The Oregon Ducks put up a measly 41 points in an absolutely embarrassing effort against the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday. The starting backcourt duo of Will Richardson and Rivaldo Soares combined for seven points on 2 of 14 shooting.
Dana Altman’s team is clearly feeling the absence of Colorado transfer guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, who is out with a left foot injury and watched his former team dominate the Ducks from the tip.
Richardson and Soares have been inconsistent at best this season. While Jermaine Couisnard’s return is great news for Oregon (he had nine points in 20 minutes on Thursday) this team clearly needs help if it has any hope of making a postseason run.
Enter Skyy Clark. Clark is a true freshman who announced his intention to leave the Illinois program after just 13 games.
Illinois freshman guard Skyy Clark has indeed left the program, source tells me. https://t.co/Hcbh9L0hKL
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) January 6, 2023
Clark initially committed to Kentucky while at Montverde Academy. Prior to his commitment to Kentucky, he listed Oregon among his top eight schools along with Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee State, UCLA, and USC.
Of course, Clark eventually decommitted from Kentucky and joined a school in Illinois that wasn’t on his finalists list — so there’s no indication he is still interested in coming to Eugene.
If he is, Oregon should at least put in a call, despite his up-and-down performance this season.
Clark started 12 of 13 games for the Illini, averaging seven points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 turnovers while shooting 33.3% from deep.
Of course, stats don’t tell the full story here, and Clark’s otherworldly athleticism and score-first mentality made him a top-40 recruit in the class of 2022. An ACL injury may have affected the start to his season, and there is reason to believe he could become a legit star in the right situation.
There is no confirmation Clark will be immediately eligible to play this season, meaning he may be transferring somewhere to start playing again in 2023-24.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Ducks, who are losing both Richardson and potentially Soares after this season. Barthelemy and Couisnard should be back next year, along with junior college transfer Brennan Rigsby and incoming freshman Jackson Shelstad.
However, adding Clark to this program is well worth exploring for Altman after another lackluster performance by the backcourt.
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