Ever since the introduction of the transfer portal in 2018, summertime in the world of student athletics has meant massive switch-ups. As students return to Clemson, they may have missed a few trending topics in the realm of transfers thanks to the incredible volume of news there is to consume.
Head coach Brad Brownell and his squad had a historic run into the Elite Eight last season, so before this year heats up, let’s introduce the new Clemson men’s basketball transfer class for the 2024-2025 season:
Viktor Lakhin, Center | Cincinnati
Lakhin was the first transfer of Brownell’s 2024 class, as he announced his commitment back in May of this year. His transfer will provide a chance to add depth to the frontcourt in the absence of PJ Hall, who declared for the NBA draft and now plays for the Denver Nuggets.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound player spent the past four years with the Cincinnati Bearcats and is currently a redshirt senior. He redshirted his first year due to injury, and this past season he averaged 9.2 points, six rebounds and just shy of two assists per game.
Though his 2023-2024 numbers may not be eye-popping, he managed to accomplish these stats with a few nagging injuries, playing in 29 games and starting in 24. His best season came in his sophomore year, where he averaged 11.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Jaeden Zackery, Point Guard | Boston College
Brownell knew he needed to make a move after losing backup guard Josh Beadle to Boston College in the transfer portal. Ironically, Beadle’s gap will be filled by a former Eagle after Brownell acquired rising senior Jaeden Zackery.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound point guard played and started in 36 games, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season. He’s also efficient, shooting 48.4% from the field, 40.5% from deep and 82.4% from the charity stripe.
He even put on a show twice against Clemson last season, and these performances placed him on Brownell’s radar. He averaged 20 points, 4.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 66.7% from the field in those two games.
Christian Reeves, Center | Duke
The Charlotte native has had a roller coaster start to his collegiate career at Duke but still has a lot of time left to show up on the court as he’s just a redshirt sophomore.
Reeves played 13 games as a freshman, averaging just 3.2 minutes per game. In his sophomore campaign, he played three games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in limited action until he unfortunately suffered a season-ending ankle injury, leading him to redshirt.
“I’m excited that Christian chose Clemson, and I know our staff is looking forward to the opportunity to work with him and continue his development,” Brownell said. “He has great size, can rebound, block shots and has the potential to become an elite rim protector and more.”
Myles Foster, Forward | Illinois State
After spending three years at Monmouth and one year at Illinois State, Foster chose to use his last year of eligibility to transfer to a high major — Clemson.
His statistics back up his jump from mid to high major, as last season, he averaged 12.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on 53% shooting.
The post-savvy forward looks to turn some heads in his final collegiate season for the Tigers in 2024.
Make sure to catch these new faces in action later this fall.
