Clemson Basketball: 2024-25 Season Update & 10-Year Snapshot

2024-25 North Carolina Sports Network
Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Spotlight:
Clemson

By Ben McCormick
North Carolina Sports Network

School: Clemson University

Location: Clemson, S.C.

Previous NCAA Conference Affiliations: Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1896-1921), Southern Conference (1921-53)

ACC Member Since: 1953-54

ACC Ranking Among 32 Leagues (KenPom): 5th (2025), 5th (2024), 7th (2023), 5th (2022), 5th (2021), 4th (2020)

NCAA Tournament Bids: 14 (1980, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2024)

Conference Titles: 1 (1939 in SoCon)

Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 1 (1990 in ACC)

Head Coach: Brad Brownell (55 years old, 15th season at Clemson)

As A Player: DePauw University (1988-91)

Record At Clemson (Through Dec. 20): 274-192 (.588) in 14+ seasons

Previous Head Coaching Experience: UNC Wilmington (2002-06), Wright State (2006-10)

College AC Experience: Evansville (1991-92), Indianapolis (1992-94), UNC Wilmington (1994-2002)

Assistant Under: Jim Crews, Royce Waltman, Jerry Wainwright

2023-24 Record: 24-12, 11-9 ACC (5th), NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

2024-25 Preseason Prediction (Media): 4th in 18-team ACC

2024-25 Record (Through Dec. 20): 9-3, 1-0 ACC

2024-25 Midseason Ranking (AP Poll/KenPom): #25/#29 nationally (2nd/3rd in ACC)

Upcoming Schedule: Wake Forest (12/21), Stanford (1/1), California (1/4), at Louisville (1/7), Florida State (1/11), at Georgia Tech (1/14), at Pitt (1/18)

In a postseason typified by Cinderella runs from ACC teams, Clemson made it to the Elite Eight — the longest stay for the Tigers in March ever.

After making the NCAA Tournament in its first year with coach Brad Brownell at the helm, in 2010-11, Clemson entered a six-year Big Dance drought. Since making the Sweet 16 as a #5 seed in 2017-18, though, the Tigers have been on the rise.

In the past six years, Clemson made the NCAA field three times. So, even though the Tigers fell short of a Final Four last season, they have a lot of reasons to be optimistic.

For one, the Tigers are currently ranked (#25) in the Associated Press Top 25, one of only two ACC teams (#5 Duke) in the poll. Although their stay there likely will be short-lived, given their recent loss to South Carolina, they still have that huge win over #4 Kentucky in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Once again, they were just one of two ACC teams (Duke defeated Auburn) to win in the Challenge.

“I mean, to have Kentucky come to Littlejohn [Coliseum] I think speaks that people are recognizing that we’ve had a good program here for about the last seven or eight years,” Brownell said after the UK win. “I’ve told you guys, we’ve been to a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight. We’re under the shadows of football, for sure, but people that watch this game, people that came, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to come play basketball here.”

Perhaps the most important thing about this year’s Tigers is their continuity. Clemson returned three starters from last year: versatile forward Ian Schieffelin, fifth-year combo guard Chase Hunter and long-armed wing player Chauncey Wiggins.

Schieffelin, who is the reigning ACC Most Improved Player, was instrumental in Clemson’s run to the Elite Eight last year, with his hard-nosed play and prowess on the boards. The 6-foot-8 senior leads the ACC in rebounds with 12 per game.

Hunter leads the Tigers in scoring at nearly 17 points per game, and Wiggins — also a key defender — is adding 8.5 points per game.

“Guys that have been in our program for multiple years know how we go about our business,” Brownell said. “I think there’s a real pride in our program for how we play, how we handle ourselves, what our daily habits are, and then how our performance has been, especially recently. So making sure that the guys that are coming in see that, are witness to it, hear it.”

While they have strong returnees, Clemson is very much feeling the losses of graduated seniors Joseph Girard III and PJ Hall, the team’s two leading scorers in 2023-24. Replacing their production hasn’t been easy.

However, Schieffelin and Hunter have stepped into larger roles, and Clemson added combo guard Jaeden Zackery (Boston College) and center Viktor Lakhin (Cincinnati) — two portal guys with multiple years of starting experience at the power conference level — and immediately inserted them into those vacant starting spots.

As full-time league play arrives, Brownell’s group likely has the second-best standing of any ACC team to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament. If the Tigers do make it, their fantastic 2024 March Madness run will offer one more reminder that they are plenty capable of making some noise once again.

