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Feb 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) heads down court after a 3-point basket against the Michigan State Spartans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA’s Road Test: Faith, Focus and March Ambitions

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Madeleine Considine | Last updated Feb 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The UCLA Bruins are hitting the road for a two-game Big Ten swing, starting with a highly anticipated matchup against No. 20 Purdue on Friday evening at Mackey Arena.

As the Bruins prepare for this crucial stretch, junior guard Skyy Clark offered insight into his mindset, confidence, and the team’s chemistry on the "Bruin Insider Show" earlier this week.

Clark, who has become a key piece of UCLA’s backcourt, emphasized that his confidence doesn’t just come from repetition and experience — it comes from faith.

"My confidence comes from God," Clark said. "The night before every game we have scout and we have these packets of paper with literally every single detail about every player and on the front of it I write confidence on it and so that's where I get my strength and confidence from."

UCLA has welcomed several new players this season, including Clark, who says the bond among his teammates has been special.

"It's my favorite team that I've been on. All the guys, they're super fun," Clark said. "They're super easygoing. There's no egos, literally everybody on this team is just for each other and that energy has spread throughout the season. You've seen some games where we're just clicking the entire game, and it's helped us win a lot of games, too, so it's been amazing."

As a high-profile athlete, Clark recognizes that people sometimes forget that players go through personal challenges just like anyone else.

"My mom always taught me that first … I'm a human being before anything, and I think a lot of people forget that with athletes," he said. "We're people, too. Even though we can do some crazy things on the court or on the field or whatever sport you play, at the end of the day we go through mood swings, we have emotions, we're going through stuff in our daily lives.

"So, just taking time for yourself, meditating, writing down my journal, reading my bible, stuff like that just to help me stay centered has done a lot for me for sure."

Clark believes the Bruins have what it takes to make a Final Four push, but staying locked in will be the key.

"It's going to take a lot of focus," he said. "I think that the biggest thing is just keeping everybody locked in on what we want to do and let's go as far as we can in the tournament and make a Final Four national championship run, which this team can do for sure. We've played some really good teams and came out on top, but I'll say that the biggest thing is staying focused."

That focus will be tested on Friday night as UCLA takes on No. 20 Purdue at Mackey Arena — one of the most hostile environments in college basketball.

With a second road game looming at Northwestern on Monday, this weekend will be an important test for the Bruins as they push toward March Madness.

Clark and the rest of the team know what’s at stake. Now, it’s time to prove it on the court.

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This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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