LOS ANGELES — A 25-point showing at Washington. A 30-piece against Cal Poly. Six 3-pointers in consecutive games. Skyy Clark was establishing himself, until midway through UCLA’s matchup at Iowa on Jan. 3 when he pulled up grabbing his left hamstring.
Clark continues to contribute to the UCLA men’s basketball team despite missing the past six contests. During the Bruins’ game against Maryland on Jan. 10, he offered Tyler Bilodeau advice after head coach Mick Cronin benched the senior for committing a mindless foul. He’s empowered Trent Perry, telling the sophomore who’s been starting since he went out to “let it fly.”
Clark is a steady presence, but the Bruins have had to navigate the Big Ten without his shooting streaks, defense and dependability.
“Nobody wants to be back more than him,” Cronin said after the Bruins’ win over Northwestern on Saturday. “He’s doing everything he can, but we’re just trying to hold down the fort until we can get him back.
Clark is questionable for UCLA’s game at Oregon (8-12, 1-8 Big Ten) on Wednesday, a team source told the Southern California News Group. Even if Clark misses a seventh straight contest, the Bruins (14-5, 6-3) have proved they can fare in his absence.
Cronin has referred to Clark as UCLA’s best all-around player. His team-high on/off split (22.7 NET rating) reflects that. Fighting for an NCAA Tournament spot without him is daunting. The Bruins are overcoming those circumstances – going 4-2 so far without Clark – because multiple players have stepped up.
“The fact that we’re winning games without Skyy Clark, in this conference,” Cronin said, emphatically. “That’s what time it is.”
The first step in making up for a player of Clark’s caliber is replacing his counting stats. Teams often require a combination of various contributors to complete that task. Instead, Trent Perry has filled that gap himself. The sophomore guard is mimicking Clark’s offensive output, averaging 16.2 points, 3.2 assists and shooting 41% from 3-point range over the past six games.
Perry is heeding Clark’s encouragement and benefiting from the coaching staff calling sets that give him space to shoot – coalescence of confidence and opportunity.
After a freshman season bereft of the immediate success he expected because of his stellar high school career – highlighted by consecutive CIF state championships at Harvard-Westlake – Perry is shedding his shell at a crucial time.
“Just playing basketball, being confident,” he said Saturday. “The coaching staff is just telling me to let it fly, be aggressive. And of course, you know, with Skyy, he’s a great sport and all that. So just try to, you know, step into that role a little bit.”
On Jan. 14, UCLA trudged through the Happy Valley snow to play a desperate Penn State team. The game’s flow seemed desolate. The seats behind the basket were devoid of fans. Perry brought the energy. He sprinted off screens looking for passes from point guard Donovan Dent. He stayed ready to shoot when Penn State threw double teams at Bilodeau. He made a season-high four 3-pointers. He turned the barren sections into his backyard, hitting all 12 of his free-throw attempts.
He scored a career-high 30 points, leading UCLA to a crucial road victory.
“Trent made some big shots,” Cronin said following that 71-60 win.
It’s expected to have sophomore-year progression. It’s another thing to break out, with the Bruins teetering on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and do a Skyy-Clark impression.
While Perry has matched Clark’s numbers, Clark’s value transcends the box score.
In his absence, Dent has accepted an increased responsibility handling the ball, initiating plays, and defending the opponent’s best guard. Junior Eric Dailey Jr. has become the defensive leader, and redshirt freshman Eric Freeny has been dependable and tough.
Each of those played out in UCLA’s upset of then-No. 4 Purdue last Tuesday.
Dent fought through constant ball-screens, stayed in front of Braden Smith’s shifty drives and tracked him as he darted off-ball. He was the primary defender, holding the Boilermakers’ first-team All-American to 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
Freeny played only eight minutes, but late in the first half, he blocked a layup attempt by Smith, starting a fast break that Dailey finished with a hammering dunk. The sequence sparked an eruption from Pauley Pavilion, providing the Bruins with momentum.
“One thing Eric Freeny’ll give you is physicality and fight,” Cronin said. “As a freshman, you know, at times, he might be out there in the wrong spot, or whatever, but he’s never, ever, ever going to lack for giving effort. That’s why I signed him.”
Dailey, though, was in the perfect spot on the defensive possession prior to Bilodeau’s game-winning 3-pointer that has gained national attention. With just under 40 seconds left, Smith blew by Xavier Booker, Perry rotated to force a pass, and Dailey dropped down to deflect Smith’s dish, creating a loose ball that tipped off the Boilermakers and out of play. Without Dailey’s timely defense, Bilodeau’s shot might not have turned the nation’s eyes to Westwood.
As his offense has fluctuated, Dailey hasn’t let that deter his effort on the other side.
“Stopping players is what we need to do,” Dailey said following the Purdue game. “Just got to continue this type of energy we’ve been bringing.”
Whether that’s without Clark or carrying it into his return as he’s taking his recovery “day by day.”
With its postseason hopes in jeopardy, in a conference loaded with talent and toughness, UCLA has persevered in the absence of a player who provides both.
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