CLEMSON — Eight-year-old Kai started to cry when his father, Shawn Poppie, told his family he was taking the job as Clemson’s head women’s basketball coach in March of 2024. 

The Tigers’ new coach was initially heartbroken by his son’s reaction, though the emotions were valid. He knew a move from Chattanooga to Upstate South Carolina would not be easy for three young children. It would mean a new school and new friends. 

“Dad these aren’t sad tears,” Kai said, slicing through his father’s concerns. “These are happy tears.”

Kai was not worried about a new routine or a new house. He was not concerned about missing games in McKenzie Arena, where his dad won 48 games in two seasons as the head coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

At that moment, Kai Poppie was simply proud of his father.

Nearly two years later, after Clemson defeated No. 9 Duke, 53-51, on Sunday, Shawn shared an extended hug with Kai, along with his wife Regina, and younger sons Cayden and Cameron.

It was a full-circle moment.

“My wife gives so much of her time and energy for me to be able to be with (the team),” Shawn Poppie said. “Obviously my kids, they don’t have any idea besides we got more points. It was a really cool moment to share with (Regina) and my kids, but I wouldn’t be here without her, that’s for sure.”

The win was equally as monumental for Clemson’s program as it was to the Poppie family. It marked the first win over an AP top-10 team in four years, the first 19-win season in over 25 years, and the first season with 10 conference wins since 2001. 

The victory also delivered the signature Quad 1 win the Tigers (19-9, 10-6 ACC) needed to strengthen their resume and break through the ever-looming NCAA Tournament bubble– putting Clemson in a solid position to make its first appearance in the dance since the 2018-19 season.

Ten days before the “program-changing” win over Duke (20-7, 15-1 ACC), Poppie was already campaigning for the Tigers’ spot in the postseason after a double-overtime win over Georgia Tech.

“We’re an NCAA Tournament team, so make sure we write that down,” he said. “We get to that point in the season where it is a question mark. Who is on the bubble? Who is in? But we’re an NCAA Tournament team and we’ve got four games left to prove it.”

There was no better time or place than Sunday afternoon in Littlejohn Coliseum for the Tigers to “prove it.” Clemson hosted its Senior Day, Alumni Day, and honored legendary head coach Jim Davis, who led the Tigers to 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, ahead of the matchup. 

As a result, Davis, over 60 alumni, and 3,218 patrons got to watch Clemson seniors combine for over 40 points en route to their best win of the season. Viewers also got to watch coverage of the game on national television.

“We’ve been saying we can make this place special and special is getting on the national scene,” Poppie said. “And so to do what we did to knock off a top 10 team in Duke at home, in front of a large crowd, on national television, I think it shows that we’re coming, not only for this year, but for a long time to come.

“It just goes to show all the hard work behind the scenes, the kind of people we have in this locker room, in this building, that we’re going to make Clemson women’s basketball special.”

The Tigers have their next chance to add to their resume Thursday, when they will head to California to take on the Bears (17-12, 8-8 ACC) at Haas Pavilion. Tip is set for 10 p.m. and coverage will be shown on ESPN.

There may not be a postgame tears or a full student and alumni section present in Berkley, but a win would only strengthen a historic second season of the Poppie era. 

And it would make Kai Poppie cry, again, and like last time, they will be joyful tears.