A commitment from Zion Williamson would have bolstered the Clemson basketball recruiting class tremendously, but he chose Duke. So who are the members of the 2018 basketball recruiting class?
The Clemson basketball fans were really enthralled with the possibility of Williamson, the No. 2 overall recruit, joining Brad Brownell’s team and rightfully so, because his commitment to the Tigers was highly probable, and he is a South Carolina native. But now that he is headed to Duke, it’s time to re-introduce the underrated trio of Hunter Tyson, John Newman, Greensboro Day(NC) and Trey Jemison, Hoover(AL) to the fans.
In the coming weeks, we will profile each player, and first up is Hunter Tyson. Tyson is a small forward from Piedmont High(NC), and he committed to Clemson over DePaul, East Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest. Jonathan Tyson, Hunter’s dad and the principal of Piedmont, explains why Clemson was the best choice for his son.
“Hunter felt at home when he visited Clemson. The coaching staff spent a great deal of time fostering a positive relationship with him and our family,” Jonathan continued. “It felt like a family environment that supported the highest level of basketball.”
Jonathan has watched his son grow to be a 6-foot-7 senior after measuring at only 5-foot-11 before his freshman year. Ironically, injured Clemson 6-foot-8 senior Donte Grantham had a similar growth spurt, and like Grantham, Hunter has maintained his shooting touch and ball handling skills despite the accelerated growth. Hunter’s game has grown as well.
Early in his career, he was almost exclusively known for his jump shot but these days opponents are facing a more skilled player. Jonathan weighed in on his son’s development.
“Over the past four years, he has worked to develop into more of a complete player. He has been very comfortable playing the 1-4 as he has matured.”
Hunter, the 247Sports No. 10 ranked basketball recruit in the state of North Carolina and 229th overall, has continued to work on his game. And with the help of his dad, who played at Sun Valley High(NC) and Wingate(NC) University, he has increased his scoring and rebounding averages while displaying more versatility on the floor.
Tyson with the rebound and dunk.
Hunter averaged 19.5 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore, 25.4 and 9.5 as a junior and is averaging 27.5 and 10.2 today. He leads Union County in both categories.
Tyson drives to the basket for two.
On Jan. 30, he reached a scholastic milestone when he scored 42 points against Parkwood to surpass 2,000 career points. He is now the Union County all-time leading scorer(2011) and has bragging rights over Jonathan(1650)and Clemson junior Shelton Mitchell(1654) who are number six and five, respectively, on the list. As a result of his great performance against Parkwood, on yesterday, he was named one of The Charlotte Observer’s Players of the Week and the Union County Hoops Player of the Week for back-to-back weeks. Notably, he has won the Union County Hoops honor four times this season.
Tyson makes a three-point shot.
With Grantham graduating, Hunter’s competition for playing time at the small forward position will likely be rising senior David Skara and junior Scott Spencer.
Next week, check back with us for a look at Greensboro Day(NC) shooting guard John Newman.