Transfer Guard Talks Initial Experience Returning Home in a Bruins Jersey

The UCLA Bruins have several incoming transfers this season, led by junior guard Skyy Clark, coming over from Louisville. He spoke after practice on Wednesday about his initial experience returning home and integrating with a new team.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) puts up a shot between Rider Broncs guard T.J. Weeks Jr. (35), Jay Alvarez (5), and Tank Byard (8) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins brought in a handful of new players via the transfer portal this offseason and have quickly become one of the deepest, most experienced teams in the Big Ten. Transfer junior guard Skyy Clark is one of the Bruins' newest players and is enjoying his first few games back home.

Clark is playing at his third school in three years, after starting his college career in the Big Ten with Illinois and transferring to Louisville for his sophomore season. The Los Angeles native was eager to return home and put on a local jersey that he grew up watching from a young age.

"This is home for me," Clark said. "I got all my coaches, friends, some family friends, even my old nanny, she came to one of the games. So, it's just really good having that support system."

It was an easy choice for Clark to come home after he decided to enter the transfer portal. He had been recruited out of high school by head coach Mick Cronin and the rest of the staff. He knew the type of program Cronin had and wanted to be a part of it when the opportunity came.

"I know me and Cronin and Coach Palm, [AC Rod Palmer] coach [Nate] Georgetown, Coach [Darren] Savino, all the coaching staff, they recruited me when I was in high school," Clark said. "I already had that relationship with them from back then, so when I knew I was entering the portal, I kind of had an idea of like my top two or three that I wanted to go to. Then, once I came back here, it was kind of a no-brainer for sure."

The Bruins are one of the newest teams in the conference in terms of chemistry and playing together. Clark recognized the fact that it will take some time to understand each other's tendencies and come together as one unit. The ride so far has been a fun one for Clark.

"It's been fun, I praise these guys since the beginning," Clark said. "It's a great group of guys and just practicing with them every day. I actually want to learn these guys and work with these guys and get to know these guys better just because of who they are as people, so it's been really fun."

Clark has prided himself on his defensive play and it has shown in his first few games in a Bruins jersey. In Monday's win over Boston University, Clark had 16 of the team's 59 deflections en route to 28 forced turnovers. The junior is aware that Cronin requires his guys to be defensive ball hawks.

He also gave praise to the rest of his experienced teammates for their talent and ability to score at a high clip. The Bruins have multiple players who led their former schools in scoring. Clark has all the confidence in the world that this team will be able to feed off each other.

"It's definitely something I'm emphasizing more, but I've always been a pretty good defender," Clark said. "I've definitely taken another step this year, but I think one of the biggest parts is having so many guys around me. I don't really got to do so much on offense, so I can conserve some more energy for defense."

The Bruins will gear up for another non-conference opponent this Friday night as the Lehigh Hawks come to Pauley Pavilion. Clark will have another opportunity to continue to grow with many of his new teammates and relish the fact that he is playing for his hometown program.

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