During Clemson basketball’s recent success over the last two seasons, one of the main catalysts for its continued wins has been guard Chase Hunter, this year’s Best Male Athlete.
Hunter erupted in the NCAA Tournament last year, averaging over 17 points and 5.8 assists, and helped take the Tigers to the Elite Eight, the first time the team made it to that stage since 1980. The then-senior was one of the prominent players in the postseason, making the All-Region West Team.
The Atlanta native made his decision to come back to the team in late May, returning for one final season, during which he has produced the best scoring of his collegiate career. Averaging 16.3 points and 2.6 assists a contest, Hunter has been a main scoring option for the Tigers over the last three seasons, averaging at least 12 points per game over the last three years.
Perhaps the trait of Hunter’s that has won the love of the Clemson community has been his ability to make game-winning plays on the biggest stages. In the Sweet 16 against No. 2 Arizona last season, the Clemson guard made an acrobatic drive and finished to score an and-1, putting the Tigers up by multiple possessions and securing one of the biggest wins of the Brad Brownell era.
More recently, Hunter helped seal Clemson’s victory against then-No. 2 Duke on Feb. 8, stuffing a Tyrese Proctor layup with under 10 seconds to go to seal the highest-ranked win under head coach Brownell. His efforts on both sides of the ball have the Tigers going back to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, with hopes of going even farther than last season.
As one of the veteran leaders of the group, Hunter has a team with everything still remaining on the table. Clemson is still in contention for the ACC regular season championship and picked up a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. The team is also expected to receive a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Holding important wins over the Blue Devils, Kentucky and North Carolina, which have boosters of the Tigers’ resume.
“It just shows we can still do it,” Hunter said after the win over Kentucky. “I think people kind of maybe downed us this year, maybe we didn’t have this or that, but we are a team that fights, and we showed that today. We show we can compete with anybody.”
Something more significant for Hunter has been the addition of his younger brother, Dillon, who has been with the team for three seasons. As of late, Dillon and Chase see the court a lot together, as the junior has joined his older brother in the starting lineup. Since Dillon has joined the starting lineup, the Tigers are 6-0.
While is coming to the end of his collegiate career, Chase has picked up many accolades that will see him among the rest of the Clemson greats that have played at Littlejohn Coliseum. In the Tigers’ win against Virginia, Chase recorded his 1,700th point, making him one of only eight players to do so in a Clemson uniform.
Clemson has high expectations for its postseason adventure. With players like Chase Hunter guiding the way, not only is a deep postseason run in the cards, but the first Final Four appearance in program history could be brewing.
@chasehun1er (Instagram) // @chunt3r2 (X)
