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Clemson's David Skara Is Turning Pro

Clemson's roster for 2018-2019 is already looking a lot different with the news that redshirt junior David Skara will graduate and turn pro.
Clemson Tigers forward David Skara (24) moves the ball against Auburn Tigers forward Chuma Okeke (4) during the second half of the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena.

The deep roster the Clemson men's basketball team anticipated for the 2018-19 season took another hit Wednesday when forward David Skara announced he would forgo his final season of eligibility in order to pursue a pro basketball career.

Skara, who as a redshirt junior averaged nearly 20 minutes per game while making seven starts and 26 appearances for the team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, announced he would leave the program after graduating next month with a degree in economics.

“I can’t thank Coach Brownell, my teammates, the coaching staff and everyone in Clemson enough for making my experience here a great one,” Skara said. “I represented the university with great pride while I was a student and I always will the rest of my life. This team has been very special to me and I will always cherish our run to the Sweet 16 this year

"Now that I’ll be graduating in May, I’ve decided that it is in my best interest to pursue my life-long goal of playing professional basketball.”

Skara becomes the third member of the team that finished 25-10 to announce intentions to pursue pro basketball despite having eligibility remaining. On April 2, junior guards Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell declared their eligibility for the upcoming NBA Draft, but did not hire agents and could return to school.

Skara transferred to Clemson from Valparaiso in 2016 and sat out his first season due to the NCAA's transfer rules. A violation from his time at Valparaiso kept him off the court for the first nine games of the 2017-18 season, but Clemson head coach Brad Brownell called him the team's best defensive player entering the year and used him as such throughout the season.

“I’d like to thank David for his contributions to our program over the last two seasons,” Brownell said. “He had a big impact on this program in his time in at Clemson and played a crucial role in this team advancing to the Sweet 16. We’re proud of David for graduating from Clemson come May and for how hard he has worked to put himself in this position.”

Neither the school nor Skara specified whether he'll enter the NBA Draft or play professional basketball overseas, but he's a native of Zadar, Croatia, and will likely return to Europe to build his career.

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