Skyy Clark talks top six, visits, decision timeline
Class of 2022 four-star Skyy Clark is down to six schools: Louisville, Illinois, Tennessee, USC, Maryland, and Washington.
The 6-3 point guard out of Montverde (Fla.) Academy sat down with On3 to discuss each of his finalists, potential visits, and a timeline for a decision.
Which schools/staffs have been in to see you since you decommitted from Kentucky?
Maryland, Washington, Tennessee, and an in-home visit with Illinois.
Tell me about Maryland and what you think about their new staff.
Maryland came to practice last Tuesday. Coach (Kevin) Willard, Grant (Billmeier), (Tony) Skinn all watched me practice, and then after we went upstairs and talked for a good 30-45 minutes. I actually rock with them. I like Coach Willard a lot. He was giving me examples of when he was coaching Isaiah Whitehead and Myles Powell. He said he’d build the offense around me and the ball is going to be in my hands. He says I remind him a lot of himself, just how tough we are. I rock with him a lot. He’s really cool. So is coach Skinn and coach Grant.
Tennessee, they’re the most recent school to come see you in person. Who came to see you from that program?
Coach (Justin) Gainey. I’ve had multiple phone calls with Coach (Rick) Barnes too.
What did Coach Gainey say to you about Tennessee?
We didn’t really have much conversation about Tennessee because I’ve been talking to Coach Barnes about all of that, but we were just catching up and stuff.
How much do you know about Tennessee’s program and what are your overall thoughts on the school?
I know that they have a great program, and they’ve had a great program for a super long time. I know if Coach Barnes trusts his guards, he’s going to let them rock. We saw that this year with Kennedy (Chandler) and Zakai (Zeigler). I really like what they’re doing over there too.
What’s Washington’s recruiting pitch?
I got the keys. They want to build the team around me and do everything they can to get me to where I want to go. Coach Hop (Mike Hopkins) is probably one of the coolest coaches I’ve ever met. He’s the funniest coach for sure. He’s got so much energy. The Zoom call we had with him, he got on the table and started river dancing. You can’t have a bad day around Coach Hop; he’s all good energy, all the time too.
How did the in-home visit with Illinois go?
I love Coach (Brad) Underwood. He’s another coach that’s just super cool and I like the way he pushes his players. That was my first time meeting him, and he left a really good impression. But I’ve known Coach Tim (Anderson) for as long as I can remember. He recruited me to DePaul in eighth grade. Me and Coach Tim have always kept a super-strong relationship.
What’s your relationship like with Kenny Payne?
We had a good relationship (at Kentucky) before he left. We didn’t really talk much once he left, I don’t think we talked at all once he left because I don’t think it was legal for him to because he was with the Knicks. But ever since he’s come back to Louisville, we’ve been just reconnecting and stuff and it’s been great.
What’s USC’s pitch and who’s been reaching out from over there?
Coach (Andy) Enfield and Coach Jay Morris have. They’ve been great too. It would be nice to go back home but I really like what they’re doing over there too.
Any college visits planned?
Yeah, I plan on going to Louisville, USC, Illinois, and Maryland.
Do you have dates set up for those schools?
No, not yet. But I’ve been working on it. It’ll be after Geico Nationals.
The Jordan Brand Classic (April 15) is in Chicago so I’m thinking about taking my Illinois visit when I’m out there because it’s only like a two-hour drive.
Do you have a timetable for a decision?
Around the Jordan Brand Classic, or mid-April. I’m not for sure yet though. It’ll be in April.