Skyy Clark’s telephone saved ringing in school. It was his second day of summer time college at UCLA, so he didn’t reply. When one in all his brothers despatched him a message on Snapchat, he lastly relented and appeared to see what was happening.
Dad’s within the hospital. He had a stroke.
Bolting from his seat, Clark referred to as his father. At first, Kenny Clark appeared fantastic, his wry humorousness intact even from a hospital mattress.
“He was joking around and sending us selfie videos,” Skyy mentioned, “and was like, ‘They’re about to discharge me’ and everything, and then something crazy happened.”
On the time, Skyy and his father have been on the verge of a mutual homecoming. After a lifetime’s price of detours that included 4 excessive colleges and three schools, Skyy was going to play for the hometown Bruins and his household was planning to maneuver close by.
Kenny had trumpeted his son’s new faculty selection by suggesting a playful spin on one Louisville fan’s relentless social media marketing campaign to have UCLA’s Mick Cronin fill the Cardinals’ teaching emptiness.
Alongside Skyy’s announcement that he would switch from Louisville to UCLA, he added — at his father’s urging — the identical hashtag that had been littering “X” timelines for months: “#MickIsThePick.”
Now, Skyy was left to ponder a season with out his most steadying affect and No. 1 fan close by. Three days after his stroke, Kenny suffered a sequence of issues that may threaten his life. Skyy solid on with out the daddy who had attended virtually each sport and missed solely a handful of exercises being there to help him.
Hourlong telephone calls daily couldn’t start to compensate for his absence.
“This is the first year,” Skyy mentioned, “I haven’t had my dad around.”
Mentioned Kenny: “It’s hard as hell.”
The tattoo on Skyy’s left thigh displays their bond.
It’s a picture of Kenny holding his younger son whereas kissing him on the cheek.
“That’s my baby picture right here,” Skyy mentioned, pulling up the hem of his shorts to indicate the tattoo. “That’s me, that’s him.”
Tattoo on Skyy Clark’s left leg depicting him as a child along with his father. (Ben Bolch / Los Angeles Instances)
Lengthy earlier than Skyy bounced his first basketball, his father had established the household’s athletic heritage. After starring as a large receiver on the College of Central Florida, Kenny signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. Recognized for his swagger and flamboyant landing celebrations, he returned two kickoffs for the Vikings throughout the 2003 season earlier than a again damage pressured his retirement.
Kenny went on to develop into his son’s first coach. Although he performed basketball in highschool, Kenny liberally supplemented his data of the sport in hopes of accelerating Skyy’s early development.
“Whatever I needed to learn about basketball, he was studying,” Skyy mentioned, “so if it was something about shooting, something about pick-and-roll, he was watching videos and learning everything he could to teach me.”
One lesson grew to become a mantra: No matter you do, do it with every thing you’ve obtained.
As a highschool freshman, Skyy discovered that more and more laborious to do whereas making a 50-mile commute every manner from his residence in Santa Clarita to Oaks Christian Excessive in Thousand Oaks.
After half a 12 months of rising at 5 a.m., Skyy deserted the endeavor for sanity’s sake and returned to Heritage Christian in Northridge, the place he had attended center college. Cronin confirmed up at his video games, sitting within the stands whereas the coach’s daughter did homework.
“It was cool because he’s always been helping me my whole life, so for me to have that chance to do that for him, it just felt like a full-circle moment right there.”
— Skyy Clark, on serving to his father
When the pandemic hit, the household determined it needed to reside someplace that was much less restrictive with well being laws and extra open to a way of normalcy. The Clarks packed their issues and made the three-day drive to Nashville, Tenn., Skyy enrolling at Ensworth Excessive. Skyy spent his ultimate highschool season at Montverde Academy in Florida, successful the Geico nationwide basketball championship whereas being restricted by his restoration from a torn knee ligament.
The damage didn’t restrict him as a freshman at Illinois, Skyy beginning the primary 12 video games and turning into a big contributor. However on a visit residence for Christmas, he seen his dad’s well being deteriorating due to diabetes. Kenny was in fixed ache and almost unable to see.
Skyy returned to Illinois for yet another sport earlier than figuring his father wanted him greater than his staff. He introduced his departure for household causes, holding Kenny’s situation non-public.
Because the oldest of six siblings — together with brother, ZZ, who performs for UC Santa Barbara — Skyy felt a duty to take cost of his father’s care. He accompanied him to medical visits, made positive he exercised and even pricked his finger for blood assessments.
