5-Star PG Skyy Clark Commits to Illinois After Decommitting from Kentucky

The future outlook for the Illinois men's basketball team got much brighter Thursday.

That is because point guard Skyy Clark joined its 2022 recruiting class.

Clark announced his decision at halftime of the State Champions Invitational.

Clark, who checks in at 6'3" and 200 pounds, is a 5-star prospect and the No. 27 overall player, No. 5 point guard and No. 7 player from the state of Florida in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He was available for Illinois because he decommitted from Kentucky in March.

Joe Tipton of On3 Sports shared Clark's statement explaining his decision:

Tipton noted Clark became just the third Wildcats recruit to decommit from the blueblood program since head coach John Calipari took over before the 2009-10 season, joining DJ Jeffries and Nolan Hickman.

It didn't take long for teams to respond, as ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported that Tennessee, Arizona State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Tennessee State, Xavier, USC, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Washington, Butler, Marquette and Illinois all reached out in a matter of days.

Clark told On3 Sports on March 29 he limited his choices to six schools in USC, Illinois, Maryland, Louisville, Tennessee and Washington.

There's a good reason so many notable programs were interested.

Clark brings a formidable combination of size and athleticism to the point guard position, which helps him get to the rim through traffic, break out in transition and defend multiple positions if needed.

He is also a solid facilitator when defenders collapse on him and can score from beyond the three-point line when they give him too much space.

Jerry Meyer of 247Sports listed three-time All-Star Bradley Beal as Clark's NBA player comparison, which underscores his ability to impact the game as an offensive threat.

If he can live up to those expectations for the Fighting Illini, he can help them compete for a Big Ten crown and a deep NCAA tournament run as soon as his freshman season.

Illinois already had a talented 2022 class that includes power forward Ty Rodgers, combo guard Jayden Epps and shooting guard Sencire Harris, and Clark could be the piece that helps make it elite when all the players hit the floor together.

He can share the backcourt with Epps and Harris or work in a rotation, but he is too talented to keep off the floor as he looks to turn hype into wins as a freshman.