Clemson basketball: Still portaling?

Feb 20, 2022; Wichita, Kansas, USA; Wichita State Shockers guard Dexter Dennis (0) drives to the basket around Houston Cougars forward Fabian White Jr. (35) during the second half at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2022; Wichita, Kansas, USA; Wichita State Shockers guard Dexter Dennis (0) drives to the basket around Houston Cougars forward Fabian White Jr. (35) during the second half at Charles Koch Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe the Tigers aren’t finished with the portal yet

Last week I opined that perhaps Clemson basketball had completed its transformation, at least at the guard position.

That may be true, as the Tigers have had a plethora of coming and goings, and I thought they were in decent shape in the backcourt to replace ~ 2,800 departing minutes.

Maybe.  Maybe not, as 6’5 Dexter Dennis from Wichita State has the Tigers in his final six.

The other five are Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

Dennis is considered a strong defender

Dennis is not a prolific scorer (8.4 per game on 35.3% shooting, 29.7 from three), but his size allowed him to gather five rebounds per game from his guard position over 31 minutes per game on the court.

This may be why Brownell is interested though:

"While Dennis may not be an offensive spark plug, he is considered a strong defender that can guard multiple positions on the court thanks to his size and length. He had 24 steals and 24 blocks last season."

It’s obviously a long way from a done deal, with six contenders still vying for his services, so we shouldn’t put the cart before the horse as the saying goes, but it would be another big guard to battle the larger guards Clemson faces in ACC competition if this move comes to fruition.

Whirlwind April and May for Clemson basketball

It has been a whirlwind offseason for Brad Brownell’s Tigers, with Al-Amir Dawes and Nik Honor entering the transfer portal, guard Brevin Galloway transferring to Clemson, and Jaelin Llewellyn  committing before backing out, not to mention two assistant coaches moving on and being replaced.

Now more than ever, Brownell seems intent on getting bigger at guard and this latest dance with the transfer portal is no change.

Schedule

Schedule