It has been a while since I was this excited for a Clemson basketball season. It’s not that I expect this team to be significantly better than the last few, I just trust the staff to maximize their resources and deliver the best possible product for us to enjoy. After two years of completely unenjoyable Clemson football, I plan to have a lot of fun with this basketball season. I hope you’ll join us at STS as we bring you game previews, recaps, and analysis all season. It’s going to be a few couple of months.
Departures and Injures:
Clemson’s strength last year was their trio of post players, and they lost 2.5 of them. RJ Godfrey ran out of eligibility and then (maybe?) got it back with a legal injunction and ended up at Arizona for the time being. It’s a mess and Clemson couldn’t bookmark the money for a player that may be ruled ineligible at any moment. As such, I don’t blame Godfrey or Brownell for the situation, this is just how it had to be, but Godfrey the biggest loss on the team by a wide margin.
Nick Davidson was the big-name transfer addition last season and he was serviceable albeit a little disappointing. He was a very strong sixth-man option without a doubt, even if we expected him to be the star. The third big man from last year was Carter Welling. He is back on the roster, but tore his ACL in the ACC Tournament and isn’t back on the court quite yet. There was debate if he would redshirt, but with the five-for-five rule now in place, it looks like he’ll play half of this season (give or take) and potentially return for a 5th year anyway since he gets the extra year of eligibility. Welling tore his ACL on March 11th. If his recovery takes ten months (which is common), he would be back on January 11th, which would slate him to miss all of non-conference play and the first four of 18 ACC games.
Beyond losing such a good strength in the post, the Tigers also lost their two leading 3-pointer shooters Jestin Porter — who was also very good defensively — and Butta Johnson — who was quite efficient offensively and a better ball handler than people appreciated.
Lastly, Jake Wahlin transferred to BYU. He was a strong defensive player, but an offensive liability on a team that couldn’t really afford that.
The other player lost is rising second-year player Zac Foster. He was inefficient but electric in non-conference play last season. Everyone could see his potential and was excited about his future. Then he tore his ACL. Reports were somewhat pessimistic about a recovery that sounded like it tracking slightly behind schedule and taking things slowly. Then he re-tore his ACL in an exhibition. This cuts into team depth in a way they hadn’t planned for.
Eligibility Issues
Although nobody planned to lose Zac Foster to a season-ending injury, Coach Brownell took advantage of the mess that is college sports rather than letting it take advantage of Clemson. Dillon Hunter had exhausted his eligibility and was set to play in Germany, but Coach Brownell called him back. He is eligible for the time being and with the Zac Foster injury is set to be the critical bench piece,
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Key returning players:
Ace Buckner headlines the returning talent. He averaged 8.3 points per game last year, but his progress through the year was obvious. After being a complete non-factor as a shooter early in the year, he shot 41.7% from 3 in ACC play. With Foster injured, he may be the single most important player on the team. Double-digit scoring is a reasonable expectation. He scored 21 points in the last exhibition game against Presbyterian.
Chase Thompson and Dallas Thomas are critical bench players returning for their second collegiate seasons. Chase has been told he needs to be a more aggressive scorer and I believe he has the ability the ability to do it. Dallas Thomas was a great shooter last season, but wastes his 6-foot-10 height. He needs to score around the rim and play smarter and tougher on defense where he lacked last season. Hopefully he added muscle this offseason. If so, he can be a major contributor. I love the upside of each of these players.
Additionally, Clemson brings back the aforementioned Carter Welling who is a strong defender when healthy and Dillon Hunter who is a careful ballhandler who avoids turnovers and providers leadership. He may be someone who only scores six points in the game, but four of them were game-clinching free throws in the final minute.
Four incoming transfers:
Dylan Faulkner is the biggest name to know, especially with Carter Welling out to begin the year. He will start as Clemson’s center. His numbers could regress from last year’s gaudy metrics (17.2 points, 8.6 rebounds) against lower tier teams, but I strongly believe it will translate. He performed against tournament teams last year (13 points, 6 rebounds vs. Arkansas; 22 points, 9 rebounds vs. VCU). Then he went off for 21 points and 7 rebounds vs. UGA in this year’s exhibition. I believe he will be the team’s leading scorer. After playing two years at Lipscomb and last season at Samford, he has two years of eligibility remaining. If he finishes his college career at Clemson, I expect him to be remembered as a fan favorite despite spending much of his career elsewhere like Joe Girard, Viktor Lahkin, and Marquise Reed.
- 6-foot-10 center
- Averaged 17.2 points and 8.6 rebounds
- Recorded 11 double-doubles
- Averaged 1.5 blocks per game
- Scored 21 points, including the game-winner, in Clemson’s exhibition against Georgia
Cole Certa goes a long way in replacing the 3-point shooting they lost with Jestin Porter and Butta Johnson departing. In fact, he is a clear upgrade in that regard. He may be a downgrade defensively though. Jestin Porter’s steals and Butta Johnson’s defensive consistency were positives the team will miss.
- 6-foot-5 guard
- Averaged 12.8 points per game last season
- Averaged 16.1 points in ACC games
- Shot 36.7% from three, making 81 of 221 attempts
- Averaged 19.5 points over his final 11 games
David Fuchs (pronounced DAH-vid FOOKS) joins from San Francisco. Like Faulkner, he is on his third school after spending his first two years at Lamar Odom’s alma mater, Rhode Island, before playing for San Francisco last season. He is not a 3-pointer shooter but is a strong rebounder at 6-ft-9 and efficient offensively. He will have some nice offensive games scoring 12-15 points, but his most consistent contribution is likely to be on the glass. He had 9 rebounds in the Presbyterian exhibition and posted similarly strong rebounding totals in Italy.
- 6-foot-9 forward
- Averaged 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds
- Adds size, experience, and rebounding to the frontcourt
Liutauras Lelevicius is a Lithuanian who played a season at Oregon State and a season at TCU. He also played professionally in Lithuania’s top basketball league, the Lietuvos Krepšinio Lyga (LKL), before coming to the United States. This is a classic example of Coach Brownell using the NCAA mess to better his program, even while he publicly disagrees with this being allowed. Lelevicius is a highly efficient, low-volume shooter with size. As long as Carter Welling is out, he could play some PF and be an important piece.
- 6-foot-7 wing/forward
- Averaged 8.0 points
- Shot 38% from three
Impact Freshman
Harris Reynolds
Harris Reynolds isn’t the only freshman in this class, but he is the one I expect to get consistent minutes and have a real impact. He may be what Zac Foster was when healthy last year: inefficient at times, but delivers the wow plays and if he can avoid injuries, perhaps someone who can be an excellent contributor by the time ACC play hits. He averaged 24 points per game as a senior in high school playing against other schools in Atlanta. The upside is there.
Final Roster Thoughts
Clemson’s modern transfer-heavy rosters may be hard to keep up with, but they’ve delivered better results and surprisingly produced plenty of fan favorites. Players like Marquise Reed, Shelton Mitchell, Joe Girard, Viktor Lahkin, and Jaeden Zackery quickly endeared themselves to the fan base and became program favorites.
This team has more offensive upside than most Brownell squads thanks to the 3-point shooting Certa and Lelevicius. Ace Buckner is one of the most exciting guards the Tigers have boasted and if Welling can get healthy by the tournament, a front court of Faulkner, Welling, and Fuchs is excellent. Brownell will coach them up defensively and pull every win they can out of the roster and that should be good enough to match last year’s round of 64 appearance. More on expectations in the next preview article! In the meantime, check out the video below for a broader look at the ACC: