Why Clemson Basketball's True Freshmen Duo Could Make an Early Impact

When the Clemson Tigers take the floor this season, two new faces will be hard to miss, literally.

True freshmen Zac Foster and Chase Thompson bring a blend of size, skill and poise that has already caught the attention of veterans and coaches alike.

Foster, an athletic, do-it-all guard, ranks as the third-highest Clemson Basketball recruit of all time and was the No. 63 overall player in the 2025 class. As a senior for Woodward Academy, he averaged 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block per game en route to a GHSA 5A State Championship appearance.

Thompson, on the other hand, flew under the radar nationally as a three-star prospect — but he shone for Alexandria High School as a senior. He averaged 25.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, according to stats provided by StribVarsity. In the state championship, he dropped a game-high 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting, adding seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block to lead Alexandria to its first-ever title. His breakout season earned him the Minnesota Mr. Basketball award, given to the state's top senior player.

Foster and Thompson's high school résumés speak for themselves, but their early days in Tigertown have already shown that their production translates beyond the box score.

Since joining Clemson's roster this summer, the true freshman duo has already made an impression inside the program, especially on the veterans who go up against them every day in practice.

"They definitely have a lot of size coming in with Zac being about 6'5 and Chase being almost 6'8, so they're not your typical freshmen," senior guard Dillon Hunter said. "They have the physical attributes, we're just trying to get the mental down to where they know where to be, know the plays or just know basketball. Once you come to college, it's a different form of basketball. So, realizing that and just being calm under pressure."

As preseason practices ramped up, it didn't take long for the veterans to realize just how explosive the two newcomers could be. Whether it's in transition or around the rim, both Foster and Thompson have shown flashes that make the gym stop for a second.

"I'd say for Chase, he'll wow you with a random dunk in practice," Hunter relayed. "He'll just walk into a dunk, it's random, I've never seen it in my life. Then Zac, he's fast. He'll catch it on the fast break, and we put pressure on defense, so he'll blow by everyone and get to the rim in five seconds."

That same confidence and aggressiveness has carried into live action as well, with Zac Foster being one of four double-digit scorers in their recent exhibition contest against Presbyterian College.

"Zac's a confident player," Hunter continued. "He's going to play his game at all times and try to help the team win."

This high-level praise doesn't just come from the freshmen's teammates, though, as head coach Brad Brownell shared a similar sentiment about Foster and Thompson.

While he knows – and mentions – the adjustment to college basketball takes time and production, he's been impressed enough to believe both freshmen could carve out real roles early on.

"They have to earn it. Zac and Chase have done very well, and we talked about how they've come in physically more ready than a lot of the freshmen, or some of the freshmen in the past," Brownell noted. "But at the end of the day, they have to earn their playing time; whether that's practice, making good plays, decisions, knowing what to do, competing at a high level. This is about production. But they've been able to do that so far, so I don't see any reason why they won't play a lot."

"They've been very productive in practice; there are still things they need to learn. They're making plenty of mistakes, but it's all mistakes that we can correct. They're certainly good enough players to make some very productive plays that are helping our team. I think they're ahead of schedule compared to most guys."

The Tigers might not be getting much preseason love, entering the year projected to finish seventh in the ACC, but that hasn't changed the energy inside the program. If anything, it's only fueled a team already eager to prove itself, and for freshmen like Foster and Thompson, that chip on the shoulder fits right in.

As the season unfolds, their ability to grow alongside Clemson's veteran core could be the X-factor in turning a quietly confident group into a surprise conference contender.