The future at the guard position for the Illinois basketball team might now be the brightest it’s ever been.
2024 prospect ZZ Clark announced on Monday that he has committed to the Illini. The announcement comes just one week after his brother Skyy Clark announced his commitment to the Orange and Blue.
Clark is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard currently attending Windermere Prep, where he averaged 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 27 games last season.
Along with the Illini, Clark has accumulated seven other offers during his young high school career from schools such as Kansas, Arizona State, DePaul, Boise State, and others.
Huge. #Illini pic.twitter.com/bpy88t3rJf
— Writing Illini (@WritingIlliniFS) April 18, 2022
In their player analysis of Clark, NBA Draft Room described him as a “big time player” and projects him to be a future first-round draft pick.
"“He’s built in the same mold as his brother, with broad shoulders, natural strength, a low center of gravity and solid athleticism,” NBA Draft Room wrote.“ZZ has a nice shooting stroke and lets it fly with confidence. He can score the ball from 3 levels and is comfortable playing on or off the ball,” the site continued."
What does ZZ Clark bring to the Illinois basketball program?
Whether it’s from beyond the arc or inside the paint, Clark has no problem putting points on the board. The Windermere product is absolutely lethal from beyond the arc, as the majority of his tape is him just splashing three-pointers.
Clark is not just a shooter, though.
Clark also loves to attack the basket, with many of his points coming from the paint. The sophomore is not afraid of making contact and converting on contested finishes under the basket. This is also where he can draw fouls to earn more scoring opportunities from the charity stripe.
Different state same results…Lil bro @ClarkZachiah is LIKE THAT. Proud big bro right now pic.twitter.com/n6ijcGVSYO
— skyy clark (@skyyclark) November 28, 2021
Like his brother Skyy, ZZ also carries the clutch gene. During his freshman season, Clark hit two late three-pointers to send the Madehoops 2020 championship game to overtime.
Down 6 with 20 seconds to go and lil bro hit 2 3’s to send it to OT and went on to win the MadeHoops 2020 championship. Here is the final shot. #proudbigbro pic.twitter.com/85vD0y7Nnq
— skyy clark (@skyyclark) March 9, 2020
Clark is the second commitment for the Illinois basketball class of 2024. He now joins in-state star Morez Johnson – a four-star who is the No. 40 player in 2024 – to form the best recruiting class in the country thus far. The crazy part is that Brad Underwood has just begun. The 2024 class has a chance to be legendary.