Taft (Woodland Hills, CA) point guard Kihei Clark received interest from several major Division 1 programs when he announced on August 22, 2017 that he had de-committed from UC-Davis. One of the interested parties was Virginia’s Tony Bennett, who five years earlier recruited and signed London Perrantes out of Crespi Carmelite (Encino, CA), which sits only eight miles away from Taft Charter’s campus.

Bennett’s interest in the 5’10”, 155-pound Clark was sparked during the 2017 Nike EYBL Peach Jam. One of the players UVA’s head coach was scouting in North Augusta (S.C.) was Oakland Soldiers point guard James Akinjo, who ultimately committed to UConn but was offered a scholarship by Virginia. Clark, who rebounded from a lackluster performance during the Nike EYBL’s 16-game “regular season” with a quality outing in Peach Jam Pool Play and then a top-notch performance in Peach Jam Bracket play, caught Bennett’s attention with his play at the prestigious event.

Clark averaged 7 points and 2.2 assists per game in five games of Pool Play and 16 points and 2.6 assists per game in three games of Bracket competition. He helped the Soldiers capture the 2017 Peach Jam title with an 18-point performance in the championship game against Team Takeover.

Contact from a Virginia assistant kicked off the Cavaliers’ pursuit. Then came contact from Coach Bennett, who in addition to watching summer league action, also watched Clark’s game film and a workout before deciding to extend a scholarship on October 2.

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