CLEMSON — Clemson has found a second big man transfer, Duke Christian Reeves, to help reinforce the frontcourt for next season.
Brad Brownell had already earned a commitment from Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin in the portal, but the Tigers didn’t have another player taller than 6-foot-10 on the roster with PJ Hall heading to the NBA Draft and Bas Leyte graduating.
Reeves stands 7-1 so he certainly fits Clemson’s need as far as size. But he only played in three games for Duke last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per contest in five minutes a game.
The sophomore missed 13 games due to injury in 2023-24 before undergoing right ankle surgery and being ruled out for the remainder of the season, according to Duke. Reeves, a former three-star recruit, was a minimal contributor as a freshman, as well
In the recruiting process, the big man was offered by the likes of South Carolina and Georgia Tech before Duke inevitably won out.
Brownell’s expectation on May 8 was the Tigers might use their remaining scholarship on another frontcourt piece.
“You never know how it’s gonna all play out because portal recruiting is not really an exact science,” Brownell said. “You’re just getting involved with a lot of players, doing your homework, sometimes you get further into it with a guy than somebody else.
But you’re trying to match guys with the guys you have, with who you might get.
“I can always change how we do some things to fit my personnel. So we try to be a little different and not quite as cookie cutter in our approach.”
