Clemson Basketball: What Hunter Tyson’s Return Means for Tigers

Mar 2, 2022; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Hunter Tyson (5) controls the ball against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Kyle Sturdivant (1) during the second half at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dawson Powers-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2022; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers forward Hunter Tyson (5) controls the ball against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Kyle Sturdivant (1) during the second half at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dawson Powers-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the announcement that Nick Honor had chosen to move on, it looked like Brad Brownell was in a familiar position:  Looking to replace a whole lot of minutes and leadership on his team.

It’s not that Honor was irreplaceable, but it’s 800+ more minutes that Brownell would have to replace.

Thursday afternoon, Brownell got some good news.

The 6’8 Tyson averaged 10 points and 5.5 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game in 2021-2022.  Next season will be Tyson’s 5th season at Clemson, being granted an extra season for the COVID season that was 2020.

Tyson played in twenty-five games and started twenty-four, having missed a month with a broken clavicle suffered on February 2nd.

Tyson is high energy and emotional leader for the Tigers and given the other losses, is an important piece for the 2022-2023 team.

Tyson shot a career best 46.6% from the field and 34.7% from three point land this season and with P.J. Hall forms a solid front court duo, along with Ian Schieffelin and Ben Middlebrooks.

Schieffelin and Middlebrooks gained extensive playing time with Tyson’s injury and more when Hall was injured later in the season.

Schieffelin finished with 349 minutes of playing time, while Middlebrooks totaled 168 minutes.

Schieffelin averaged 3.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while Middlebrooks contributed 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

Clemson also has two front court players joining the team in  RJ Godfrey and Chauncey Wiggins.

Tyson’s return allows for the continued growth of Schieffelin and Middlebrooks, while initiating Godfrey and Wiggins into ACC basketball without the urgency and stress of having to play a ton of minutes immediately.

Godfrey is listed as a 6’7, 210 pound small forward, the 135th player overall and 32nd best strong forward in the nation.

Wiggins, 6’9, 190 is listed as the 173rd best player overall and 34th rated power forward in the nation.

The Tigers also have shooting guard Chauncey Gibson (6’6,180), the number 205 player overall, as a part of this recruiting class.