Chase Thompson has earned himself a key spot in the rotation off the Clemson bench.

The true freshman stepped up in a couple of clutch situations in the No. 20 Tigers’ 66-64 road win over Stanford Wednesday night. Thompson’s 10 points were a big part of the Clemson bench accounting for 43 points.

It was the kind of production head coach Brad Brownell knew was coming at some point, seeing as what he sees in practice on a routine basis.

“He’s had several practices like this, most of the year to be honest,” Brownell said. “I am actually surprised it has taken him this long to kind of just gain his confidence. Just feel comfortable.”

The 10 points were a career-high for Thompson. He finished 4-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from three-point land. He also pulled down three rebounds and had one assist.

“He shows us great things all of the time,” Brownell added. “He plays with good strength. He is a big, strong kid at 6-foot-9, 225. He can rebound the ball.”

Thompson’s growth was on display several different times in the win, including a pivotal stretch about midway through the second half. With the Tigers down a point, Thompson converted an old-fashioned three-point play. On Clemson’s next possession, he drilled one of his two three-point makes on the night to put his team up by two.

It was the kind of outing that builds confidence, something that will help the freshman as the Tigers head down the stretch run of the regular season.

“He is really learning to play at this level and learning all of the defensive things you got to do,” Brownell said. “But I think he has gotten much better in that. Then offensively, him just believing in his shot consistently. That was a huge three that he made, but he also went in there and got a couple of rebounds. But we see it most days in practice, so we are not too surprised by it.”

Photo by John Hefti-Imagn Images