Many longtime Clemson basketball fans may have recognized a familiar name on Monday night when men’s basketball took on New Hampshire in its season opener in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers debuted their ’90s throwback uniforms, and jersey No. 21 read “Buckner II” across the back, belonging to the young, promising guard Greg “Ace” Buckner.
Ace’s father, Greg, played for the Tigers from 1994-98 under head coach Rick Barnes. He served as the team’s leading scorer in all four of those years and led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in three of them before he was drafted to the Dallas Mavericks in the 1998 NBA draft to play out a 10-year career.
Ace is a Dallas, Texas, native and attended La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. He averaged 8.8 points per game with All Ohio Red on the EYBL Circuit and displayed impressive defense throughout his time on the team.
In October of 2023, Ace — a four-star recruit at the time — announced that he would be following in his father’s footsteps and committing to play for the Tigers.
At the start of the 2024 season, Ace was sidelined with a shoulder injury and forced to miss his entire freshman year. Admittedly, he said that not being out there with the rest of the team was challenging, but he’s settled in with the new lineup and is excited for the road ahead.
“I was happy to watch my guys win and be a part of that. But last year was definitely long, sitting on the bench and going through the injury,” Ace said. “Being able to work and come back, it was very fun.”
Ace took the time to improve his game following the surgery.
“After coming back from my surgery, I just stayed in the gym and I was just ready to play,” he said.
Ace brings hunger to the team and the kind of competitive edge that the program has thrived on for years.
“I hate to lose, when it comes to basketball or anything, I come from a big family, so losing is not a big part of my life,” he continued.
The young guard is making an instant impact and has even surpassed his father’s debut, leading the team in points with 18 against New Hampshire in an 88-38 win to open the 2025 season. He continued his strong play through the first three games, reaching double digits in each contest and currently leading the team in points per game with 13.7, helping establish a 3-0 record.
Coach Brad Brownell touched on Ace’s scoring ability and defensive impact following the team’s dominant win against New Hampshire.
“I thought Ace was obviously very good,” he said. “He was aggressive, he found some open floor situations and got to the rim, attacked the basket.”
In a separate interview, Brownell compared Ace’s intensity and toughness to his father’s.
“He brings competitive spirit, energy to your team, toughness to your team, will to win, very strong — just like his father.”
With a road matchup against Georgetown on Saturday, Nov. 15, at noon and the remainder of his first season awaiting thereafter, Ace will have plenty of opportunities to pave his own legacy with the Tigers.
