College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 24-12; 11-9, fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, lost in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament

Head Coach: Brad Brownell (15th Year; 265-189 at Clemson, with four NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Chase Hunter – 6’4″, 202 5th-year Senior

G Jaeden Zackery – 6’1″, 218 5th-year Senior

F Ian Schieffelin – 6’8″, 240 Senior

F Chauncey Wiggins – 6’10”, 216 Junior

F/C Viktor Lakhin – 6’11”, 245 Senior

Experienced Reserves

G Dillon Hunter – 6’1″, 192 Junior

G Jake Heidbreder – 6’5″, 180 Junior

F Myles Foster – 6’7″, 245 5th-year Senior

C Christian Reeves – 7’2″, 253 Sophomore

Freshmen

G Del Jones – 6’2″, 187

G Ace Buckner – 6’3″, 170

W Asa Thomas – 6’7″, 200 (Redshirt)

F Dallas Thomas – 6’9″, 180

As the old saying goes, ‘fourteenth time pays for all’. Or something like that. 

It took 13 years of frustration, near-misses, as unrealized potential, but Clemson finally broke through last March. Under head coach Brad Brownell, the Tigers have become a stronger program than at most points of their history, but time and again, he’s left fans wanting more. Imagine, then, the joy they felt as Clemson won three NCAA Tournament games and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in more than 40 years. 

Now, backed by jubilant NIL contributions and a reputation as one of the ACC’s most established coaches, Brownell also gets to tell potential signees that he’s guided a team to the Sweet Sixteen twice in the past seven years. Seems like the ‘croots have been listening, too. 

Clemson got over the hump last March in no small part because Brownell augmented his core with some key pieces out of the portal. He’s outdone himself this spring, adding guys who have already proven to be impact starters, and there’s one who’s coming off of a redshirt from last year’s haul, too. Sprinkle in one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s better freshman classes, and it kinda sorta looks like Clemson might be around to stay as a force in their growing league. 

Two of the true stalwarts from last year’s breakthrough are back to lead the way. Steady point guard Chase Hunter is back for a redshirt sixth season, while constantly-improving forward Ian Schieffelin is about to take his turn in the spotlight. They were instrumental in reestablishing the Tigers’ confidence following a quick exit from the ACC tournament in March, and now Brownell is counting on them to lead the way in welcoming this year’s arrivals to a whole new attitude and confidence for Clemson hoops. 

There are lots of players who can do lots of different things well. Not many can do all of them at as high a level as Schieffelin. The winner of last season’s ACC Most Improved Player award, Schieffelin is a big, strong dude with a great mind for the game. Paired with star inside-out scorer PJ Hall, Schieffelin matured into a fantastic supporting actor, and now it’s his turn to be a featured piece. A powerful combo forward with guard skills, Schieffelin became a glass-cleaning machine last winter; he ranked second in the ACC and 15th nationally in rebounding, and piled up 11 double-doubles along the way. He led the team with 99 offensive rebounds (third in the ACC), and Schieffelin converted 72.7% of his 25 putback tries, per Hoop-Math. Across the Tigers’ four NCAA Tournament games, the man they’ve begun calling ‘Schief’ (say it like ‘chef’) was at his very best, averaging 14.8 points and 9.0 boards, earning a spot on the West Region all-tournament team. 

“It started midseason of ACC play. I think it was the Louisville game I saw about 12 students wearing chef hats. It’s pretty cool, especially after a win,” Schieffelin explained last winter. “And the next game we played Virginia, and the whole student section was wearing chef hats. It’s awesome.” The effort and consistency Schieffelin gave the Tigers last year was awesome, too, and the more he stepped into a starring role offensively, the better Clemson played as a team. For the season, Schieffelin was extremely efficient, shooting 58.8/46.9/73.1% of two’s, three’s, and freebies, and he posted a clean 80 to 45 assist to turnover ratio – outstanding for a post player. Schieffelin has taken a bit to become a scoring threat, but he’s always been a smooth passer who sees the floor well whether his back is to the basket or he’s at the top of the key. If he can take a few more pages out of Hall’s book as a face-up threat and nimble post scorer, Schieffelin will complete his evolution into the Tigers’ next star big man. 

“These are two great young men who are extremely positive examples of our program.”

– Brad Brownell on Chase Hunter & Ian Schieffelin

After redshirting his first year and then working his way into an important role, Chase Hunter enters his final season of eligibility with 90 starts under his belt, and he’s got a good chance to leave Clemson as the program’s all-time winningest player. His experience is invaluable in what will be a backcourt full of lots of new or young players around him, and Hunter has already proven that he’s got the makeup to lead. Following one of the worst games of his career, an 0/10 showing in the ACC tournament against Boston College, Hunter was outstanding in the NCAA’s. He averaged 17.8 points and 5.8 assists during the Tigers’ thrilling run, and Hunter put the clamps on Pac 12 Player of the Year Caleb Love (who shot 0/9 from three and 5/18 overall), helping Clemson to knock off Arizona on the Sweet Sixteen. Hunter knows that the team will be counting on lots more lead-by-example displays like that this winter. 

