Son of Clemson Hall of Famer Could Be X-Factor For Clemson Basketball

An exciting aspect of Clemson men’s basketball this season is going to be the players who step up, since almost the entire team is new following the offseason overhaul.

Only three players on scholarship return from last season to this season, and only one, Dillon Hunter, played important minutes while the other two redshirted for the 2024-25 season. However, following the Tigers’ win over New Hampshire this Monday, there was one of the redshirts who stood out immensely in the win.

That player was Ace Buckner, son of Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame guard Greg Buckner.

Buckner finished with a team-high 18 points for Clemson in the win, playing in only 19 minutes in the team’s deep rotation on Monday. The redshirt freshman sank six of his seven attempts from the field, also adding two rebounds and three assists.

Missing all last season because of injury, Buckner was hungry to perform well, and he delivered.

“After coming back from my surgery, I just stayed in the gym and I was just ready to play,” he said, “and I feel like I showed that tonight.”

Head coach Brad Brownell calls Buckner “the most competitive guy on the team,” crediting his performance after Monday’s win.

“I thought Ace was obviously very good,” he said. “He was aggressive, he found some open floor situation and got to the rim, attacked the basket.”

Many of Buckner’s scores came from aggressive drives to the basket, drawing lots of contact on his way to get to the free-throw line. The Dallas native hit six free throws in his debut as well, showing that competitive prowess with no fear on his takes to the rim.

Buckner says that his competitive nature comes from his family, occurring in all facets of his life.

“I just hate to lose, and I’ve always hated to lose, when it comes to anything, basketball or not,” Buckner said. “I come from a big family, so losing is just not a part of my life.”

Ace’s father, Greg, played for the Tigers from 1994-98 under head coach Rick Barnes, making the NCAA Tournament three of his four seasons while picking up a plethora of accolades. He led Clemson in scoring in all four years at Littlejohn Coliseum, going to the NBA and having an 11-year career.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with his son, who was a four-star recruit, according to 247Sports Composite, in the class of 2024. The family connection was a helpful factor in Buckner’s commitment, and the production begins on the hardwood.

Especially with Clemson’s new system, which has 10 new players this season, don’t be surprised if Buckner continues to make waves in Brownell’s rotation, which is expected to be deeper than past teams this season. 12 players saw minutes in Monday’s win, and Buckner was one of 10 players with over 15 minutes.

Fans will look to see the redshirt freshman’s production continue against Gardner-Webb at home this Friday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from Littlejohn Coliseum.