One of the positive developments to come from Clemson basketball’s first loss in eight games was the performance of one of its seldom-used first-year players.

With Chase Hunter and Alex Hemenway both unavailable and some of the Tigers’ other guards battling foul trouble against Wake Forest earlier this week, Clemson coach Brad Brownell turned to freshman Chauncey Wiggins for help on the perimeter. Wiggins, a 6-foot-9, 205-pounder who’s more of a true wing, responded by scoring 10 points in a season-high 30 minutes.

“It’s taken a while to get to this point, but he was a great bright spot,” Brownell said. “I’m really happy for him and proud of him. I think he’s got a bright future.”

Wiggins hasn’t been a consistent part of the Tigers’ rotation for much of the season. Before Tuesday, he had only appeared in 11 games and averaged just 1.3 points and 5.3 minutes in those contests.

But when the Tigers needed him against Wake Forest, he responded.

Wiggins did his best to help Clemson keep up in its 87-77 loss. The Tigers shot less than 30% from 3-point range, the second straight game that’s happened for the ACC’s top 3-point shooting team. If not for Wiggins, who shot 3 of 5 from deep, it would’ve been worse.

“That part doesn’t surprise us,” Brownell said. “We feel like he’s getting better. He’s more comfortable and more confident.”

More than anything, the hope for Clemson is that Wiggins’ productive showing further boosts the confidence that Brownell said Wiggins sometimes lacks on the floor. 

“He’s a better player than he thinks he is,” Brownell said. “And I think our whole team feels he’s a good player, but sometimes he’s absent in practice. He’s out there and nothing is going on. He’s not afraid to shoot a ball. They went (with a) 1-3-1 (zone defense) and we got into what we practice, fired it to him right in the corner, he got a wide open shot, and he knocked it in. And that’s what we can do.”

There are still strides for Wiggins to make defensively, Brownell said, particularly on the glass. Wiggins pulled down just four rebounds despite playing what was easily a career high in minutes, but he also contributed three assists and a steal.

“He has good basketball skill,” Brownell said. “He can pass. He can shoot. He can dribble for his size. He’s a long guy, but he’s a little immature and young.”

The next step for Wiggins is increasing his overall production, particularly if he’s going to be logging more minutes. With Hunter’s status for today’s game against Virginia Tech (6 p.m., ESPN2) unknown and Hemenway expected to miss his ninth straight game, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

“It was a great start for him, but he’s 6-10, and we want him to do more things,” Brownell said. “”He needs to get more than three rebounds, and he needs to continue to fight defensively and get better. But he’s coming. This is why we recruited him. We think he’s a really good player, and as he continues to gain confidence in himself, he can play like this.”

Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store.  Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. 

Dear Old Clemson is doing NIL the ‘Clemson way’, but we need your help to make sure we build a sustainable, repeatable model that will help keep Clemson competitive with the other top programs around the nation.

Dabo Swinney: “We need your assistance more than ever to provide meaningful NIL opportunities. Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives allow student-athletes to utilize their voice and platform to maximize their NIL opportunities and strengthen their impact in the community.”

Graham Neff:
“Tiger Impact, Dear Old Clemson and other collectives need your support to help provide meaningful NIL opportunities for our student athletes. We are doing things the right way, the Clemson way with integrity as a non-negotiable and we fully support the mission of these groups.”

Join the Tiger Club or Lady Tiger Club to help these great student-athletes and help the Tigers compete at the highest level!