are winning on a national stage. Taking home the Big Ten regular season crown is important. High school players see that success.

I think Clark’s second recruitment is going to be fairly quick. If he is considering colleges, I would assume he takes a visit or two in the coming month. But I would keep an eye on Overtime Elite or the G-League as potential destinations for Clark. Hopefully, Illinois can make up some ground and be a serious contender for the five-star. He would take us to the next level.