When it comes to Clemson basketball, most fans tend to focus on the program’s longtime veterans or the new faces arriving through the transfer portal.
But quietly, over the past few years, another storyline has been developing — the growing guard pipeline from Atlanta to Clemson.
Whatever kind of pull head coach Brad Brownell has in “The A,” it’s clearly working. Since 2019, the Tigers have landed a string of talented guards from the area, starting with Chase Hunter.
The former All-ACC guard was the first to set the tone for that pipeline, with his Clemson journey helping lay the foundation for those who followed.
Coming out of Westlake High School, Hunter was rated a four-star and ranked as a top-10 prospect in the state of Georgia. As a senior, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.6 points, four rebounds, two assists and nearly two steals per game.
He had a handful of offers but decided to commit to Clemson and Brownell, joining the team in the summer of 2019.
Hunter’s Clemson career didn’t get off to an easy start. A foot injury sidelined him for the majority of his freshman season, limiting him to just nine games. Over the next two years, his role and production grew gradually as he started 19-of-57 contests, mostly staying out of the spotlight in Littlejohn.
His official coming-out party occurred in the 2022-23 season, as he averaged just under 14 points, five assists and three rebounds per game as a junior.
The latter half of his collegiate career proved opposite of the start, as Hunter went from an injury-plagued role player to a veteran leader and steady presence in the Tigers’ backcourt.
The 2023 campaign marked a turning point, as Hunter helped steer Clemson back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years and all the way to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1980. In the four-game span, the versatile guard averaged 18 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals per game.
He built on that momentum with a career-best final season, putting up 16.5 points, three rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on elite 47-41-87 shooting splits.
After a remarkable journey in Tigertown, the Atlanta native now sits as the longest tenured Clemson Tiger of all time, leading the program with 167 total games played and 4,557 minutes logged.
Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Dillon Hunter became the next Atlanta guard to make his way to Clemson, but it didn’t come easy for Brownell.
The combo guard initially started his high school career at Westlake High School, but ended up transferring to Ypsi Prep Academy in Michigan and finishing his years at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. These moves created recruiting ties all around the country, with Hunter receiving offers from a handful of schools, including Georgia, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Baylor.
While Clemson was his first Division I offer, the three-star prospect originally chose to commit to the Baylor Bears. Fortunately, five months later, he rethought his decision and flipped to the Tigers, joining the team ahead of the 2022 season.
Through his first three years in Tigertown, Hunter hasn’t achieved the same level of success as his older brother. Still, he displayed a lot of potential on both sides of the ball as a junior last season, averaging about five points, two assists and three rebounds per game in nine starts.
He now enters the 2025 season as a starting guard for the Tigers, who are looking to make their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance with a rebuilt and reloaded roster.
With Chase and Dillon setting the foundation, the Atlanta-to-Clemson torch continues to be passed. The newest addition, true freshman Zachary Foster, could be the next to carry that legacy forward.
As a senior for Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia, the 6-foot-4 do-it-all guard averaged 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block per game en route to a GHSA AAAAA State Championship appearance.
Foster ranks as the third-highest Clemson basketball recruit of all time and was the No. 63 overall player in the 2025 class. With the Tigers’ roster currently light on guard play – especially in the future – the versatile combo guard has all the potential to succeed at the next level.
Just when it looked like Clemson’s Atlanta pipeline couldn’t get any stronger, Brad Brownell struck again — this time, landing 2026 shooting guard Harris Reynolds on Oct. 17.
Reynolds is the highest-ranked recruit in Clemson’s 2026 class, and was one of the biggest risers in the nation due to his AAU play over the summer, climbing from No. 257 to nearly cracking the top 100 in just three months.
One of his most notable performances came for the Nightrydas in the Nike EYBL Session IV in North Augusta, South Carolina. Reynolds was named Breakout MVP and earned 3rd Team All-Circuit honors after averaging 15 points, 8.5 rebounds, two assists, 1.5 steals and two blocks per game in four days against the best competition in the country.
Similar to Foster, his blend of size and two-way versatility fits well within Brownell’s system, which values lengthy guards who can defend multiple positions and contribute as secondary playmakers. But for now, stay tuned for his senior season at St. Pius X Catholic High School.
What started with Chase Hunter’s commitment back in 2019 has quietly grown into one of the most consistent recruiting trends in the ACC.
Clemson’s bond with Atlanta has produced some of the most impactful Tigers, and now a new generation of high-profile guards is ready to leave their mark. If the past few years are any hint of what’s ahead, the Tigers’ backcourt will keep running through the Peach State for seasons to come.
