After three seasons, 74 games, and 1,030 points in a Penn uniform, Clark Slajchert is trading in his Red and Blue.
Slajchert, a senior guard for the Quakers, is entering the transfer portal for his graduate year of eligibility, according to a report from On3 Sports. Slajchert enjoyed tremendous success during his time at Penn, averaging 13.9 points per game over his three seasons. Earlier this season, Slajchert also recently became just the 43rd player in program history to cross the 1,000 point threshold.
Slajchert’s departure is the result of a conflict between NCAA and Ivy League policy. In 2020, Slajchert’s freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the NCAA granted all such athletes an additional year of collegiate eligibility. But Slajchert is unable to use that year at Penn because the Ivy League prohibits graduate students from participating in athletics.
Despite leading the Quakers in scoring with 18 points per game this year, it was not a perfect senior season for Slajchert. An ankle injury kept him out for Penn’s first six Ivy League games, a stretch that saw the team go 1-5 and slide to the bottom of the conference standings. Slajchert called the timing of the injury “frustrating,” and said that it was disappointing to be sidelined during his final campaign at Penn.
Following the Quakers’ win over Columbia, the game in which Slajchert reached 1,000 career points, coach Steve Donahue remarked on Slajchert’s injury as well as his transfer potential.
“Obviously [his ankle injury] was a crusher this year because I think he was [going to have] one of the historic seasons for a guard in Penn history,” Donahue said. “It’s amazing what he gets done at his size and he’ll play somewhere next year and make one team real good.”
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