UW In Running for Shooting Guard Who Pulled Out on Kentucky

The Huskies have made the cut for Skyy Clark's new six finalists.

Skyy Clark, a well-traveled shooting guard who's played his high school basketball from coast to coast, surprised everyone three weeks ago when he asked out of his signed national letter of intent with Kentucky.

He had chosen the Wildcats and coach John Calipari over North Carolina, UCLA and Memphis, but wanted out and his request was granted.

On Tuesday, the elite 6-foot-3 player revealed six teams in the running for his services in his next round of recruitment, and none of them were previous pursuers.

Even more eyebrow-raising, Clark now lists his finalists as Illinois, Louisville, Maryland, Tennessee, USC — and the University of Washington.

On and off the court, it's hard to keep up with this guy who plays for Montverde Academy, a college preparatory school and basketball powerhouse in Montverde, Florida, just outside of Orlando.

It appears that a blueblood basketball school such as Kentucky is no longer an automatic destination with name, likeness and imaging (NIL) considerations leveling the playing field some.

"What I've learned is basketball is more than a game," Clark recently told a recruiting website. "Now it's a business." 

Skyy Clark, the No. 26 overall prospect in the 2022 class, has cut his list down to six schools - Illinois, Louisville, Maryland, Tennessee, USC and Washington, source told @247Sports. || Story: https://t.co/GtHpw9fqJB pic.twitter.com/B0MaNKscVN

— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) March 29, 2022

Clark initially spent a pair of seasons at Heritage Christian School in Northridge, California, averaging 14.5 and 25.3 points per game as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. He supplied a 48-point game for the L.A.-area school. His second basketball campaign, however, was limited to just 11 games in 2020 as the pandemic raged.

His family next moved everyone to Nashville, Tennessee, with every intention of placing Clark and his brother at Brentwood Academy.

At the last minute, Clark transferred to Ellsworth High School across town in the music city and he scored a school-record 51 points on 16-for 25 shooting in his debut game.

Clark still wasn't done moving around, though. He decided to play the current basketball season for Montverde Academy, a school that previously had 2021 No. 1 NBA draft pick Cade Cunningham in its backcourt.

Yet he tore a knee ACL last spring and suffered a hand fracture this winter, and just now is returning to form as his team heads for the Geico Nationals, one of high school basketball's showcase events.

An effortless long-range shooter, Clark told recruiting analysts that he pulled out of Kentucky because he didn't feel like he was the same player who signed. 

The Huskies offered him last summer when he was injured and reconnected with him after he said goodbye to Kentucky. 

Clark obviously made a connection with UW coach Mike Hopkins or lead recruiter Will Conroy.

One analyst suggested that Illinois or Washington had the best chance of signing this talented player, offering nothing more than a hunch, which brought plenty of pushback from others on social media.

I think this is a Washington vs. Illinois battle.

— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) March 29, 2022

The Huskies do have a history of wrestling a player here and there away from Kentucky. They successfully out-recruited the Wildcats for 6-foot-9 forward Isaiah Stewart from New York and had him for the 2019-20 season, and provided a landing spot for UK point guard Quade Green once he entered the transfer portal in 2018.

The UW has signed three high school players in this recruiting cycle and still has three scholarships to fill.

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