How time away from hoops prepared guard Skyy Clark for key role with Louisville basketball

Skyy Clark returned to his family's home in Atlanta for Christmas break after Illinois basketball's 22-point loss to Missouri on Dec. 22. The 6-foot-3 freshman guard went scoreless in 19 minutes of run, but what happed on the court quickly became an afterthought.

Clark knew his father, Kenny Clark, had been struggling with diabetes. But during his trip home for the holidays, he finally saw firsthand just how much it was impacting his quality of life.

"Barely being able to see; heart getting affected," said Kenny Clark, who attributed the symptoms to his lack of a sound diet and workout plan. "Legs in constant pain; feet in constant pain."

Skyy Clark rejoined Illinois and scored just two points while playing 20 minutes in a Jan. 4 loss at Northwestern. Two days later, with the Fighting Illini sitting at 9-5 and winless in Big Ten play, he announced he was stepping away from basketball in a now-deleted tweet, writing: "This decision has nothing to do with basketball, but it does have everything to do with prioritizing myself and my family’s wellbeing."

"I didn't really feel comfortable with just leaving my dad alone," Clark told The Courier Journal last week. "I'm also the oldest of six kids, so being there for them at the time was a huge thing for me, as well."

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On May 27, Clark will arrive in Louisville as a key member of head coach Kenny Payne's rebuilding process. A former Kentucky signee who was the first of six Illinois players to enter the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, Clark signed his National Letter of Intent with U of L last week and as point guard will be asked to orchestrate the Cardinals' collection of newcomers and returners on the court.

"His ability to score, distribute and run a basketball team as a leader is what we need," Payne said last week in a news release. "In order to truly change a culture, you need guys that have the mental makeup on and off the court to do the right things, and he's an example of one of the players that this community will love watching grow."

With U of L coming off its worst season in modern program history and losing its primary ballhandler, El Ellis, a lot will be riding on Clark, who said the past year has prepared him well. He's learned what is required to compete at the college level and demonstrated his ability to put others above himself.

"I promise that I'll do everything I can," he said, "to do everything for the team and for the city."

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'He leaned on me'

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood supported Clark when he announced his departure from the program, but the move left more questions than answers after Clark chose to not disclose publicly what his father was going through.

"We didn't want anybody feeling bad for me," Kenny Clark said. "We handled our stuff in house; we do it privately. That's why we never felt the need to explain anything to anybody."

Clark continued to put in work on the court with trainers at Overtime Elite, an Atlanta-based professional league for emerging young talent where one of his brothers, ZZ Clark, plays. In between sessions, he would take his father to doctor's visits or the gym, pick up his medication and prick his fingers for blood tests.

"He's basically a registered nurse right now," said Kenny Clark, who's now close to full strength. "He knows everything, all the ins and outs of diabetes, and how to deal with a diabetic in a worsening condition. He's actually been very prominent in helping me get myself back to health."

Clark said he was just returning the favor to someone who has "been nothing but amazing to me and my siblings." The process, he said, helped him mature.

"For me to be able to have a chance where he trusted me and he leaned on me for help, I don't even know how to explain it in words, really," he said. "It's just an amazing feeling."

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'A whole new, better version'

To establish himself as a leader among his new Louisville teammates, Clark took it upon himself to collect everyone's phone numbers and create a group chat. There, they eagerly discuss the start of summer workouts, crack jokes on one another and take baby steps toward building on-court chemistry.

"I think that's the biggest thing you got to have with a team — trust," Clark said. "Once you lay that foundation, it just keeps on building from there."

While others are putting their trust in him, Clark has also been working on trusting himself after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during the summer of 2021 and missing most of his senior season at Montverde (FL) Academy while recovering from reconstructive surgery. He said some of his performances during his shortened freshman season at Illinois "weren't what I wanted" but called his stint with the Fighting Illini "a learning experience" to get back to where he was physically and mentally before the injury — before certain moves prompted fears of getting hurt.

"I think I'm really close to rediscovering that," Clark said, "and revamping that to a whole new, better version."

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In signing with Louisville, Clark said he and his family are putting their trust in Payne to continue his development. Across 24.4 minutes per game during 13 appearances (12 starts) in his first collegiate season, Clark totaled 91 points on 41.1% shooting with an average of 2.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest.

Very little went right for the Cardinals during a 4-28 finish to Year 1 of the Payne era, but Clark has gotten positive feedback from returning players like Mike James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield about the steps they took as individuals working with the head coach and his staff.

"I honestly think (Payne) achieved a lot more than people think," Clark said. "He really helped build some of those kids' confidence to really develop their games."

Kenny Clark added, "He's someone I can pass my son onto and I know he's gonna make him a better person and get him ready for life."

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball roster: Skyy Clark on Illinois exit, Kenny Payne