This post was updated Nov. 3 at 1:57 a.m.
Short attention spans.
Fast trends.
Information overload.
Together, they define the fast-paced news cycle that dominates today’s media scene.
Novelty rules, and news becomes old right after publishing.
In the college basketball world, blue-chip recruits and high-profile transfers embody the headlines that interest readers and cultivate media attention.
UCLA men’s basketball’s offseason centered on the acquisition of senior guard Donovan Dent – the reigning Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and AP All-American honorable mention – and rightfully so.
Then, the camera lens swung toward junior forward/center Xavier Booker – a former five-star prospect – as columnists and analysts bickered over whether the Michigan State transfer could replace 7-foot-3 UCLA center Aday Mara.
Eyes and ears perked at the arrivals of Missouri-Kansas City transfer guard Jamar Brown and San Diego transfer forward/center Steven Jamerson II, even after UCLA’s two headline additions announced their commitments. Yet amid the fray, few seemed to notice that three Bruin starters were returning for the 2025-26 campaign.
And buried beneath the Bruins’ top two scorers from last season – junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. and senior forward Tyler Bilodeau – is Skyy Clark.
The senior guard, who averaged 8.5 points per game last season, may be the team’s – or even the Big Ten’s – most underrated player.
Clark shot efficiently for the Bruins, boasting a 45.8% clip from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc, despite ranking fourth on the team in scoring last season. But the senior guard’s season averages are not indicative of his scoring potential.
Clark posted double-digit points in 11 of the final 17 games in the 2024-25 campaign, including a team-leading 18 points in UCLA’s season-ending loss to No. 2 seed Tennessee and 14 points in the Round of 64 victory against No. 10 seed Utah State.
And the Los Angeles local’s end-of-season scoring streak carried into the Bruins’ two preseason exhibition contests – where he scored a combined 26 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
Although Dent will compete for Big Ten or National Player of the Year, his backcourt counterpart is equally valuable to the team.
“On this team, he (Dent) does not need to be Superman,” Cronin said. “There were times, because he had to do it at times last year for his team, he tried to put the cape on. And there’ll be times where maybe he has to do that here, but Skyy Clark is as good of a college guard as you’re going to play with.”
Clark brings veteran experience – having played three seasons at three different Power Four schools – and poise under pressure. The senior guard was the Bruins’ primary ball-handler last season, facilitating an offense that boasted the second-highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big Ten.
The backcourt weapon’s ball-handling contributions were central to maximizing baskets while minimizing errors, notching 91 assists to just 38 turnovers. The guard’s confidence and comfort gives the Bruins a trustworthy hand late in a tightly-contested affair or in the pressure-filled arenas of the Big Ten.
But what makes Clark special is his defense.
“He’s (Clark has) got 13 deflections, and he’s 7-for-10 from the field,” Cronin said after UCLA beat USC on March 8. “When we get good guard play, we can beat anybody.”
Clark’s head honcho consistently touts him as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the country – a claim backed by Clark’s point-of-attack defense. He has the lateral acceleration to defend speedy and shifty guards, along with the endurance and motor to lock down an opposing team’s top guard from baseline to baseline.
With Dent running the show offensively, Clark can prioritize his defensive tenacity without losing energy in his role as offensive facilitator.
“He’s one of our best defenders,” Cronin said after UCLA beat Michigan State on Feb. 4. “He brings that energy and that swag he has. He’s been doing a great job for us and keeping us together, through situations that might not work in our favor sometimes. Him being a leader, both offensively and defensively, showing us and leading us – he’s been great for us.”
Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, UCLA men’s basketball features three players named to national award watchlists – Bilodeau to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year, Dailey to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year and Dent to the 2026 NABC Division I Player of the Year preseason watchlist.
But the novelty and strength of the Bruin support cast should not distract from Clark’s potential impact in every facet of the game.
He has shown that he can lead the team in scoring on any given night, particularly when others may falter, and he has proven that he can contribute efficiently.
Despite his frame, he does not shy away from crashing the glass, corralling offensive and defensive rebounds. And while he can score double-digits – lighting up the scoreboard from the charity stripe, attacking downhill or hitting nylon on long-range attempts – Clark is exceptional in leading the offense, whether it’s through cutting, passing or steady ball control.
Clark may not be up for a preseason Player of the Year award – and he may not garner the same lights, cameras and attention that surround his teammates – but his effect on the hardwood is evident, and the way he carries himself while leading his team reflects his strong character.
Clark is not a new face in Westwood – but he may be the one UCLA needs most to hang a 12th banner in Pauley Pavilion.
If there is anyone who would embody the face of the Bruins this upcoming season, it is Clark.
He will embrace this role.
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