The Clemson men’s basketball team continues to stay atop the ACC standings even without two of its top guards.
While Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway recover from foot injuries, the Tigers (17-4, 9-1 ACC) aren’t skipping a beat, winning nine of their last 10 games and all but one of their ACC games this season.
Most recently, No. 24 Clemson handily defeated Georgia Tech (8-12, 1-9 ACC) by 21 points at Littlejohn Coliseum, where head coach Brad Brownell and his team have not lost any of their 10 home games.
A huge proponent of that success comes from the hands of Brevin Galloway. The sixth-year guard has played extra minutes recently in the absence of Hunter and Hemenway and has excelled, scoring 11.0 points over the last nine games, including a 14-point and five-assist performance on Tuesday night against the Yellow Jackets.
Even with the Tigers struggling at times the previous two seasons, Galloway, who is from Anderson, South Carolina, and transferred from Boston College this past offseason, isn’t surprised to see his hometown team at the top of the conference standings.
“I believed in the team from the jump,” Galloway said. “Looking at the roster when I was in the transfer portal trying to decide schools, I figured I might as well come home and make history. And I feel like that’s what we’re going to do.”
Dillon Hunter and Josh Beadle have also complimented Galloway in the backcourt, with Hunter making his first career start on Tuesday and scoring nine points on 3-for-5 shooting.
“Without Chase and Alex, that forces your hand,” Brownell said after the Georgia Tech game. “We’re a little thin right now. We’re hopeful those guys will be back, maybe this weekend.”
Right alongside Galloway have been PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson, two more veteran players that have given Clemson a stable core to complement an otherwise young roster.
Hall has been on a tear as of late, scoring 21.3 points over the last four games.
Tyson has cooled off a bit since his blazing stretch earlier this season but is still leading the Tigers in scoring with 15.5 points per game and grabbing 9.9 rebounds per game as well.
Perhaps just as important as Tyson’s ability as a player on the court is his leadership, which has seeped through the entire program.
“No limits, no excuses, no regrets has kind of been what we’ve talked about this year, and it really stemmed from a meeting with Hunter and I this summer,” Brownell said. “He’s done a nice job as our leader of echoing those kinds of messages.”
Looking ahead, the Tigers have two road games on their schedule against Florida State and Boston College. They then will have a tough test at home on Saturday, Feb. 4, when they play a Miami team that is right at the top of the ACC standings.
