Skylar Forbes is different than most first-years.
How many first-years play in every game? Not a lot. Well, how many scored in all but one of those games? Few. How about being a starter? Even fewer.
But Forbes has done them all.
The 6-foot-3 forward comes from Scarborough Prep — a high school associated with the WBB National Prep team — in Toronto, Canada.
There, she averaged 17.5 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals as a senior. She also served as a four-year captain and led her team to back-to-back Juel League championships in 2022 and 2023.
Forbes said she credits her Marquette successes to the rigor of her prep school.
“Prep basketball is different than regular high school basketball down there,” Forbes said. “We played against girls who are also Division I commits with four-or five-star rankings. Just the level of competition and coming down to the U.S. to play games helped me a lot.”
After her successful senior year, Forbes continued on to play her 13th year — she gained an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19 — to gain more experience before committing to Marquette.
“She needed that extra year in order to get to where she wanted to be,” Marquette associate head coach Justine Raterman said. “The last year she was able to play [basketball] in one of the highest leagues in Canada and definitely really took off and was able to come here and be more prepared.”
Raterman, who was promoted to her role before the season after four years as an assistant, works primarily with the forwards and serves as the team’s recruiting coordinator. She said that Forbes’ way of playing perfectly matches Marquette’s high-speed pace.
“What we loved about her was just how mobile she was,” Raterman said. “Her ability to move on different spots on the floor, getting up and down and how we play. We play really fast, so we wanted her to get up and down and transition. [It was]really just her versatility on the court.”
Her dedication and patience have paid off.
Coming in as a first-year, playing time is not guaranteed, especially when playing with veteran players such as seniors Frannie Hottinger and Liza Karlen. However, Forbes has made an impact in every single game, even earning her spot in the starting lineup for a stretch in January. She is averaging 5.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 19.8 minutes per game.
“It’s really cool to just be able to play out on the floor and play with girls such as Liza and Jordan and Rosie and Kenzie,” Forbes said. “It’s just been a really amazing experience and it’s nice to just go out there and play with them.”
But the upper-level students on the team have done much more than just be on the court with Forbes.
“They’ve gone through what I’ve gone through,” Forbes said. “Their knowledge on certain experiences or how I can do this to get better or to grow, whether it’s mentally or physically, they’ve been really helpful.”
Forbes has used that support from her teammates to build confidence as the season has progressed, something head coach Megan Duffy has noticed.
“She has bought into her first year of working as hard as she can buying into defense and rebounding, and this kid’s offense is going to continue to evolve and develop,” Duffy said.
Even though Forbes is doing more in her increased role, Raterman said the Markham, Ontario native is still trying to learn as much as possible.
“Skylar’s truly a sponge,” Raterman said. “She is willing to do anything and continues to grow and learn. And she’s one of those players that whatever you ask her, she is going to try her best to do it at a high level. And that’s what’s great about it. That is why she’s learning so fast.”
Forbes has already curated success as a first-year, and her commitment to Marquette shows. However, she has a long way to go and many more goals to achieve.
“My goal is to just go out there and play as hard as I can and play to the best of my ability,” Forbes said. “Gain more confidence as I go along and learn to trust myself and my teammates more.”
Duffy agrees and is excited to see what Forbes can bring to Marquette in her time as a Golden Eagle.
“She’s a phenomenal young woman and I am just very proud of her for her freshman year and what she‘s continuing to do to help this team,” Duffy said.
This article was written by Sophia Woods. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @SophiaWoodsMU.