“I basically became like a registered nurse,” Skyy mentioned. “It was cool because he’s always been helping me my whole life, so for me to have that chance to do that for him, it just felt like a full-circle moment right there.”
Skyy Clark places up a shot for Louisville towards Kentucky in December 2023.
(Timothy D. Easley / Related Press)
Transferring to Louisville for his sophomore season would permit him to remain near the household’s Nashville residence, a couple of 2½-hour drive away. Skyy grew to become the main scorer on a nasty staff, his 13.2 factors per sport unable to save lots of the Cardinals from a dropping season or coach Kenny Payne from dropping his job.
That prompted his newest transfer. Skyy picked UCLA, the faculty he mentioned he would have attended from the beginning had he completed highschool on the West Coast. It was all coming collectively for the Los Angeles native whose household was going to affix him.
“We had closed on a house and everything,” Kenny mentioned.
Simply when it appeared as if Kenny had stabilized from his preliminary stroke, three uneventful days within the hospital leaving the household inspired, got here an enormous setback.
Kenny suffered a sequence of extra debilitating strokes and slipped right into a coma.
He awoke after a couple of month, although it was simply the beginning of a prolonged restoration that required a number of extra months of hospitalization.
“I’m just happy he’s still here,” Skyy mentioned.
UCLA guard Skyy Clark drives on Wisconsin guard Kamari McGee throughout a Bruins win on March 14.
(Michael Conroy / Related Press)
“Skyy’s a tough-ass kid. … If you guys knew it all, you’d be shocked that he’s even been able to play this year.”
— Mick Cronin, UCLA coach, on Skyy Clark
Father and son talked each day, the conversations revolving round greater than Kenny’s rehabilitation and Skyy’s season.
“We talk about everything — we talk about basketball, we talk about life, like, literally anything,” Skyy mentioned. “He’s really just been telling me to keep working hard, but he’s been telling me how much he’s proud of me, how I’ve handled myself this year.”
Taking over a far totally different position than he had at Louisville, Skyy has sacrificed scoring whereas turning into one of the selfless gamers within the Massive Ten. The junior guard takes fees, grabs offensive rebounds regardless of being one of many shortest gamers on the staff and performs via accidents he received’t point out until somebody brings them up.
“I’ve got jammed fingers, I’ve got jammed thumbs, I’ve got all types of injuries,” Skyy lastly conceded when requested what he had pushed via with out lacking a sport. “Yeah, I mean, if I can still walk, I can still run, I can still breathe, I’ll be all right once the adrenaline kicks in.”
Alongside the way in which, Skyy has impressed his coach with an affect far exceeding his averages of 8.0 factors, 2.9 rebounds and a couple of.8 assists per sport.
“Skyy’s a tough-ass kid,” Cronin mentioned. “Just to get what we’ve been able to get from him this year, I’m ecstatic because I know what he’s been going through in the situation with his family. If you guys knew it all, you’d be shocked that he’s even been able to play this year.”
Kenny has watched each sport on tv, joking that it has its benefits as a result of he will get to look at replays. He particularly savored Skyy’s season-high 17-point efficiency towards USC earlier this month, when he made seven of 10 pictures to go together with six assists and three steals.
“The USC game, I saw it all come together,” Kenny mentioned. “I was like a proud papa.”
Having sufficiently recovered throughout rehabilitation, Kenny reached his personal milestone Sunday when he moved again residence. He’s been capable of arise and take just a few steps, medical doctors telling the household that he ought to be capable of stroll once more in about two months if he stays diligent along with his strengthening workout routines.
Skyy Clark shoots a layup towards Illinois on Feb. 11.
(Craig Pessman / Related Press)
Skyy briefly hoped his father would be capable of make the three-hour drive to Lexington, Ky., for the Bruins’ NCAA event opener towards Utah State on Thursday, however that need proved overly bold given the circumstances. Kenny will watch as soon as extra on tv, having inspired his son to be aggressive as a result of deep March runs are all about guard play.
They may nonetheless get that mutual homecoming. Skyy has dedicated to returning to UCLA for his ultimate faculty season and Kenny is planning on making that transfer again to Southern California.
“God willing,” Skyy mentioned, “he’ll be able to come back out here for sure next season.”
That will permit them to commerce telephone requires hugs, the daddy holding his son firmly as soon as extra.
