Brownell has it rolling with new additions, chance to gain back veteran Hunter

Longtime Clemson men's basketball coach Brad Brownell has hit things right in the transfer portal lately.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri May 10 07:00:03 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON – Brad Brownell has it rolling in TigerTown, and more good news might be on the way.

Brownell guided Clemson to the Elite Eight this past season, and despite the losses of PJ Hall and Joe Girard to graduation and RJ Godfrey and Jack Clark to the transfer portal, the Clemson coaching staff has rebounded in a big way.

Brownell and his staff officially announced this week the addition of two transfers to the roster beginning in 2024-25. Jaeden Zackery (Salem, Wis./Westosha Central/Boston College) and Viktor Lakhin (Anapa, Russia/CSKA-2/Cincinnati) officially signed with the Tigers.

Zackery and Lakhin will join a freshmen class that includes Dallas Thomas (Little Rock, Ark./Parkview Magnet), Del Jones (Largo, Md./Arizona Compass Prep), and Ace Buckner (Cleveland, Ohio/La Lumiere School). According to 247Sports, the freshmen class ranks No. 22 in the country.

Zackery was Boston College’s third-leading scorer last season (11.3 ppg), adding 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest. He shot 48.4 percent from the floor, including 40.5 percent from three and 82.4 percent at the free throw line.

The Salem, Wis. native totaled 22 double-digit scoring games a year ago, including four 20-point outings. Zackery is a career 40.5 percent shooter from three and 45.5 percent from the floor. He’s totaled nearly as many rebounds as assists in his career (331-330) and added 168 steals to go along with 1,106 points.

Lakhin is a veteran of 91 games, including 56 starts in 62 games over the past two seasons. In 2022-23, he averaged 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. Last season, he totaled 9.2 points and 6.0 rebounds. His rebounds per game last year ranked 12th in the Big 12 Conference.

The Anapa, Russia native posted 13 double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 26 in a win over Eastern Washington. He had a season-high five blocks against Oklahoma. He posted three double-digit rebounding efforts while collecting at least eight in a game on ten occasions.

During a press conference Wednesday to recap this past season, Brownell mentioned that he would like to add one more piece via the portal and would prefer that piece be a frontcourt player. Enter Christian Reeves.

On Thursday, Brownell received a commitment from Reeves, a Duke transfer center. The 7-foot-1, 261-pound redshirt sophomore averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 16 games off the bench in his career. Reeves played in 13 games as a freshman in 2022-23 but played in three last season after undergoing right ankle surgery. He has played in seven ACC games in his career but never played against the Tigers.

Reeves needs time to develop, and with the addition of Lakhin, he will have that time.

Brownell hinted Wednesday that more good news might be on the way, saying he feels good about the chances of guard Chase Hunter returning to Clemson for a final season. Hunter elected to declare for the draft while maintaining his eligibility to return.

“I’m optimistic Chase will come back. He worked out for an NBA team this week,” Brownell said. “I’m excited for him to be able to do some of those things, I was so happy to watch him play at the level that he did in the NCAA Tournament. He was tremendous.”

As a fifth-year senior, Hunter averaged 12.9 points and 3.2 assists. He was at his best in the NCAA Tournament, with 21, 20 and 18-point games on the big stage.