After one of the most successful seasons in the history of Clemson basketball, the Tigers return another loaded squad.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Clemson basketball.
Last season, Clemson basketball lived up to preseason expectations. In fact, CBB Review’s Sam Bass had the Tigers going to the Sweet 16, and they went one game further, getting knocked out by Alabama.
This season, the Tigers will have to figure out how to play without superstar PJ Hall and three-point shooter Joe Girard III. But after those losses, the majority of the key players from last year’s Elite 8 team are back. That group is led by big man Ian Schieffelen and guard Chase Hunter. The two will likely go from being PJ Hall’s Robin(s) to the two leaders of this year’s Clemson squad.
Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery, Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin, redshirt forward Jake Heidbreder, and Illinois State transfer Myles Foster give Clemson some solid reinforcements at pretty much every different position. There’s really no area on the court where coach Brownell will be lacking talent.
All in all, Clemson basketball has the talent to be right there near the top of the ACC again.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach:Â Brad Brownell (15th season at Clemson, 23rd season overall)
2023-24 record:Â 24-12 (11-9)
2024 postseason finish:Â Lost to Alabama (89-82) in Elite 8 of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:Â
- PJ Hall (18.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.4 BPG)
- Joe Girard III (15.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 41.3 3P%)
- RJ Godfrey (6.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.8 APG, 59.4 FG%)
- Joshua Beadle (3.0 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.8 APG)
Notable non-conference games:Â
- Â vs. Boise State (Nov. 17)
- vs. San Francisco (Nov. 25)
- vs. Penn State OR Fordham (Nov. 26)
- vs. Kentucky (Dec. 3)
- vs. Memphis (Dec. 14)
- vs. South Carolina (Dec. 17)
Projected Rotation
PG: Jaeden Zackery (6-1, 218, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.3 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 40.5 3P% (Boston College)
SG: Chase Hunter (6-4, 202, 6th-Yr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.9 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.6 RPG
SF: Jake Heidbreder (6-5, 180, Rs.-Jr.)
*Redshirted in 2023-24*
2022-23 stats: 15.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 39.9 3P% (Air Force)
PF: Ian Schieffelin (6-8, 240, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 56.4 FG%, 46.9 3P% (23-49)
C: Viktor Lakhin (6-11, 245, Rs.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 50.2 FG% (Cincinnati)
6: Chauncey Wiggins (6-10, 216, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 34.9 3P%
7: Dillon Hunter (6-3, 192, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 2.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.3 APG
8: Myles Foster (6-7, 245, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.7 APG (Illinois State)
9: Ace Buckner (6-3, 170, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #137 ranked recruit
10: Christian Reeves (7-2, 253, Rs.-So.)
2023-24 stats: 1.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.0 RPG, 3 GP (Duke)
11: Del Jones (6-2, 187, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #144 ranked recruit
12: Dallas Thomas (6-9, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #79 ranked recruit
Clemson Basketball team MVP: Ian Schieffelin
While Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery will form a very solid backcourt, I’m looking at Schieffelin to be the heart and soul of this team. If you watched any Clemson basketball games last season, you were bound to see energy, hustle, and sometimes a full-out madman on the court in Schieffelin.
While the forward appears to lack agility and overall athleticism, don’t get it twisted. If you lose him on the court, he’ll make you pay. Schieffelin is one of those guys who is required to be boxed out every single time a shot goes up.
At this point, ACC teams are well-versed on what Schieffelin brings to the court night in and night out. But with PJ Hall gone, it opens up the door for a version of Schieffelin that we’ve never seen. That alone is bringing me nightmares. He is the reason to fear Clemson.
Clemson Basketball make-or-break player: Viktor Lakhin
I’m staying in the frontcourt because I’m so intrigued by how great this Clemson pair can be. Lakhin was a crucial piece of Cincinnati’s success over the last few years and now he teams up with an equally talented player in the Clemson frontcourt.
While Lakhin shouldn’t be expected to replace PJ Hall’s production, he’s a big man who succeeds close to the basket. If he draws enough attention, it should help keep the halfcourt offense open for Schieffelin, Hunter, Zackery, and Clemson’s three-point specialist Heidbreder.
At times, Lakhin’s offense still seemed raw, but with the right tutelage, he could be in for a career season.
Key analytic: Turnovers per game
Clemson only averaged 10.1 turnovers per game last season, primarily thanks to a fifth-year senior handling the ball in Joe Girard III.
The Tigers are keeping the same mentality, bringing in Jaeden Zackery, who will share the backcourt with sixth-year senior Chase Hunter. The Boston College transfer should feel just at home, considering he’s staying in the ACC. And talk about consistency – he averaged exactly 2.0 TOV as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. Of course, there’s always room for improvement, but that’s a good number to begin with at his new school.
Hunter only coughed it up 1.8 times per game last season, so when you talk about steady, experienced backcourts, Clemson MUST come up in conversation.
Clemson Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 6th in the ACC
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Exit