Clemson Forward Available to Play Ahead of NCAA Tournament Opener

The Clemson Tigers are set to take the floor in several hours for their opening contest in the NCAA Tournament, and it looks like they’ll have another player available for the game.

On Thursday, head coach Brad Brownell revealed that freshman forward Trent Steinour would be eligible to play in Friday night’s game against Iowa, being a help for the injuries that have been picked up over the course of this season.

Speaking to the media during Clemson’s open practice period, Brownell was asked about what the frontcourt would end up looking like after getting some time to process the loss of forward Carter Welling, who tore his ACL in the Tigers’ win against Wake Forest last Wednesday in the ACC Tournament.

While other players are expected to step up, Brownell gave the Huntersville, North Carolina, forward a mention, just in case he decides to use him in the game.

“It's going to be next man up,” he said. “Chase Thompson will get a few more reps. Trent Steinour is healthy again and might even get some opportunity, you never know. We'll be challenged in this tournament with that for sure.”

Steinour hasn’t played since Clemson’s West Coast trip, playing against Cal and picked up a rebound in the Tigers’ blowout win. Since then, he’s been behind in the rotation and has been going through a shoulder injury to have him in street clothes for a majority of Clemson’s games in late February and March.

But with Clemson’s frontcourt down a key piece, especially if foul trouble plays a factor, Steinour could see some extended time in the most important moments of the season.

“We adopted a phrase, everybody all the time, and we need everybody playing well all the time,” Brownell said. We need everybody's focus, their attention to detail, their competitive spirit in practice every day, in preparation, certainly in our games.”

Expect RJ Godfrey and Jake Wahlin to be the starters in Friday night’s matchup, with Nick Davidson finding a role coming off the bench for the Tigers down the stretch of this season. Thompson has had extended roles, especially as of late, and will continue to play if he makes the smart plays that he has been making throughout conference play.

However, Brownell will have a new depth piece that, if he chooses to give him minutes, will have the most important opportunity that he will have this season. Especially if Steinour is efficient, it could give him some momentum going into the offseason.