Skyy Clark has always been known as a scorer.

Thrown into a starting role at Illinois as a freshman, the former four-star point guard is trying to find the right balance between hunting shots and facilitating the offense.

The picture is developing. It's complicated by an influx of eight new players on the Illinois roster including four freshmen.

"Right now, I'm just trying to find my role on the team and see what I can do best to help my team win," Clark said.

He took a step in that direction on Friday in a lopsided win over Kansas City at State Farm Center, with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. The points came organically. Clark's usage rate of 7.8 was lowest among starters.

Through the first two games, Clark is averaging 6.5 points per game. In his debut in the season-opener against Eastern Illinois, he was fighting through nerves and culture shock. The speed of the game rattled him.

It's getting easier. With the Illini set to host Monmouth on Monday night, Clark is already feeling more comfortable on the court.

"It's staring to slow down," Clark said. "It was moving fast because it was my first college game. I've never played in front of a crowd like that."

After slow start against Kansas City, the Illini got rolling with some instant offense off the bench in big man Dain Dainja and impactful plays from Jayden Epps, another highly-regarded freshman point guard.

Clark and Epps took turns bringing the ball up and their chemistry was evident. Logging minutes playing off the ball seemed to having a calming effect on Clark. Head coach Brad Underwood liked what he saw.

"I've been really pleased with Skyy," Underwood said. "Skyy goes from five turnovers against Eastern to none. He's staring to find and feel his way offensively."

There will be a game when Clark breaks out offensively in a big way. The only question is whether it comes early in the season or later in the schedule after he feels his way through a few tough matchups.

Underwood isn't ready to unleash Clark quite yet, but that time is coming.

"I'm trying to not put too much on him in terms of the burden to having to go get points or running specific actions to him," Underwood said.

Clark was a prolific scorer when he earned his high-ranking from Rivals.com and scholarship offers from a who's who of college basket.

A serious knee injury limited him during his senior year at Florida prep powerhouse Montverde Academy. Before the injury Clark was a bucket-getter at Ensworth High School in Nashville, averaging 26.4 points as a junior.

The schedule takes a sharp turn in the next week. The field at the Main Event in Las Vegas is loaded. The Illini get No. 8 UCLA in the semifinals on Friday, a team that's loaded with veteran guards.

There's one more cupcake on Monday night before Clark has to matchup with preseason All-Pac 12 guard Tyger Campbell. It's am early test for Clark as he carves out his roll.

"I'm not telling him not to be aggressive," Underwood said. "He's got to figure that out in his own head. He's got to figure out what he can and can't do."