The Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team received some horrible news on Friday regarding freshman guard Skyy Clark, who is stepping away from the program due to personal reasons.
Clark took to social media to reveal the news, stating that it is “time to step away from basketball and put myself and my family first”.
“I want to start by saying that I love the University of Illinois, my coaching staff, my teammates and the broaded Illinis community. I made friendships in these few short months that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. This decision has nothing to do with basketball, but it does have everything to do with prioritizing myself and my family’s wellbeing,” wrote Clark in a message posted on Twitter.
“For personal reasons, I need to step away from basketball for the time being- putting myself and my family first. I appreciate everyone’s support during this time, but please respect not only my privacy, but the privacy of all those around me.”
https://twitter.com/skyyclark/status/1611482909948497942
It is obviously unclear exactly what is going on with Clark, but this is certainly a big blow to an Illinois team that could desperately use a spark to their team.
Skyy Clark came to Illinois as a four-star recruit and the No.34 recruit in the country in the 2022 recruiting class, and been used extensively off the bench for Illinois this year.
In his freshman season, he currently averages 7 points per game along with 3.7 rebounds in 24.4 minutes per game on the year.
This decision not only affects Illinois this year, but also in the years to come as Clark was expected to be a key contributor in the future.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.