Updates on UK commit Skyy Clark and target Jaden Hardy

When 2022 Kentucky Wildcats target Skyy Clark decided to shut down his high school season a few weeks ago, that opened up rumors, again, of a possible reclassification for Clark to join next seasons Kentucky team.

Clark is college-ready, and opting out of his high school season halfway through does seem a little odd, even though it’s totally understandable due to COVID-19.

Rivals’ Rob Cassidy and Dan McDonald spoke on the possibility of Clark re-classing to 2021. Cassidy thinks Clark will end up being on UK’s campus next season, while McDonald believes the five-star guard will remain a Class of 2022 recruit.

Cassidy’s take: FACT.

Skyy Clark’s recent decision to shut things down in the middle of his junior season was probably driven by multiple factors. Were the risks that come with playing basketball in a pandemic part of that? Of course. But the decision to opt out of his high school season certainly did nothing to quell the reclassification rumors that continue to build around the five-star. Nothing has obviously been decided just yet, but reading between the lines has me wondering if a reclassification is more of a possibility than some around Clark are suggesting.

The Wildcats could certainly use the backcourt help, and Clark is the kind of prospect that could play big minutes from the moment he steps on campus … even if it’s a year earlier than expected.

McDonald’s take: FICTION. I’ve heard and read the speculation about Clark moving up into the 2021 class to join Kentucky next season like everyone else. However, every time I’ve asked someone close to Clark about this possibility, it’s been shot down pretty quickly. The reason? People in his support system don’t like how the recent trend of prospects moving up a class has worked out for them. As of today, I believe he’ll stay in the 2022 class.

The two also touched on the possibilities of long-time UK target Jaden Hardy playing college basketball next season. While it’s all but known that UK and their coaching staff have not been pursuing Hardy for a little while now, despite being obvious favorites to land him around a year ago, Hardy has been rumored to be heading to the G-League.

The only school that seems like they could realistically land Hardy’s services is UCLA, but even that seems like a stretch.

Both Cassidy and McDonald agreed that Hardy will not see a single second of college action and is headed straight to the G-League. That’s become the popular theory for what Hardy will ultimately do, as his stock is high enough that he can secure a nice payday in the G-League before likely being a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Hopefully, Kentucky missing on Hardy will open the door for someone like Brandin Podziemski to take his spot in the Cats’ 2021 class. Currently, Kentucky only has three pledges in 2021. And if Clark doesn’t reclassify, John Calipari will have to find a way to add several impact guards for the 2021-22 season.