2024-25 Clemson Tigers
(9-3, 1-0 ACC; through Dec. 20)

STARTERS (stats = 2024-25 numbers)

G Chase Hunter*, Gr., (6-4/202) — 2024 NCAA Tournament All-Region
33 mpg, 17 ppg, 3 rpg, 48% FG, 85% FT, 41% threes, 29/19 ATO, 1 block, 16 steals

G Jaeden Zackery, Gr., (6-1/218) — Boston College transfer (3-year starter)
33 mpg, 9 ppg, 2 rpg, 44% FG, 87% FT, 36% threes, 34/13 ATO, 0 blocks, 24 steals

F Chauncey Wiggins*, Jr., (6-10/216) — part-time Clemson starter in 2023-24
24 mpg, 9 ppg, 3 rpg, 44% FG, 75% FT, 38% threes, 12/14 ATO, 2 blocks, 3 steals

F Ian Schieffelin*, Sr., (6-8/240) — 2024 ACC Most Improved Player
34 mpg, 14 ppg, 12 rpg, 45% FG, 78% FT, 31% threes, 38/26 ATO, 10 blocks, 11 steals

C Viktor Lakhin, r-Sr., (6-11/245) — Cincinnati transfer (2-year starter)
23 mpg, 11 ppg, 6 rpg, 49% FG, 75% FT, 35% threes, 14/21 ATO, 19 blocks, 11 steals

KEY RESERVES (stats = 2024-25 numbers)

G Dillon Hunter, Jr., (6-3/192) — younger brother of Chase Hunter
21 mpg, 7 ppg, 3 rpg, 40% FG, 63% FT, 34% threes, 17/4 ATO, 1 block, 9 steals

G Jake Heidbreder, r-Jr., (6-5/180) — Air Force transfer (2-year starter)
13 mpg, 4 ppg, 1 rpg, 43% FG, 100% FT, 45% threes, 8/5 ATO, 0 blocks, 4 steals

G Del Jones, Fr., (6-2/187) — 3-star in Class of 2024
12 mpg, 4 ppg, 1 rpg, 44% FG, 67% FT, 30% threes, 10/8 ATO, 1 block, 2 steals

C Christian Reeves, r-So., (7-2/253) — Duke transfer (reserve)
6 mpg, 2 ppg, 1 rpg, 64% FG, 67% FT, 2/6 ATO, 4 blocks, 3 steals

2024 Departures: PG Josh Beadle (So./transfer/Boston College), BF Jack Clark* (Sr./transfer/VCU), WG Joe Girard III* (Ss./Lithuania), BF RJ Godfrey (So./transfer/Georgia), C PJ Hall* (Sr./NBA entry/G League), WG Alex Hemenway (Sr./transfer/Vanderbilt), C Bas Leyte (Ss.).

*—returning starter (started at least 50% of Clemson’s games last season)

Clemson Tigers
10-Year Snapshot

Season — Overall, League (Place), Postseason

2023-24: 24-12, 11-9 ACC (5th), NCAA Elite Eight (Brad Brownell)
2022-23: 23-11, 14-6 ACC (3rd), NIT Round of 32 (Brad Brownell)
2021-22: 17-16, 8-12 ACC (10th), no postseason (Brad Brownell)
2020-21: 16-8, 10-6 ACC (5th), NCAA Round of 64 (Brad Brownell)
2019-20: 16-15, 9-11 ACC (9th), COVID (Brad Brownell)
2018-19: 20-14, 9-9 ACC (8th), NIT Round of 16 (Brad Brownell)
2017-18: 25-10, 11-7 ACC (3rd), NCAA Sweet 16 (Brad Brownell)
2016-17: 17-16, 6-12 ACC (12th), NIT Round of 32 (Brad Brownell)
2015-16: 17-14, 10-8 ACC (7th), no postseason (Brad Brownell)
2014-15: 16-15, 8-10 ACC (9th), no postseason (Brad Brownell)

*—conference champion

NOTE: In the coming weeks and months, please visit the North Carolina Sports Network’s 2024-25 profiles and 10-year snapshots for all 19 Division One men’s basketball programs in North Carolina and all 18 Atlantic Coast Conference programs. The items below will become “live links” as new articles are posted.

Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt Conference

Boston College Eagles, Atlantic Coast Conference

California Bears, Atlantic Coast Conference

Campbell Camels, Coastal Athletic Association

Charlotte 49ers, American Athletic Conference

Davidson Wildcats, Atlantic-10 Conference

Duke Blue Devils, Atlantic Coast Conference

East Carolina Pirates, American Athletic Conference

Elon Phoenix, Coastal Athletic Association

Florida State Seminoles, Atlantic Coast Conference

Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, Big South Conference

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Atlantic Coast Conference