“Do I think these guys have the qualities necessary? I do,” Brownell declared this fall, speaking about Chase Hunter and Schieffelin. “These are two great young men who are extremely positive examples of our program. I’m proud of them, but there’s going to be a lot of challenging days ahead for all of us, and I think they’ll handle them.” A standout defender, Chase Hunter’s performance against Love was no fluke. This year, paired up with another smaller guard in Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery, Hunter’s defensive versatility will again be on display. If he can rediscover some consistency from the land of trey as well, Chase Hunter’s final campaign should be another great one. 

It was tough to earn minutes in last year’s veteran rotation, but Chauncey Wiggins forced his way onto the floor to make 18 starts anyway. The long, lithe forward is a tantalizing deep threat with a developing skillset, and should see an increased role entering his junior year. It was an up-and-down sophomore campaign for Wiggins, but his potential as a matchup problem for lots of opponents kept him on the floor. During the months of January and February, he averaged 8.9 points on 60.0% true shooting. Sandwiched around those months, though, Wiggins demonstrated that his game can still improve. 

Though he stands 6’10”, Wiggins is a jump shooter first and foremost; just 18 of the 76 field goals he made last year came from near the rim, per Bart Torvik. Wiggins can finish effectively on cuts to the rack, but so far he hasn’t shown great depth to his post-up game. He’s a 36.4% shooter from the land of trey through two seasons, though, and Wiggins rattled home 29 deep balls last winter. He’s a bit of a tweener defensively; Wiggins doesn’t have great strength or aggressiveness around the rim to battle larger guys, and he can be beaten by the quicker forwards that he encounters. This summer, he’s worked hard to add functional strength on the glass, and if he can improve the non-shooting aspects of his game, Wiggins will earn the run to hit lots more clutch triples – like the ones he poured in against Arizona. 

New to the starting lineup are a pair of veterans who should complement Chase Hunter and Schieffelin nicely. Last season, Joseph Girard III played a higher-scoring version of the secondary playmaker’s role beside Chase Hunter; before that, it had been Brevin Galloway, and before that it was Nick Honor. The upshot is: Brownell has embraced having two guards with point skills on the floor together whenever possible. For the last three seasons, Jaeden Zackery has been starting for conference foe Boston College, but this spring, Brownell tabbed him to be the team’s next co-lead guard. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

78.0% – Team Free Throw Percentage (16th)

0.307 – Free Throw Attempts Per FG Attempt (239th)

46.9% – Team FG Percentage (50th)

4.6 – Steals Per Game (342nd)

76.1% – Defensive Rebounding Percentage (55th)

“I love Jaeden’s competitive spirit and have seen firsthand how he always seems to do whatever his team needs to win,” Brownell recalled when Zackery pledged to the Tigers. “He’s a two-way player who has proven he can guard all three perimeter positions in this league. Offensively he plays the game with great efficiency, scoring and distributing, and his numbers reflect this.” For his part, Zackery was impressed by how quickly Girard fit in last year after seeing the Tigers up close in competition, and is looking forward to his turn. 

“Seeing the pieces that they have already, being able to play with a guard like Chase Hunter is something that kind of also got me to come here,” Zackery told Field of 68 this April. “Because playing next to somebody like that, especially for your last year, can help a lot. You could see it in the tournament, they still have a lot of pieces coming back, like Ian Schieffelin, great player on the team, as well.” Last winter, Zackery finished second in the ACC in assists and fifth in steals, and he’s comfortable with heavy usage – Zackery was on the floor for an average 33.8 minutes per contest across his three seasons as an Eagle. He’s always been most effective driving in towards the paint and employing a variety of jumpers and runners to get his points, but Zackery was also a solid three-point shooter in each of his seasons at BC. He sank 115 of them at a 40.5% rate combined with the Eagles, and Zackery also posted a strong 46.0% rate in mid-range attempts last winter. 

Losing Hall is a tremendous blow; he was a home-state star and went out on top with an All-ACC campaign which ended deep in March. To fill Hall’s spot, Brownell went international for a new big man to cook alongside his Schief. Russian post Viktor Lakhin arrives after four years with Cincinnati, and Brownell is hoping he can provide some of the steady production that Hall became famous for. 

“Viktor is an experienced post player who should bring scoring and rebounding to our team,” Brownell analyzed when Lakhin signed on with Clemson. “Offensively, he’ll fit in well in our system because of his ability to play in both the high and low post. On the defensive end he’ll provide rim protection that will complement our team defense.” Things had been going so well for Lakhin with the Bearcats, but then Cincinnati added another pair of freshly-eligible big men to the mix. The increased competition for minutes coincided with a significant shooting slump for Lakhin, and he wobbled to averages of just 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds over Cincy’s final 14 games. 

Prior to that rough patch, Lakhin had averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on 58.8% shooting since the start of his sophomore year. That’s the guy whom Brownell is hoping to revive, and playing alongside a do-it-all forward like Schieffelin will be a nice change of pace for Lakhin as he looks to return to top form. With tremendous length, good strength, and improving mobility, Lakhin is a presence in the paint at both ends, and prior to his slump, had shown off range out to the three-point arc. If he can recapture the stroke on his jumper – and firm things up at the foul line, as well – Lakhin should be able to take the next step as an offensive option. 

Another of the experienced transfers, Myles Foster, will be fighting for the job which would otherwise belong to Wiggins. Last year at Illinois State, Foster proved that his three years of steady improvement at Monmouth were no fluke. In his debut playing in the Missouri Valley Conference, Foster finished second in the league in rebounding average and third in offensive boards. Foster also led the Redbirds in points on the season, shooting 52.5% from the floor; a figure buoyed by 30 putback stabs, per Hoop-Math. After seeing such a prominent role, Foster didn’t travel to Clemson just to ride the pine, and he’ll provide a contrast to the perimeter-oriented game that Wiggins plays. Regardless of how the minutes shake out, Foster will be a prominent help for the Tigers at both ends of the court. 

Two Tigers who went along for the whole ride to the Elite Eight didn’t actually take the court, and this season, they’re hungry to make their mark. One, Asa Thomas, is a redshirt freshman who took the year to improve his craft with so many veterans ahead of him. He’s got great length on the wing and a reputation as one of the best shooters Clemson had at practice last year. It’ll be tough to Crack the rotation, but if Thomas can sink triples, he could well carve out a role. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

vs Kentucky – December 3

vs Memphis – December 14

@ South Carolina – December 17

N San Francisco – November 25

N Penn State/Fordham – November 26

The more experienced redshirt guard that Brownell has available this season is Jake Heidbreder, who proved his scoring chops at Air Force two years ago. After starting every one of his 61 games for the academy and averaging 12.9 points on 39.1% shooting from the land of trey, Heidbreder hit the transfer portal and landed in South Carolina. The year off allowed him to rehabilitate a lingering back injury that he’d fought through at Air Force and for Heidbreder to become familiar with Brownell’s offense. A snappy passer in addition to being a knockdown shooter, Heidbreder is instant offense when he’s on the floor. If he can hold up defensively, he’s going to play significant minutes, and Heidbreder could combine with either Foster or Wiggins to provide Brownell with a genuine 1-2 scoring punch to bring off the bench. 

With good health for another newcomer, the Tigers will also have a couple of backups at the most important spots on the floor who bring ACC experience. Duke transfer Christian Reeves was a big-time recruit just a couple of years ago, but he only played 15 games across two seasons with the Blue Devils. His health remains a significant question mark, and Brownell has been careful not to put too many expectations on Reeves.

“More good days than bad in terms of his health,” Brownell explained from the ACC Tipoff this fall. “He’s got ankles that have had problems so there are days that we got to give him off now and then, but for the most part he is doing well.” Brownell added that he’s hoping to get about 10 solid minutes from the developing pivot this year, and that type of production could be a real boost to the Tigers. Dillon Hunter, Chase’s brother, is beginning his third campaign with Clemson. He hasn’t shot the ball very well so far, but Dillon Hunter is a steady ballhandler and decision-maker. As his brother’s backup, Dillon Hunter could really add something to Brownell’s rotation if he can add a genuine scoring move or spot to rattle home jumpers this winter. 

Dillon Hunter will get a challenge from a pair of freshmen guards this year, as well. The son of former Clemson star and longtime NBA veteran Greg Buckner, Ace Buckner is a tough, shifty combo guard. He’s an intense competitor at both ends of the court, and Buckner the Younger attacks to create his own looks and good ones for his teammates. Del Jones is a blur with the ball in his hands, and showed plenty of confidence getting into the paint as a prep star. His scoring is coming along, and Jones is also naturally unselfish. If the kids can avoid aggressive mistakes and make jumpers, they’ll push for the best reserve minutes. The highest-rated of Clemson’s true freshmen is super-stretchy wing Dallas Thomas. He’s listed at 6’9″, and Dallas Thomas has major potential with his quick feet and active hands defensively. He’s also a terror finishing on the break and really gets up to intimidate shooters. As Dallas Thomas adds strength and gets acclimated to the ACC, he should become a real matchup advantage. 

On the heels of a huge, cathartic success, what can the Tigers do for an encore? There are enough pieces still in place to drive Clemson towards similar results, and the fact that such notions aren’t followed by qualifiers is a mark of how big a shift occurred back in March. Last year, the team’s veteran stars banded together when the going got tough and finished the season stronger than any Clemson squad in two decades.

“It’s all about player-driven leadership,” Brownell reflected on last year’s stretch run this fall. “If we’re constantly relying on coaches to push through challenges, it’s easy to get off track. We need our players to be the ones keeping each other focused.” Clemson plays a tough non-conference schedule which should help Brownell and his staff to sort out the forward rotation and identify the backcourt pecking order behind Chase Hunter and Zackery. If these Tigers can remember the lessons they learned last season, they will only continue to climb as a genuine, contending program.